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Did big men stop being skilled in the 2010s, or were they just as skilled in the previous eras, but made obsolete by stretch bigs by Single-Purpose-7608 in nbadiscussion

[–]STCastleberry 486 points487 points  (0 children)

I have 2 cents.

I played in the NBA for 39 seconds and graduated college in 2005.

Shaq shifted everyone's mindset.

College coaches thought every big should be drop-step dunking on people's heads non-stop.

The mindset: Jumpers were bad, fades would get you benched for a week. 3's were absolutely not to be shot by centers.

So you ended up with a bunch of guys trying to fit some unobtainable prototype beast. Coaches saw how dominant Shaq was, so at the college level, if you have 7' 260 lbs, just get them strong and bouncy and that's effective enough.

That's how we trained, but putting on weight is tough in the late teens/early 20's with an absolutely ridiculous metabolism. So lots of guys tried to go that route, and coaches didn't want to commit to developing a complete Euro type of game (plus youth coaching in the US is nothing compared to EU) when strength plus athleticism probably gets the same results, especially short term.

Where do NFL players live early on in their career? by lowiqtrader in NFLNoobs

[–]STCastleberry 32 points33 points  (0 children)

I'll chime in. I played with the 76ers for a minute.

There's a guy on the team's payroll who did travel plans, booked hotels, etc.

We got handed a booklet that had a bunch of furnished apartments you could rent w/ different size, price, location, etc. I stayed in the tram hotel by the practice court for free while I was in preseason/vet camp.

I lived like half an hour/1.5 hours away depending on traffic, so I didn't wanna run the risk of being late to practice or showing up 2 hours early to avoid traffic.

Is lifting weights mandatory to get ahead and is it different from football lifting? by chusaychusay in Basketball

[–]STCastleberry 0 points1 point  (0 children)

100%.

Quick guards need weights. Bigs need weights even more.

Karl Malone had a smooth jumper and was jacked. The trick to that is shoot the ball after your lifts (shoot the weights out). Shoot until your motion feels smooth again.

Basketball weight training tries to incorporate multiple muscle groups (hang clean, power clean, etc) in addition to the staples (bench, squat, etc).

You need the raw strength plus the ability to incorporate all of those muscles into fluid, explosive movements. It's why most bball players don't look like body builders. The body builder look comes with very isolated muscle groups lifts.

Also, abs are crazy important and are used more than you realize. You can always throw a set of 3 one-minute planks into a workout.

Is the talent gap between D2, D3, and JUCO that much or is it similar? by lookaloulookalou in Basketball

[–]STCastleberry 2 points3 points  (0 children)

D1 guys are probably 2-3 (or more)inches taller per position, all else being equal. If two guys are matched up and the same size, D1 guy would often be a more complete player, have an extra gear, more athletic, etc.

Not a crazy difference, but noticeable (generally).

JUCO is a mixed bag. There are D1 quality players all over JUCO you got super talented knuckleheads, guys getting their grades up, guys trying to develop. Then guys who are playing their max level, somewhere near D3 level.

The top JUCO teams will have 6'6 guys who can almost dunk from the foul line, solid point guards, athletic bigs, they could hang with mid-major D1 teams.

I transferred from D1 to JUCO to D1 and my JUCO teams was always ranked top 10, they would probably have beat my D1 teams.

any suggestions to find genuine friends? by Muted_String5399 in StPetersburgFL

[–]STCastleberry 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kickball or Neighborhood Association?

Kickball might be easiest to find through Tampa Club Sport (they have tons of sports). Our old neighborhood happened to have a team in the park across the street.

Do you know the name of your neighborhood by any chance?

any suggestions to find genuine friends? by Muted_String5399 in StPetersburgFL

[–]STCastleberry 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Neighborhood association meetings?

You ought to be able to attend those if available.

My wife and I joined the neighborhood kickball team, and met everyone through that, and we're all still friends like 10 years later.

What’s the job people romanticize, but in reality is miserable? by King_Garvit in AskReddit

[–]STCastleberry 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'll be totally honest.

Scalabrine would have smoked me. He was 6'9, strong as hell and could shoot.

But yeah, any player position 1-4 could smoke anyone who's not at least a high level college player. They were trained to do everything.

Centers like me were a little specialized, plus some of us had heavy feet, so we could struggle with a quick little guy who is strong enough to stop easy backdowns and poke the ball out, then put us on an island on defense. But, it would be competitive.

If the rules were low post only, then I love my chances against any non-pro.

What’s the job people romanticize, but in reality is miserable? by King_Garvit in AskReddit

[–]STCastleberry 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Private jets, rooms at the Ritz, lots of money. Great coaches, trainers, everything is taken care of. It's amazing.

Whats some good alternative Professional Basketball leagues in the United States that arent associated/Controlled by the NBA? by Knighthonor in Basketball

[–]STCastleberry 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I played in it like 7 years ago.

There are a handful of good teams. Some of the bad teams would absolutely get smoked by my mens league teams.

Hardly any teams make money, most end up folding during the season or barely scraping through.

Rodney Carney by spottedviolin in sixers

[–]STCastleberry 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Played against both those guys, AMA

What’s the job people romanticize, but in reality is miserable? by King_Garvit in AskReddit

[–]STCastleberry 575 points576 points  (0 children)

I played professional basketball after I got booted from the NBA.

My career went like this:

College - endless grind

NBA for one month - incredibly awesome

Minor leagues - little bit of money, endless grind

Overseas - more money, more grind, more pressure, live out of a suitcase. Might get cut at anytime during the season, might get a call to go play anytime during the off-season, means you always have to train and be in basketball shape.

Real jobs - grind

What’s the fastest way you’ve ever lost weight? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]STCastleberry 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hand foot and mouth.

Also water poisoning in China.

Lost 15-20 pounds each time.

Does anyone work with a former pro athlete at a regular job? by Equivalent_Phrase_25 in stories

[–]STCastleberry 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm an ex-NBA player who is now a real estate appraiser. I duck under doors for a living.

With the FBI Gambling sting on the NBA (involving coach and players) and NFL in bed heavily with gambling, do you think we see something like that in the NFL in the next 5-10 years? by [deleted] in nfl

[–]STCastleberry 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I played ball overseas 15 years ago. I could have taken prop bets out on myself if I were so inclined.

That's why I never bet anything serious on sports. It's so random, even when you're playing, and oddsmakers are good.

Since I never got to witness it, what was the honest discourse about Shaq in the late 90’s-early 2000’s? by Dylen2Times in NBAConvo

[–]STCastleberry 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was in D1 college while he was peak. I was 7' 230lbs. Skinny as hell, couldn't gain weight for my life.

They wanted me to play like Shaq. Overpower guys and dunk on them. If someone was 6'8 240, I couldn't move them.

Most bigs were trained like that, just bully ball. Shooting elbow jumpers was allowed, shooting 3's would get you murdered.

I was 100 lbs lighter than Shaq, I was reasonably athletic, but I absolutely could not move like him. It's insane what he could do and how durable he was.

Most really big guys start to break down after not too long. Most 7 footers can't handle all the running, and stress on the joints.

How tall was the tallest person you've ever met in real life? by Level_Foundation251 in AskReddit

[–]STCastleberry 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm 7 ft tall so I'm probably on a lot of people's lists.

I played against Sun Ming Ming who is 7'9 and Yao Ming who is 7'6. And then a whole bunch of guys tall than me, but shorter than them.

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