When is a lead safe.

[bball4034]

I was at a game last week and one team was up more than 20 points by half time and they were still in press with 3:00 left in the game and went on to win by more than 40 points.

What has changed in the last few years. Do coach believe that they are showing sportsmanship to their players by doing this? I ask a player why the coach did this and the reply was well he said he did not like the other coach. Well my question is, is the coach playing? No it the players and I beleive we are seeing more and more of this poor sportsmanship coming into all games in all sports. What is going to take to make changes and get back to doing the right thing.

 

Coaches what do you think? Is this what we want to teach our kids?

[jgarrison]

Did he have the starters in or was this 2nd & 3rd string? If you are playing your bench for experience then I say let them work on their fundamentals and get better, but the one thing I also believe is good sportsmanship and respect as well. That’s when you pull back and work on defense starting at the half court.

[bball4034]

The starters were out after the third period. I guess I have a problem with Coaches showing poor sportsman ship. From what I could see the coach was not tring to work on anything with his second unit other that scoring more points and beating the team as bad as possiable. I have also seen this in some of the middle school games I have been at in the last couple of years. Teams up with big leads and bringing the starters back in in the 4th period.

 

I think we are seeing changes that will hurt the games and cause problems like we saw in the NBA this weekend.

[jacketsfan13]

We have this debate every year, and no one ever agrees. It depends on the circumstances. If a team has their subs in and is pressing late, it may be because that is the style of play the team has and those players need to work on pressing too. I say all is fair in the first half, no matter what the lead is because the starters need to get their time in. After half time the bench needs to be cleared if it is a run away. There are some coaches notorious for running up the score but it always comes back to bite them eventually. You can't get upset over it, just work harder so your team will be prepared next time.

[Indian]

I don't have a problem with any of it, at the start of the year. The starters and top couple of reserves need to be playing in real games, scrimmages and camps don't match what a real game does. I would say a lead is safe when its about 14 or 15 with a minute left. The coach here was accused of running it up a couple of times (games at the start of the season like I said) but in one her team was up by 30 at the end of the third, and the opponent cut it to 8 or 10 by the end of the game against the backups. Every game is different and it's up to the coach to decide. I know the 8th grade girls team here was ahead 42-1 at halftime against Whitwell last week and totally held back in the second half, the final was 48-8.

Edited November 22, 2004 by Indian

[jgarrison]

You also have to consider rivals! This changes everything when it comes to the game.

The team that is giving it to you may be just returning the favor for a game a few years back when your kid was in middle school

[KennyMayne]

The only safe lead is any lead you have with 0:00 on the clock.

[makearun]

You also have to consider rivals! This changes everything when it comes to the game.

The team that is giving it to you may be just returning the favor for a game a few years back when your kid was in middle school

825446529[/snapback]

There is a lot of truth in that!!

[banjodr]

Absolutely agree the lead is safe at 0:00 in the 4th. I understand the sportsmanship thing also. I remember Gene McBee winning a game when he was coaching at Columbia State with his team down by 10 points with a minute to go in the game and he won by 3. This thing was something to behold with using the fouls and pressure defense. So, a lead is never safe. It is not bad sportsmanship to win by 40 but to gloat over it.

[clevelandblueraiderfan]

If the bench players are in and they are running the score up then so be it. The coaches are not goning to tell their kids to lay down if they are up by 20 points. Being up by 20 at half-time means nothing. For example, on friday Cleveland Lady Raiders were up by 21 at the half, but the team(Hoover,AL) made a run at it and made the game interesting. No lead is safe.