“What I've learned from you is that really one of the most important things
in life is showing up. I'm blown away by your ability to show up...”
-- Conor O'Neill (played by Keanu Reeves),
Hard Ball (book by Daniel Coyle;
screenplay by John Gaitins)
Most college basketball fans love this time of year. The tournaments are
about to start, after all, and most college basketball fans love the
tournaments.
For saps like me, this time of year comes with a cost. Several costs, really,
but the one that starts to hit me about this time of year is that we are about
to see some of those kids we root for suit up in Cardinal and White for the last
time. March is exciting, but it is also “goodbye” time. We are about to say
goodbye to one of my all-time favorites.
For about the last month, I have been trying to figure out why I am such a
Brooke Smith fan. Yes, she was awfully nice to our awestruck (then) 10-year-old
Stanford sports nut son when Stanford came to Columbia for one of her first
games. Without a doubt, that is part of it.
But it is also her game. You gotta love that hook shot. Actually, that should
be “hook shots,” because she can go left or right with the hook. Having one hook
shot is pretty remarkable these days. Having two is off the charts.
Many times, I have heard radio and television broadcasters refer to Brooke's
Hook as “old school.” Maybe that is part of the appeal. When you start to get
old, you like a little old school.
The Hook is the first thing you notice about Brooke. Keep watching, though,
and you will see more to love. Her footwork is a thing of beauty, at least to
Stanford fans. Fans of opposing schools hate it, of course, because they
mistakenly think it is traveling, unaware that one can step out of the pivot
into a shot. She definitely gets bonus points for doing something that effective
that drives opposing fans that nuts.
Her passing is solid, too. It is tough to learn how to pass out of the double
team before it is too late. Brooke and Stanford's other bigs (on the women's
team - it is still a work in progress for the men, but there is progress) are darn
good at it.
She can even get you a few steals, which is a nice plus for a post. The
occasional three-point shot is nice, too. And she is a solid rebounder.
All of those things are part of her skill set. In the end, though, I think
the most appealing aspect of her game is something you see, but perhaps do not
notice, when you first watch her.
She is always there. Offense or defense, there she is. With only one
exception that I have noticed in three years of watching (and everyone gets one
exception), she never takes a possession off. As soon as possession changes, she
heads to the other end of the court.
As Keanu Reeves' character in Hard Ball observed, “showing up” really is one
of the most important things in life. And in basketball. Especially for bigs. Most of them spend at least part of the game NOT showing up. And they get away
with it, due to the widespread belief that big players cannot be expected to be
in good enough shape to continuously run the floor.
Brooke busts that myth. She shows up. Not just for offense. [The bigs who do
not always show up tend to rest on defensive possessions.] We have come to take
it for granted. If you watch carefully, though, you will see it, often in the
background: There she is, hustling down the court.
She does this while playing the most minutes of any player on the team. She
is not getting her rest on the bench. She just does not get rest, except when
she gets into foul trouble. [That reminds me of another thing I love about her
game: She can play a long time with four fouls.]
Showing up is how a post player gets rebounds. How she is in position for the
occasional steal. How she is ready to take the ball and then hook it, move it to
the hoop for a layup, or pass it out of the double team. You cannot do any of
those things unless you are there. Brooke Smith is always going to be there.
But “always” is about to run out.
We will miss you, Brooke. And we will miss Kristen, Clare, and Markisha, too. Good players and good kids all (except that they are not really kids anymore, I
guess).
Wherever life takes the four of you, keep showing up. Just for fun, keep
showing up in those Stanford uniforms as long as possible.
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