Athletic Management magazine put out this article, interesting read. What are your thoughts on this for a high school team? What about the instructional level, collegiate or even professional?
Blowout Sparks Fight, Controversy
By Mike Phelps
The fact that Yates High School of Houston defeated cross-town rival Lee High School in boys' basketball action Tuesday night shouldn't come as any surprise. After all, Yates is the defending 4A state champion and is ranked number one in the country by Rivals.com, while Lee left Tuesday's game with a 1-12 record. The surprising part is the final score: Yates 170, Lee 35, and the on-court fight that ensued. The game's aftermath has raised questions about sportsmanship and coaching ethics.
The margin of victory sparked a fiery controversy as pundits from across Texas and the rest of the country weighed in. Yates set a single-game state scoring record in the win, and led 100-12 at halftime. Although Yates substituted liberally and used all 15 of the players on its roster, the squad also kept pressing throughout the game. In the third quarter, a fight erupted after an intentional foul was called on a Lee player.
"I feel very disrespected right now," Lee Head Coach Jacques Armant told the Houston Chronicle. "I don't understand why Yates just kept scoring and pressing when they were up so much. These are kids. It isn't good to do that to other young men."
Following the win, Yates moved to 14-0 on the season. The squad had won 39 straight games, scored more than 100 points eight times this season and won by more than 60 on six occasions. Still, Yates Head Coach Greg Wise defended the actions of himself and his players. "[The reserves] work really hard in practice, and when they go in, they deserve the chance to play hard and compete, too," Wise told the Houston Chronicle. "We are looking for another state championship, and we can't get that unless we are continuing to get better and perfect our game. We aren't scoring on other teams out of disrespect. "We practice running, pressing, trapping every day," he continued. "If we get to a game and I tell them not to do what we do in practice, I am not coaching well. I am not leaving my starters in the whole game. We have 15 guys, and all 15 play."
Houston Independent School District Athletic Director Daryl Wade spoke out about the incident Wednesday, and stated that neither team will face reprimands for the fight, and that he hoped the game could serve as a positive learning experience for both squads. The district does have mercy rule policies, but they are determined on a game-by-game basis. On Tuesday, both coaches agreed to finish the game. "In retrospect, should we have done something differently? Probably," Wade told the Houston Chronicle. "At the time, the kids and coaches wanted to finish the game so we let that happen. "It's a positive thing to have kids playing well and breaking records, but in light of the fight and the fingers pointing at Yates right now, it's hard to really think about that," Wade said. "Again, the most important thing right now is to make sure our kids learned something and can go on to have positive seasons."
While few would ever suggest Wise should have instructed his players to intentionally miss shots to keep the score closer, there are a few measures that could have been put into place in order to avoid embarrassment (and the resulting controversy). Fox Sports Houston's Kevin Eschenfelder weighs in:
"Wise can tell us about playing 15 players in the first half and how the reserves should get a chance to impress the coaches when they get the chance," he writes. "Of course he doesn't want players to miss shots intentionally but a coach can call off a full court press. Here's an idea. Tell your players that you want 3 passes in the offense before taking a shot. If that's not part of the offense, then make it part of the offense. You're the coach."
In the recent October/November issue of Athletic Management, contributor Dr. David Hoch, Athletic Director at Loch Raven High School in Baltimore County, Md., penned a story on how administrators can teach their coaches to deal with lopsided victories--and losses. Here's a sampling of Hoch's advice that relates to basketball:
* Play your substitutes as early and liberally as possible. While a safe margin may be difficult to define, your experience and style of play can provide you with a relative guide. As a basketball coach, I felt comfortable with a 20-point lead entering the fourth quarter. Even with the three-point shot now in place, it should be safe to start playing some reserves at this point.
* Don't continue to press in basketball after you have a large advantage, even if this is the standard team defense.
* Another strategy is to play kids out of position and tell them to make eight to 10 passes before anyone is allowed to shoot.
