🏀 Unrivaled Weekly: Can’t stop, won’t stop

The GIST: Dearica Hamby was virtually unstoppable in Vinyl’s BC’s lopsided win over Hive BC last Sunday, dropping an Unrivaled-record 40 points. The most remarkable aspect of Hamby’s feat? She eclipsed the league-best scoring mark without a single three-pointer.

• Hamby’s prowess shouldn’t come as a surprise: She’s a 3x3 Olympian and has mastered the art of the pick-and-roll — so let’s break down the Vinyl’s incredibly effective ball screen.

🤔 What is a pick-and-roll?: A “pick” or “screen” is one of the most versatile plays in basketball, in which a stationary player blocks the defender in order to create an advantage. This can happen on the ball (aka when a player screens the defender of the player who is dribbling) or away from the ball to free up a potential pass. Here’s a helpful video breaking it all down.

• As for the pick-and-roll, this one’s extra special because it directly involves the person performing the screen. The “roll” happens when the player setting the screen cuts straight to the basket — and it often ends in buckets.

🌟 Hamby’s skillset: Hamby is the perfect player to perform a pick-and-roll — she’s big, strong, and physical, plus she finishes well at the rim. In fact, Hamby shot an impressive 60% from the field in the Vinyl’s first three games, highlighted by Sunday’s showing where she made 16 of her 22 shot attempts for a mind-boggling 73% field goal percentage. Unreal.

💿 The Vinyl advantage: The Vinyl have really leaned into Hamby’s strengths and are incredibly effective operating out of the pick-and-roll as a team. Typically, the Vinyl set a ball screen in the middle third of the court, so Hamby’s roll is directly into the paint. This puts a ton of pressure on that third defender, forcing them to make an incredibly difficult decision:

• Help to cover Hamby’s roll or stay with the player they’re supposed to be guarding? When the options are a sharpshooting Rhyne Howard, who knocked down six threes on Sunday, or Hamby’s soft hands at the rim, it’s a lose-lose situation.