Hoops Lexicon
Our crew's slang & plays
Top terms
And-One
Scoring through contact and earning a free throw to finish the three-point play.
“Strong to the rim, and-one! Count it and the foul.”
Ankle Breaker
A crossover so nasty the defender slips and hits the floor.
“Ankle breaker at the top of the key — defender's still looking for his shoes.”
Booth Buzzer
When the whole crew yells the same call a half-second before the ref's whistle.
“Booth buzzer on that travel — all five of us, dead on.”
Brick
An ugly, clanging miss that rattles iron and goes nowhere near soft.
“Wide open and he throws up a brick — the rim is still recovering.”
Bucket
A made basket; also a player who scores at will: 'he's a bucket.'
“Give him the ball, he's a bucket — automatic from midrange.”
Cooked
Thoroughly beaten on a play, usually off the dribble or backdoor.
“Defender got cooked on the baseline — didn't even get a hand up.”
Couch Ref
The crew member who calls every foul louder and earlier than the actual officials.
“Couch ref already has him in the bonus and it's the first quarter.”
Crash the Glass
Attacking the backboard hard for an offensive or defensive rebound.
“He crashes the glass and tips it back in — second-chance bucket.”
From Downtown
A three-pointer launched from well behind the arc.
“He pulls up from downtown — bang! The crew goes nuclear.”
Garbage Time
The end of a blowout when benches empty and nobody guards anybody.
“It's garbage time now — even the couch ref stopped calling fouls.”
Heat Check
A hot shooter launching an absurd next shot just to confirm he's locked in.
“Three in a row, now a stepback from the logo — pure heat check.”
Iso
Isolation: clear out the floor and let one player cook one-on-one.
“They clear the side for the iso — everybody else just spectates.”
Posterized
Getting dunked on so emphatically the defender belongs on a poster.
“Oh no, he got posterized — frame that one for the den.”
Splash
A clean swish from deep that only touches net.
“Catch and splash from the corner — all net, no doubt.”
Take the Charge
Drawing an offensive foul by standing firm and absorbing the contact.
“Slides in late and takes the charge — booth erupts, ref agrees.”
Triple-Double
Double digits in three statistical categories in a single game.
“He's one assist from a triple-double and the whole booth is counting.”