Travis Acton
vs. the 3-on-1 Fast Break
One day, at the old wooden courts at
Brewer, I saw one of the most impressive defensive plays
ever exhibited.
Travis Acton is the finest defensive
player I've ever known. As a shot-blocker, there's
none better. He's tall, he's quick, and he's got
timing that makes him incredibly tough.
The 3-on-1 fast break is meant to take
advantage of players who have no help on defense. It
is among the most difficult situations to defend in
basketball. Well, when people are attacking the
basket, Travis Acton never needed much help, as three
unfortunate opponents found out one day at Brewer.
A steal led out to a fast break - with Acton
in close pursuit. Acton was back first, and blocked a
lay-up down the right side of the lane. The ball
sailed back to the middle. The man in the middle tried
to shoot over Acton - who had just landed. Acton when
up, and deflected the shot - sending it off the backboard,
and back to the man on the right.
Well, the man on the right, seeing Acton
eyeing him and remembering what happened to his last shot
faked Acton. Acton didn't jump. The man on the
right then threw across the lane to the man on the left, who
tried to get a quick shot up - but too late - Acton was
there, and knocked it back into his hands.
Stubbornly, the man on the left went up
again - this time - with Acton set square and waiting.
Acton got his hand on top of the ball, and slammed it
viciously to the floor, causing the ball to bounce sky-high.
Acton simply landed, waited for the ball to come down into
his reach, jumped up and grabbed the ball. He had
blocked four shots and grabbed the rebound in turning back a
three-on-one fast break.
He glanced around the court, noticed where
his teammates were, and then proceeded to cuss me (and the
rest of his teammates, but particularly me) out for not
getting back to help him.
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