Thoughts on running up scores in ...

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10 Replies Last post: Jun 21, 2008 11:25 AM by Salmouse

Active Sara

980 posts since
Oct 2, 2007

Nov 8, 2007 12:34 PM

Thoughts on running up scores in basketball. Winning attitude or poor sportsmanship?

I just read an article from the Active Basketball Community, Do teams need rules of etiquette?, that talks about sportsmanship and running up scores. I have been on both sides here, the winning team and the team getting humiliated by the other team. I can't decide whether rules should be in place to stop teams from running up the score or not. A part of me remembers the embarrassment and sadness I felt after getting crushed by another team, but I also remember those games now and see how I have grown from them. I hated it at the time, but I think it made me a stronger individual and athlete by having gone through it.

So my take on it is this...in youth sports there should be some rules set up to keep scores from becoming absolutely ridiculous, but beyond youth sports I see it as a learning experience and it is up to the coach to decide the actions of his/her team.

Let me know what you think about this topic or if you have any situations to share.

http://community.active.com/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/1615/Basketball3.jpg

Andre_sp

74 posts since
Aug 29, 2007

1. Nov 9, 2007 6:17 AM

in response to: Active Sara

Re: Thoughts on running up scores in basketball. Winning attitude or poor sportsmanship?

Ive been on both sides of this situation as well, and I do not really think there should be any major rules added to prevent running up scores. I coach college basketball and have coached on all levels and one of the main things we teach in basketball is that anything can happen on any given night. The same team that loses by 30 one night can also win by the same margin the next night. I know we are talking about kids, but I have seen too many youth coaches tell their kids to let the other team score or to back off just so the game can continue. I for one do not want to teach anyone the game that way and i do not think it should be at all. It's definitly a issue to tackle though.....

JBan

90 posts since
Oct 29, 2007

2. Nov 13, 2007 4:41 PM

in response to: Andre_sp

Re: Thoughts on running up scores in basketball. Winning attitude or poor sportsmanship?

It's part of the game unfortunately and it is true...what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. It's good to be on both sides as a player...that way you know why you fight to get better as a team everyday.

Active Sara

980 posts since
Oct 2, 2007

3. Nov 14, 2007 9:17 AM

in response to: JBan

Re: Thoughts on running up scores in basketball. Winning attitude or poor sportsmanship?

Speaking of running up scores...

Last night, Lipscomb was one point shy of setting the DI women's record for the biggest winning margin with a 123-22 win over Fisk. I didn't see the game, but that's an absurd score. I bet Fisk will be working hard in the gym this week after that one. Ouch.

Trish18

397 posts since
Jun 5, 2007

4. Nov 15, 2007 1:29 PM

in response to: Active Sara

Re: Thoughts on running up scores in basketball. Winning attitude or poor sportsmanship?

This large margin of victory is interesting because Lipscomb coach Frank Bennett played his entire team, but the bench players responded and scored 86 points!

With 1:49 left in the game, and just six points from the "largest margin" record, Lipscomb attempted just one shot. I guess this was their attempt at stopping the embarrassment, but after 101 points I think it might have been a little late...

That should fuel Fisk for the rest of the season. Hope it helps them refocus and turn things around.

Ali411

1 posts since
Apr 5, 2008

5. Apr 6, 2008 12:36 AM

in response to: Active Sara

Re: Thoughts on running up scores in basketball. Winning attitude or poor sportsmanship?

I've been on all sides as well. Coached a freshman team in AZ that won 116 - 19 and every player saw equal time. Our high school team presses hard and scores more points off their press than their offense. Basically, our press defense is our best offense. Should we pull out of our best offense just because we have a 30 pt lead? Maybe, ...maybe that's an opportunity to work on our other offenses. The fact remains that it's isn't my job as the coach to keep our score down. It's my job as the coach to equip my team to score and keep the other team's score down. The youth league I coach in has margin win limits based on age. I agree because kids who are beat badly at that age tend to think it's because they are bad when that's not always the case. These leagues also have minimum playing requirements. All players must play 2 full quarters, without substitution. Also agree with that rule at those ages. However, once they begin to play competitive ball in jr or sr high, the rules change. You play to win and the best players get on the floor. Isn't that a life lesson? If you can't do the job you don't get the pay? I tell my team that practices are their job and playing time in games is their paycheck. They may not like sitting on the bench, but they usually understand why.

So, in summary, keeping the score close is the responsibility of the losing team. If you can't keep up then you lose, The less capable you are of keeping up with the other team, the more you lose by. That's life. We all have to learn that lesson sooner or later. I prefer to teach it to my players before they get out of high school so they don't think that they deserve 'equal playing time' just for being in the game.

ter23

1 posts since
Apr 22, 2008

6. Apr 22, 2008 6:45 AM

in response to: Ali411

Re: Thoughts on running up scores in basketball. Winning attitude or poor sportsmanship?

In response to Ali411 job as the coach.

The duties of the coach are to prepare the kids to become successful men and women in our society. Rubbing the face of an opponent in the floor is not teaching and preparing the kids for the working world. I have never hired anyone who acts that way and never will. Keeping the press on with 30-40 point leads in jr. and sr. high is not making the kids learn anything. Plus you are creating an environement which promotes the taunting, show boating, and trash talking that happens in all processes of life. The duty of the coach is to teach the kids to become leaders. A good credible coach can manage a game so he/she does not embarass the other kids. Leadership is a learned behavior and if coaches continue to believe winning big is ok than those kids will have a hard time understanding the failure in life. Does losing by 50 build character and why does it build more than losing by 20 or 1. There is a word which many High school, Rec ball, AAU, and Youth league coaches do not know the definition and that is CLASS.

Keep up the class act coach/parent and your kids will be those arrogant and behavioral problems which are society deals with everyday.

GGBC__1

1 posts since
May 30, 2007

7. Apr 22, 2008 7:35 AM

in response to: Active Sara

Re: Thoughts on running up scores in basketball. Winning attitude or poor sportsmanship?

One of the reasons our club has improved and I became a better coach is from a team running the score up against us. It made me realize that I needed to do a better job preparing my girls for a game and it made our players realize they had a lot of things to work on. Since that time we have still been on both sides of the score run but continue to learn how to deal with it and become better players and coaches.

Rex Stewart

Kansas Elite Girls Basketball, Inc.

Active Sara

980 posts since
Oct 2, 2007

8. Apr 30, 2008 12:55 PM

in response to: GGBC__1

Re: Thoughts on running up scores in basketball. Winning attitude or poor sportsmanship?

Hey Rex!

Yeah I agree with you. I'm glad it's helped your program. I have come to the conclusion that its just a part of life and what doesn't break you only makes you stronger anyway, right?

I found that our coaches and players stepped up their game and focus when we played a team again that had crushed us before. It's definitely a pride thing. You killed us once and we'll do whatever it takes to not let that happen again. With younger children it is obviously different, but hopefully they'll learn that attitude as well. Another reason why sports offer so many life lessons.

trueblue4_life

1 posts since
Aug 17, 2007

9. May 10, 2008 10:22 AM

in response to: ter23

Re: Thoughts on running up scores in basketball. Winning attitude or poor sportsmanship?

As most of you that responded, I too have been on both sides of this issue. I however have come to the conclusion that if my team is up by twenty points in the first half of a game, we will begin working on plays that we currently don't execute well in closer games. If we are up by twenty or more with less than five minutes to go in a game, that last five minutes begins our practice time for the subs to come in and execute our offense with the goal being ball control and good decision making when attempting a shot. Defensively we fall back into a zone and work on team defense. I guess for me after almost 18 years of working with youth and coaching basketball, I've found that teaching a team how to win with dignity and class is just as important as teaching a team how to respond to lose with dignity and class. I'm new to this basketball commuity and look forward to sharing thoughts and ideas with everyone.

Peace,

Coach K.

True Blue Basketball Club

Salmouse

1 posts since
Nov 23, 2007

10. Jun 21, 2008 11:25 AM

in response to: Active Sara

Re: Thoughts on running up scores in basketball. Winning attitude or poor sportsmanship?

As has been said, if anyone has coached long enough, we have been on both sides. I don't believe that you can set limits on scoring at the varsity level(whether it be high school or junior high). But at what point is enough enough? Does it matter that a team beats another by 100? Does the starting five need to play most of the game? Does the press really need to be put on into the 4th quarter? If the opponent is that weak our best players really get nothing out of it....it becomes too easy. This is the point that we, as coaches, really teach life's lessons. Sportsmanship is too important a lesson to just say "it's not my job". That is the reason that we are losing so many kids in sports...the pressure to succeed and the lack of true sportsmanship. Play your bench players, get everyone involved in the offense and enjoy the balance of the game.

Last year, we played a team (10-11 year olds) that wasn't very good. Everyone played and I kept the bench players on the floor as much as possible. I had a parent from the other team come over to me after the game to thank me. He saw what we were trying to do and felt compelled to acknowledge it. That meant a lot to me......

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This Question is Possibly Answered

Nov 8, 2007 12:34 PM

Thoughts on running up scores in basketball. Winning attitude or poor sportsmanship?

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