Can I put my hand on your butt without offending?

This morning I played pick-up basketball with a woman, a former college player who was shooting around at the gym.

Playing one-on-one with a girl who you don't know is always a little complicated, especially in the beginning.  This girl was a solid player with a decent outside jumper and she was capable of driving to the basket with both her left and right hand.  In order to play defense, especially in a one-on-one game, I was going to have to make a certain amount of physical contact with...