Most coaches will tell you that there are some things that just can’t be taught – one of those is size.
Cody Paulk, Georgia State’s all-time leader in blocked shots, patrols the paint at an intimidating 6 foot 3 inches tall and tends to tower over many of her opponents.
Her presence in the paint is always felt and can make opposing players second guess their entire game plan.
“It makes the person shooting second-guess their shot,” Paulk said. “The next time they come down the floor, they’ll probably try to pass it.”
Paulk’s thought process when she sees an opposing player who may be bold enough to dribble into her territory is detailed. She has to make decisions in terms of being aggressive or cautious in order to make a defensive stop for the team.
Paulk can leave the paint and help her teammates on the perimeter, but that can create driving lanes for the other team.
In the paint, she can create the possibility of her teammates getting beat off the dribble by an opposing player and they run into her for the potential block.
“I’m thinking stay between her and the basket,” Paulk said. “It’s usually the other person’s man I’m trying to help. I would try to read them to see if they are really going to go for the shot or pass it out to another man.”
Paulk doesn’t think it’s all a matter of athleticism to get a block shot, but a matter of basketball intelligence.
“It’s the timing of the shots,” Paulk said. “You really don’t have to jump that high. You just wait for them to leave the ground, then jump and look for the ball”.
Although Paulk has held her own against all types of competition during her time at Georgia State, she can have her difficulties with specific type of players.
Non-traditional players are the type of players who can shoot the ball outside and drive in the paint just as effectively.
“You can’t play them one way,” Paulk said. “You got to be ready for the shot and the drive. You got to be close enough so you can play the shot but not far enough that they could drive.“
Shot blocking is a physically demanding responsibility and Paulk has the mindful of racking up fouls herself.
“I just try to stay off them,” Paulk said. “Once they get into your body, its hard to block their shot without fouling. I try to give them space and when they release I go for the block. “
With the all-time Georgia State blocked shots record and the 2010 Colonial Athletic Association Scholar Athlete of the Year award under her belt, there’s not much left for Paulk to do individually at Georgia State.
Not much more than putting the fear into every opposing player who enters her lane the rest of this season, that is.
