Thoughts from a Spectator

[mick]

Originally posted by BlitzkriegBob
I'm always trying to instill good sportsmanship in all our kids. I get discouraged when I see my daughter shoving a girl in the back to prevent a layup without even making an effort to play the ball. I preach to her that I think that's wrong, but when her coach is smiling after she sends a girl sprawling I know that I'm just creating a dilemma for her...please dad or please the coach? The coaches we have in our school system seem to think that in order to have the girls play aggressively, they need to rack up fouls.

...I'd rather see her move her feet to establish position and see her QUIT REACHING. By the same token, it's hard for me to watch her doing a beautiful job of blocking out (finally), only to see her reward be a two hand shove in the back that sends her flying to the floor that goes uncalled. It's also hard to see her after every game bruised up and scratched up from the rough play on the inside....

BlitzkriegBob,
The advice that you have given your daughter is excellent and in accordance with the rules. Sportsmanship, moving the feet and not reaching are great calls !

But, don't shoot the coaching staff for the general message they are passing along to their players. Teaching aggressiveness at the 8th grade level starts the players on the right mental track for the future where, in order to compete, they will become more comfortable with body contact and minor aches and pains, where they will not be concerned with bumping an opponent in an effort to get the ball, where a broken finger nail is nothing.

Though pushing an opponent in the back with no play on the ball is generally considered an intentional foul and unsporting, getting to a certain foul count may be the only way the coaches can communicate the need for a player to "git to it" and to "git dirty". They should perhaps be putting more of an emphasis on the sporting aspect of the contact that they are requesting.

As you have witnessed, officiating crews will vary with the amount of contact that is allowed on the floor. By being willing to foul (a mindset from your coaches) and by knowing the spirit of the rules (a mindset that you are establishing), you are preparing your athlete to compete in a game that is called loosely or tightly.

Aggression does not come easily or naturally to all young athletes, sometimes it must be taught, but along with that a coaching staff should encourage the ideals of sportsmanship, skill and finesse.
mick