High Speed Rebounding: Perfecting an Art Form

The Troy women’s basketball team has built a rare identity of both speed and strength that has baffled opponents for the over six years Chanda Rigby has been at the helm.

Troy went from two wins the season before Rigby arrived to winning back-to-back Sun Belt titles in 2016 and 2017. The Trojans are threatening to claim the Sun Belt again this season after a blistering 13-2 start to the year.

Rigby’s teams have all been some of the best in the entire country in rebounding. In fact, this year’s edition of the Trojans are currently first in the nation in rebounds per game with 51.6.

This alone is a big deal but Troy is doing it despite playing a fast-paced, up-and-down brand of basketball.

Teams that stress rebounding are often recruiting size over speed and playing at slower paces. Teams that put an emphasis on pace often sacrifice the rebound battle.

Troy does both and does it well.

The Trojans lead the Sun Belt with 81.7 points per game and leads the country with 23.1 offensive rebounds a game. So how does Troy balance the two so well?

According to Rigby, scoring comes first both in recruiting and in the gameplan.

“It starts with our goal to score 120 points a game,” Rigby said. “I know we’re not hitting that and we’re not close to it but in striving to get to 120 points we shoot a lot of shots in the game.

“Scoring comes first (in recruiting). We typically don’t recruit people unless they average around 20 points per game. We really look for that first.”

The first priority of the team is lighting up the scoreboard and doing it as quickly as possible. This means taking the first open jumper available or getting to the rim when given the slightest opening.

The first shot isn’t always the best shot while the lid is sealed tight on some nights. This is where boards come in. Rigby and staff put a heavy emphasis on offensive rebounds and second chance points.

“Our philosophy is the most important thing in our program, the most important component is rebounding because of the number of shots we try to take in a game,” Rigby said. “Rebounding is something we track everyday. We reward it everyday, we punish if its not good.”

The staff has put a heavy emphasis on that area of the game because, as Rigby put it, “It’s foolish” to take the first shot available.

“Everybody has their identity and offensive rebounding is ours,” assistant coach Neil Harrow said.

Offensive rebounding isn’t exactly a teachable skill. For Rigby’s staff, it’s an area of focus when out on the hunt for future Trojans.

“Offensive rebounding comes through recruiting,” Rigby said. “Defensive and offensive rebound are two totally different beasts. Offensive rebounders, you have to recruit that. They have to want to go get it. You need to get somebody with a high motor.”

Troy has bullied opponents in recent years on the boards, a fact Arkansas State knows too well. In the Trojans most recent contest, Troy outrebounded the Red Wolves 57-37.

That was nothing. Two seasons ago, against the same team but in the Sun Belt tournament, Troy won the rebounding battle 86-39. That’s a plus-47 rebounding margin.

The 86 rebounds is tied for second all-time in NCAA history and most since 1998. The most impressive number that day was the 45 offensive rebounds. That led to a whopping 43 second chance points in the 105-72 win.

The very next season Troy etched its name into the record books again. Against Montevallo, the Trojans pulled down 83 boards. That’s good for tied seventh all-time.

Troy is currently on pace to be the NCAA’s rebounding champion for the first time in program history, potentially snapping Baylor’s two year streak.

The most important thing, though, is winning. The Trojans still have a long conference schedule ahead of them, including the all-important Sun Belt tournament.

One thing is for certain, Troy is going to dominate the boards and run up the score on a nightly basis this season.