[BloggingRefGuy]

Y'all,

I kicked a block/charge last night...but I can't figure out the best way to avoid it in the future.

White was pressing Blue all night long. I was C, slowly heading upcourt just ahead of the ball, keeping my eye on the next line of defense. I wound up on the sideline, exactly next to the Blue coach. I could feel the ball coming up the sideline behind me, so I turned my shoulders to pick up the ball right behind me as we headed into the froncourt. The girl blitzed right by me on the sideline, and when she passed me, I turned my head and was surprised to find a defender there. I don't know if she wasn't there yet of if she'd been waiting for a half hour. Big collision three feet away from me...I had to call something, and I called player control. The coach in my hip pocket went ballistic, and after the game, partners said I missed it...the kid wasn't there yet. Point is, because I picked up the ball behind me, I wasn't in a position to ever see the defender in front of me. I couldn't move out onto the floor without colliding with the ballhandler. I guess I could have taken a step or two back towards the division line, but I didn't think of it at the time.

Was my positioning off? My decision to pick up the ball as C when it was behind me in a press situation? How can I learn from this one?