Good or bad sportsmanship?

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

MS girls game last night (please, don't start). It was obvious during warmups that the home team was going to win in a blowout. After Q1, it was 14-0. Halftime, 25-1. Please note the home coach took off the press during Q1, but it didn't matter much. About midway in Q3, he went to the "three passes before a shot and no breakaway layups" offense. Again, their lead just increased. Start of Q4, it was 35-3. With about 3 minutes to go, he requested and was granted (note the proper terminology) a TO. When his girls came back on the floor, they practically invited the other team to score. They let them go right to the hoop without trying to play defense and didn't even try to get any rebounds (visitors still missed most of their shots, even uncontested from 3 feet). On offense, they almost immediately intentionally had a turnover. The visitors scored 6 points to make the final 50-9.

After the game, the visitors head coach remarked to the home coach, "That was a cheap shot at the end. We don't need your charity. You made my girls look like fools." The home coach was really surprised. He thought he was just trying to give the visiting team some good feelings about scoring some points.

What do you think? Should he have done this or not? Note this is a competitive, not strictly recreational league.

Patronizing and condescending are a few words that come to mind.

[mbyron]

I think the losing coach is just whiney: he was planning to complain about the other team running up the score, but decided instead to complain as he did.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

No good deed goes unpunished.

MTD, Sr.