I agree about the problems with administering mercy rules, but there is one thing that really bugs me in some blow-outs: it's when the winning team keeps their top player(s) in the game, and the coach doesn't get his/her subs in. I would endorse a rule that put the starters on the bench once the point gap reached the mercy limit. Some arrangement could be made for squads of fewer than 10 players (like the top n scorers should sit) but in general it should be pretty easy to administer with some help from the table. It would not penalize (or even affect) any of the many coaches who already practice good sportsmanship, and it should reduce some of the hard feelings that come out during blow-outs.

At the rec/MS level, I support playing time rules to a degree, and only in the second half. You can't force starters to sit more than half a game just because the team is good. At the HS level, don't get into controlling who plays or how they play the game. It's not where you want to be.

But if the coach expects to win, but really wants to rub it in, he could just start the second string guys, then pull them out at the first dead ball. Then the normal starters wouldn't have to sit when the point margin got too big.

Chuck

I'm with Coach on this one. What is the common goal at the HS level? To have good competitive games? If you add additional rules because school B doesn't want to (or isn't able to) be competitive, don't hold back school A who does.

With that said, as for coaches who think they're "the next Geno" and keep their starters on the floor in blowouts, I don't know what you do with those guys. I could come up with a few ideas but...

Special rules, no backcourt defense, etc. is OK for grade school but at sometime you have to stand and walk (or in this case, get back and play D!).

Nor I. Good comments.

You can't legislate common sense
 

I hate blow-outs as much as anyone else. I think there are two types of blow-outs however. One where the teams were obviously mismatched but the winning coach makes in-game adjustments percieved to be sportsmanlike (eliminating full court pressure with starters, trimming back transition game, etc.) Then there is the other type where the winning coach just seems hell-bent to full court press, create a turnover, and score an easy transition bucket for the entire 32 minutes.

So what does a running clock rule do? Shorten the game a tad? Yes. Make it any less ugly? Nope. More importantly, will it turn an idiot into a sportsman? No way. You just can't polish a turd.

Why?

Well how about the we still wanna play argument?

Re: You can't legislate common sense
 

And you can't teach an ***hole good sportsmanship!

Thanks Dan
 

For responding to the "end the game" now comments. I really don't like that solution either. My son plays lacrosse, he is a sophomore in a school system that has no JV lacrosse program. He gets his few varsity minutes when the margin becomes one where both teams know the game is over.

He has played against the other team's starters when his team is getting blown off the field, and that's fine. He is playing. He has played in the second quarter when his team was on the up side of the blowout, cause that's how his coach handles it.

Even if there is a JV team, almost every varsity team has those seniors who have played 4 years, but not played varsity much. They get their minutes in these blowouts as well, and may only play in 2 or 3 games their last year of school. Let em play.

Re: Never question the fun.
 

No one enjoys playing or learns anything in a 40-point game, let alone a 120-2 game. If you want to see resentment, look at the faces of the losing players that have to go through the motions of finishing one of these games when the winners are smiling and laughing. All these blowouts due is increase the opportunities for poor sportsmanship and frustration fouls.

Every Michigan coach and official begs for the return of the mercy rule (running clock in the second half once a team leads by 40). As you can see from the following item copied from today's Detroit Free Press website, http://www.freep.com, the rule might be adopted nationally.

"HAVE MERCY
"Flint Powers girls basketball coach Kathy McGee
said a mercy rule -- which calls for a running clock
once a team leads by a certain number of points --
has a solid chance of being adopted by the
National Federation of State High School
Associations.
"Michigan experimented with it for a
couple of years, but had to discontinue its use when
the federation decided not to make it a rule. The
topic is on the agenda again for the federation's
basketball rules committee meeting Sunday and
Monday in Indianapolis, which McGee will attend."