Colorado State University Athletics
Defending the Paint Requires the Rams Give Themselves Up
2/3/2022 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Taking a charge requires fundamentals and a mentality
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – With one line out on the perimeter and another group working down low, they took turns hitting the floor Wednesday afternoon.
Taking a charge isn't something which happens by chance.
Colorado State men's basketball assistant coach Ari Farokhmanesh would have players applying pressure on him as he dribbled the ball, then he'd make his move, lower his shoulder and send one after the other tumbling. Near the basket, assistant Brian Cooley was doing the same, but considering the crew he was working against – the big men – he had a tougher chore.
He also used an arm pad, putting everything he could into his move to knock them down, and if it didn't work the first time, he'd do it again with more effort. The coaches weren't holding back, but it was clear to all who was having the most fun.
"Cooley. One hundred percent," John Tonje said with no hint of hesitation. "Cooley loves it. He had a smile on his face the entire drill, every day we do it. Ali does it too, because he was on a great college team, and I'm pretty sure they took charges. He knows taking a charge is one of those things that can take you to the next level."
Farokhmanesh does his part, but he says for him, the drill is exhausting. But Cooley, he finds the energy.
Consider it a necessary evil. The block/charge call by an official nearly always seems to be controversial, depending on the rooting interest. It is literally a bang-bang play and there can be optics to it. The better defensive position a player is in, the more likely he can draw a charge and not get called for a block.
For head coach Niko Medved, it is a crucial defensive play and one of the ways his team can protect the paint. The other options are blocking shots and setting a vertical wall, all of which they work on, but taking a charge holds merit for his roster, so they work on it regularly.
It wasn't Monday's game with Wyoming – where block/charge calls became a hot topic – which led to the drill to be in the plan Wednesday. It was already on the sheet, but Monday's festivities could do nothing but re-highlight the importance of the drill.
"It's not every day, but it's something that's part of our routine we like to do a good bit," Medved said. "Again, the way we're built, we don't always have a ton of shot blockers, so we have to have the ability to take charges and have the ability to wall up and protect the paint."
As a coach, he knows there are two crucial parts to the play, one being sound defensive fundamentals, the other being a wiliness to give up the body for the good of the team. It's not always a built-in feature for players when they arrive.
Contact is going to happen, which Medved said has to be embraced, and there's also the component of reading a play, to see it before it happens and get to the spot first in the right defensive position.
None of it was natural for Tonje, who has come to enjoy the drills in practice.
"I like those drills. When I first got here, I didn't understand it," Tonje said. "I didn't know what a charge was, I don't think I ever took a charge in my life. But at the college level, that's one of the biggest aspects people a lot of times don't talk about, but it's one of the biggest game changers. It's definitely something I look forward to in practice, and something we need to get better at.
"It's been getting better and better, and everybody is getting their timing right and everybody is getting a better mentality for that type of thing, so I like where we're headed."
For Tonje, personally and team wise, mentality has to be the key. The willingness to make a stand, open the body up for contact and take a shoulder directly in the chest plate.
More to the point, it can't be just one or two of the Rams who will do it, but rather the entire roster.
"The best teams are the ones who are willing to take charges. Everyone needs a team-first mindset to take those charges," he said. "It was 100 percent a mindset I had to learn. You have to set your mind to come in here and take a charge. It's an awkward thing to do and sacrifice your body for, but it's definitely a mindset."
They might as well enjoy taking the blow, because the coaches don't mind delivering them. Except Medved. He said he's had his run in his day with the pad, and after years of trying to knock Colton Iverson off his feet, he's just fine watching Cooley have his fun.
Taking a charge isn't something which happens by chance.
Colorado State men's basketball assistant coach Ari Farokhmanesh would have players applying pressure on him as he dribbled the ball, then he'd make his move, lower his shoulder and send one after the other tumbling. Near the basket, assistant Brian Cooley was doing the same, but considering the crew he was working against – the big men – he had a tougher chore.
He also used an arm pad, putting everything he could into his move to knock them down, and if it didn't work the first time, he'd do it again with more effort. The coaches weren't holding back, but it was clear to all who was having the most fun.
"Cooley. One hundred percent," John Tonje said with no hint of hesitation. "Cooley loves it. He had a smile on his face the entire drill, every day we do it. Ali does it too, because he was on a great college team, and I'm pretty sure they took charges. He knows taking a charge is one of those things that can take you to the next level."
Farokhmanesh does his part, but he says for him, the drill is exhausting. But Cooley, he finds the energy.
Consider it a necessary evil. The block/charge call by an official nearly always seems to be controversial, depending on the rooting interest. It is literally a bang-bang play and there can be optics to it. The better defensive position a player is in, the more likely he can draw a charge and not get called for a block.
For head coach Niko Medved, it is a crucial defensive play and one of the ways his team can protect the paint. The other options are blocking shots and setting a vertical wall, all of which they work on, but taking a charge holds merit for his roster, so they work on it regularly.
It wasn't Monday's game with Wyoming – where block/charge calls became a hot topic – which led to the drill to be in the plan Wednesday. It was already on the sheet, but Monday's festivities could do nothing but re-highlight the importance of the drill.
"It's not every day, but it's something that's part of our routine we like to do a good bit," Medved said. "Again, the way we're built, we don't always have a ton of shot blockers, so we have to have the ability to take charges and have the ability to wall up and protect the paint."
As a coach, he knows there are two crucial parts to the play, one being sound defensive fundamentals, the other being a wiliness to give up the body for the good of the team. It's not always a built-in feature for players when they arrive.
Contact is going to happen, which Medved said has to be embraced, and there's also the component of reading a play, to see it before it happens and get to the spot first in the right defensive position.
None of it was natural for Tonje, who has come to enjoy the drills in practice.
"I like those drills. When I first got here, I didn't understand it," Tonje said. "I didn't know what a charge was, I don't think I ever took a charge in my life. But at the college level, that's one of the biggest aspects people a lot of times don't talk about, but it's one of the biggest game changers. It's definitely something I look forward to in practice, and something we need to get better at.
"It's been getting better and better, and everybody is getting their timing right and everybody is getting a better mentality for that type of thing, so I like where we're headed."
For Tonje, personally and team wise, mentality has to be the key. The willingness to make a stand, open the body up for contact and take a shoulder directly in the chest plate.
More to the point, it can't be just one or two of the Rams who will do it, but rather the entire roster.
"The best teams are the ones who are willing to take charges. Everyone needs a team-first mindset to take those charges," he said. "It was 100 percent a mindset I had to learn. You have to set your mind to come in here and take a charge. It's an awkward thing to do and sacrifice your body for, but it's definitely a mindset."
They might as well enjoy taking the blow, because the coaches don't mind delivering them. Except Medved. He said he's had his run in his day with the pad, and after years of trying to knock Colton Iverson off his feet, he's just fine watching Cooley have his fun.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballFriday, June 05
Saturday, March 07
Saturday, March 07
Friday, March 06