A closeout is not scintillating.
An act that can unfold hundreds of time each game is, by its very nature, mundane. You only notice closeouts when they go awry and body is sailing past a shooter. No analyst breaks into commentary to laud a guard for bolting out of a stance, taking choppy steps and lifting their hands high.
Yet as offenses isolate players in acres of hardwoods and analytics gurus preach about the value of 3-point shooting, blocking a shooter’s field of vision has become more valuable than ever.
It’s unlikely you need to explain this Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin, who learned at the hand of Purdue coach Gene Keady and is a defense-first devotee.