A well-played basketball game produces many beautiful moments, and arguably the most eye-pleasing, picturesque instances are smooth, successful jump shots.
If you paid attention to local high school basketball the last several years, you probably saw Brett Kingma and Angela Woods knock down tons of mid- to long-range jumpers. Kingma, a senior guard on the Jackson High School boys basketball team, and Woods, a senior forward on the Edmonds-Woodway girls basketball team, both received All-Wesco South first team recognition last season and are among the best in the state at scoring from long range.
This winter, they hope to help lead their respective teams back to the Class 4A state tournaments at the Tacoma Dome, where last season Jackson reached the title game and E-W placed fifth.
With the 2010-2011 high school basketball season on the verge of starting, here is a closer look at two outstanding shooters — Kingma and Woods — in their own words.
Brett Kingma, Jackson High School senior
Question: What’s your first memory of shooting a basketball?
Answer: “I remember just growing up and always having a ball in my hand. I grew up in a cul-de-sac with three hoops and a bunch of kids so I just remember always trying to shoot from as far out as I could, all day.”
Question: When did you realize you were a good shooter?
Answer: “I’ve always been really confident in my shooting. I’ve never really doubted myself, so I don’t really think I ever questioned whether I’d be good growing up.”
Question: What was your best shooting performance?
Answer: “In eighth grade I had 60 points in a tournament (game) in Yakima, and then this summer in the Franklin Slam I had 54 (against) Anacortes.” [Note: Brett’s dad, Gregg Kingma, played basketball at Anacortes High.]
Question: How does it feel when your shot is on?
Answer: “It feels like you can’t really miss, and then when you miss it’s like, ‘Wow!’ You just keep shooting and the rim feels really big. It just feels good no matter how (the ball) go.”
Question: What do you do when your shot is off?
Answer: “My dad instilled in me that you’ve got to follow through; that’s the first one. Then use your legs. If you try to switch things up too much, you’re going to end up missing more.”
Question: Who is your favorite shooter to watch?
Answer: “I like (Golden State Warriors guard) Stephen Curry — just the way he moves without the ball and his body control. He takes really good shots and when he’s not on he sets up his teammates, and that also helps him get open shots.”
Question: You’re more than just a shooter. What is your most under-rated skill?
Answer: “Just pushing the fast break and seeing the court. People sometimes don’t see that but I love to push the break and set up my teammates.”
Angela Woods, Edmonds-Woodway High School senior
Question: What’s your first memory of shooting a basketball?
Answer: “My very first year of basketball I played rec ball. It was third grade and we were down by two points with 10 seconds left. I was too far away (about 25 feet) but I chucked a 3 and made it. It was before I even developed a shot — I was just throwing it up there.”
Question: When did you realize you were a good shooter?
Answer: “It was actually really, really late because when I was younger playing select ball I was one of the taller girls. I was a post, up until my freshman year. I actually had no shot at all because I was an inside player.”
“It was hard because all my coaches before my freshman year said, ‘Don’t shoot outside! Don’t shoot outside!’ But my select coach gave me confidence and gave me the green light.”
Question: What was your best shooting performance?
Answer: “This past summer I had a really, really off summer, but my first game at the AAU nationals tournament in San Diego I made like nine or 10 3s in one game.”
Question: How does it feel when your shot is on?
Answer: “I can tell if I’m going to make it on my release because I’ve had the same (shooting form) for a long time. If I release wrong then I know it’s not going to go in. It’s a really good feeling when I’m on.”
Question: What do you do when your shot is off?
Answer: “Usually I just shoot out of it. I just shoot and shoot until I start making again.”
Question: Who is your favorite shooter to watch?
Answer: “I don’t really watch a lot of basketball, but I like Kobe Bryant’s shot because he can kind of release his shot from anywhere.”
Question: You’re more than just a shooter. What is your most under-rated skill?
Answer: “I’m kind of good at boxing out. (It requires) being aggressive and being able to jump for the ball — just not being afraid to be physical inside.”
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