Cherry picking, in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and certain other sports, refers to play where one player (the cherry picker) does not play defense with the rest of the team, but rather remains near half court or closer to their own team's goal. If the opponents do not designate a player to stay near the cherry picker, they will have a 5-on-4 advantage as they try to score, but if the defense steals the ball, it could make a long pass to the cherry picker for an uncontested basket. Acquiring the ball by a violation or foul, or after a made basket, the cherry picker is less relevant, as the opponents have more time to put their own defense in place. Disapproval of cherry picking stems from the fact that the cherry picker is not playing the "complete" game and accumulates statistics for points scored that exaggerate the player's prowess.

Legality

Cherry picking is uncommon but legal in organized basketball. In some amateur leagues, cherry picking—defined as a defender remaining in the opponents' backcourt after the opponents have advanced the ball to their forecourt—is a violation, penalized by loss of possession and of any resulting points.

Methods

The cherry picker may "camp out", remaining on the player's offensive end to wait for a teammate to obtain the ball and pass it to the cherry picker for a shot before the defense can get back (as is also the case in the

fast break Fast break is an offensive strategy in basketball and handball. In a fast break, a team attempts to move the ball up court and into scoring position as quickly as possible, so that the defense is outnumbered and does not have time to set up. The ...

). Another method is "bolting" or "breaking" toward the other goal the moment the opponents launch a shot, without waiting to see the outcome of the shot. If the shot fails and the defense gets the rebound, the cherry picker can be positioned to receive a long pass and take an unguarded shot. Even after a made shot, the team that was on defense may signal for one or more players to run toward the other basket so as to enable one or more passes toward the goal before the opponents can set up their defense.

Other uses

Cherry picking is also a strategy in videogames that simulate basketball. Analogs to cherry picking exist in other sports: *Cherry picking in

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

is called "sea-gulling". Similar to the strategy in basketball, a swimmer of the defensive team remains on his or her offensive end and awaits a pass once teammates regain the ball. *Cherry picking violates the offside rule of

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

. In indoor football in many European countries, a rule named "Man over the line" prevents any player crossing the middle of the court, apparently to encourage more play in attack. In Britain, staying near the goal is informally called "goal hanging". *

Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

also has an offside rule that prevents cherry picking, but " loafing" just outside the opponents' blue line can lead to breakaways if the loafer's opponent is unaware of it. The term also refers to "picking" a rebound above the rim, a practice that may be a

goaltending Goaltending is a violation of the rules in the sport of basketball. It consists of certain forms of player interference with the ball while it is on its way to the basket. It is goaltending if a player touches the ball when it is (a) in downwar ...

violation.

References

{{Basketball Basketball terminology