Quote:
Originally posted by Hawks Coach
I am going to have a 20-25 point lead before my starters are done, in all likelihood. 25 is not out of the question if we jump our opponents early in the game. I have come back from 16, 17, and 19 down in one quarter playing running clock when a team backed off, so 25 is not as big a lead as it may seem to you.
Now I start leaning on my second string who maybe doesn't get that much opportunity for extended run. They have been giving me some fill-in minutes in the second and third quarter (say they normally get 4 per quarter) in a normal game. But my second string is pretty good, and simultaneously my opponents start going to their even weaker second string, and now the lead is 40, and I am just getting the bottom of my bench in the game.
It's easy when you don't coach a team day-in and day-out to judge what you are seeing and think we are crazy. And of course some of us are, myself included at times. But sometimes what makes sense to you isn't going to be what makes sense to a coach dealing with specific team issues.
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I agree with rainmaker. Sub earlier and those players get their playing time. I understand your concerns coach and when I was a coach there were some times when I put in the bench early and had the opposing team come back and make it almost competitive again. Made me darn nervous. However then your starters are rested and ready to pound the other team for letting them get back on the floor. Odds are slim the subs let it get out of hand and rested starters can't take care of the situation. Although you make a good point--20 points isn't that much. 25 is pretty safe though.
Our season finally kicked off here and I have reffed 4 games. 1 jv varsity girl night and 1 jv varsity boys night. In 3 of those 4 our new mercy rule did or could have kicked in. (could have b/c they were non-league pre-season games and both coaches decided not to use the rule at one game.)
Here is how the rule is here for military schools in Japan and International school in Tokyo:
1. running clock at 40 points-stays running unless spread drops to 25.
2. Clock only stops for injuries and time-outs by the losing team.
3. Winning team must sub key players with non-starters
4. No man advantage fast breaks and no 3 pointers by the winning team.
I like the theory behind numbers 3 and 4 but don't like the wording. What is a key player? What if team has less than 9 eligible players? In addition the rule leaves no enforcement. What is the ref supposed to do if the winning team doesnot sub? Or a player goes on a fast break? Personnaly I felt 3 and 4 should be suggestions for fair play and not rules without any enforcement anyway. I asked our assignor what to do if the team does not comply and he said I should just remind the coach of the rule and if they still don't comply send a letter to the AD/principal. This seams a lot more reasonble then throwing around T's or blowing dead a play because a team is on a fast break. I still wish 3 and 4 were guidlines from a superintendent and not a rule.
--Here in Japan we don't have a state association so the league votes on any changes. From what I heard the 2 coaches I reffed on the boys game were the only 2 to vote against it. The coach from the strong team voted against it because he thought it might lead to teams hammering it in to force a mercy rule. The coach from the weaker school was against it for the same reason-and accepts there might be some lopsided scores but wants the playing time for his players to prep for their end of season tourney with other schools that are smaller and the games are more competitive. (we have a wide discrepency of schools sizes and here and teams playing each other)
[Edited by oc on Nov 21st, 2003 at 01:35 AM]