HAMPTON, Va. – Brandon Huffman won’t go as far as saying that it could make the difference between wins and losses, but he contends that a well-orchestrated slapping and shaking of the hands intertwined with a perfectly placed dab before, and sometimes during, games is as much a part of the game as flying chest bumps and floor slaps.
“It just adds that extra part of the game that you need,” said Huffman, a forward who runs with Team Loaded (N.C.). “It’s the perfect way to start the game.”
He’s certainly not alone in that assessment.
Not only did players competing in the Southern Jam Fest at the Boo Williams Sportslex Saturday cosign handshakes as a necessity, NBA stars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook, among many others, all engage in the pregame pastime.
“You want it to be something that people haven’t really seen,” Huffman said. “That makes it more live and gets you more hype.”
WE-R1 Blue (Del.) point guard Trevon Duval said he and teammate Eric Ayala engage in their original hand-smacking routines before and during games because it adds even more of the fun element.
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“I feel like I play my best when I’m out there having fun,” Duval said. “It just makes us more hype out there when we’re doing things like that. I think handshakes definitely have a place in the game for that reason alone.”
Even pros such as Kyrie Irving and LeBron James have unique handshakes (Photo: Getty Images)
Team Wall director/coach Kendrick Williams said he doesn’t mind his players engaging in said fun as long as they “know when to get serious.”
“I’m old school when it comes to things like that,” Williams said. “Stuff like that isn’t helping you put the ball in the hole or grab rebounds. I think it’s unnecessary, but as long as it’s not a distraction and they’re not disrespecting anyone I don’t mind them expressing themselves.”
Still, on the most basic level, it’s difficult to come up with original handshake routines when you’re not around your teammates.
Most teams pull players from all over their respective state as well as from adjoining states and may have one practice every week.
“We don’t really have handshakes on my AAU team,” Garner Road-West (N.C.) point guard Thomas Allen said. “We probably would if we were around each other more. I definitely have handshakes with my high school teammates. We’re always around each other so it’s easier to come up with different stuff.”
The general consensus among players is that the time invested in coming up with the wacky handshake routines goes a long way in building camaraderie, which in-turn builds on-court chemistry.
“And those things help you win games,” Duval said. “When you’re doing things like making up handshakes it’s like it’s something that’s just between you and your teammates. That’s y’all’s thing. Stuff like that pays off in the game.”
Shake on it.
Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY