Quote:
Originally posted by 5 sport ref
No mercy rule in Illinois. We were at a clinic that had three coaches at a session where we could ask them questions. I asked about the mercy rule, and all three coaches were against it. They didn't like it because in a blow out they could get all their players in game situations whether winning or losing. I really don't understand their thinking. On the other hand, in football coaches that are getting blown out want the clock to run faster than it can so they can get the game over. Blow outs aren't fun for anybody; the players, coaches, refs or fans.
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Simple math problem. You are a top team in the state, play a pretty tough schedule, want to keep a good W-L record, and you only go 8-9 deep in a game, with your starters getting 3/4s of the minutes. The blowouts give #s 6-12 an opportunity to play - for the normal subs, it is more minutes than they usually get, for the bench crew, it's minutes they never see.
There is no substitute for game experience, so I fully understand why coaches want a chance to play their subs. As for footbal, the injury rate is so much higher that you are lways worried about having a player hurt in a meaningless game. Basketball isn't quite the same in that regard, although injuries do happen.