The difficulty of joining the 1,000-point, 500-rebound club

CAPTION: Marble Falls High School graduate Mya Berkman says what it takes to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds. Liberty University courtesy photo

The Marble Falls High School girls basketball program has produced great athletes capable of scoring 1,000 points before their eligibility ends. They include players who have led the Lady Mustangs to several rounds of the playoffs complete with all-region and all-state honors, awards where voters look at statistics.

But there’s another level of club members that is more exclusive simply because it’s more challenging to accomplish — the 1,000-point and 500-rebound club.

Since John Berkman took over the girls program at the beginning of the 2016-17 school year, he has coached three players to that club: senior center Lexie Edwards and 2018 graduates Aubree Adams and Mya Berkman.

The coach’s daughter is currently playing professional basketball for the GAS Evnikos Women’s squad in Athens, Greece.

She acknowledged there are more 1,000-point scorers than there are players with 500 rebounds who also scored 1,000 points.

“With rebounding it takes a lot of heart,” she said. “There’s a lot of people who can score. Not everybody cares about rebounding. We talk a lot about effort. Rebounding comes down to effort. A lot of people are athletic and have size. You can close down a rebound or let it go out of bounds.”

The simple truth is rebounding requires being physically able to take the pounding that comes from the inside. Posts may be tall, but it takes more than that to be a solid rebounder. Players must be in position for the rebound. They must block out and then be strong enough to hold off the opponent to get to the ball. Sometimes the ball doesn’t fall their way or bounces off the rim and backboard and travels back to the guards. Rebounding is a key statistic that explains part of the outcome of a game, Berkman said. Once a player gets an offensive rebound, she must then score the bucket, which isn’t always easy.

“A lot of times people are in the right position, but they don’t go after the ball,” she said. “You go back up with it, it’s a difficult shot. Go back up and score under control. Sometimes you miss and you have to get your own rebound. It takes fortitude that a lot of players don’t have because they miss. There’s a lot of contact that gets let go in the post area.”

While the result of an offensive rebound that’s put in the bucket for two points is obvious, Berkman pointed out what it does to the opponent.

“You get an extra possession and take another away from the other team,” she said. “I knew from an early age that was a huge important fact. To do both is hard because it takes a conscious effort.”

As she’s played on the high school, collegiate and now professional levels, Berkman indicated rebounding has gotten tougher.

“On the next level, you’re playing against great players,” she said. “You have to read it and pass it back out. Obviously, I’m very confident in my abilities. I work on it so much. Coaches helped develop my post game.”

Her advice to those who strive to get better is to continue to put in the time.

“Don’t be satisfied,” she said. “You’re able to see what you can do. In high school, it’s a different ball club. Keep a level head and never stop working. My freshman year (at Liberty University) I wanted to quit. I went from being the best player to the worst player. I worked really hard.”

As for her own team, Berkman said she and her teammates are finding more consistency.

“I’m doing fine,” she said. “My team is struggling. Almost all of our games are close. We got a new American. Hopefully, she’ll help us. I score in the high 20s. Teams are triple-teaming me.”

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