Quote:
Originally posted by Hawks Coach
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.
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I'd like to point out that this is a good situation for the losing team, too. Once those third string players get on the floor, the losing team gets more experience. When it's the starters, they're learning nothing, gaining nothing and hurting plenty. We have a couple top teams here that will put in their whole JV third string after about 5 minutes, just so that the game is more interesting and a better learning experience for everyone.
I'd also like to point out that if the coach who's blowing out the otehr team is so anxious to get playing time for his third string, he could put them in earlier, before the spread gets to 40. Then there wouldn't be a running clock!