Should the coach have been held to blame for this?

[LaneSig]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

That's what I thought - not to be cynical, but I think that if he had spoken the party line, so to speak, he would still have a job. Whether he should have kept his job is, obviously, a matter for debate.

The word around here is that the leaders of the school felt that the coach was being insubordinate. Insubordination is one offense that can get you fired (or nonrenewed contract) or transfered in a public school. In a private school, it would apparently be an automatic firing.

[Kevlar281]

Originally Posted by VAgirl18

Take responsibility for what...

For not scoring one point.

[VAgirl18]

That has nothing to do with the situation. The issue is that the coach of the winning team just didn't know when to stop or how to control his team.

[Kevlar281]

It was the responsibility of the losing coach to prepare their team to be competitive.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by VAgirl18

The game never should have reached the score that it did. I feel like his comments in there about the blowout that his team previously experienced made it seem as though he was doing a favor to Dallas Academy. Also, I think the guy is a cocky prick for posting quotes that players have made about him. Defending yourself is one thing -- boasting about yourself is another.

It's funny how two people can read the same thing and come to different conclusions.

I, for one, believe what he's saying and take the words of the actual players to heart.

[I.A.S.K.]

Originally Posted by VAgirl18

The game never should have reached the score that it did. I feel like his comments in there about the blowout that his team previously experienced made it seem as though he was doing a favor to Dallas Academy. Also, I think the guy is a cocky prick for posting quotes that players have made about him. Defending yourself is one thing -- boasting about yourself is another.

Wow. I totally read that differently. I felt like the coach saying that the 86-6 blow-out they suffered was horrible, but that his team learned from it so he wouldn't complain about the other team's performance.
I think that the quotes from the players showed more about the game and the team and him as a coach than his statement did. I also think that including their thoughts gave them an outlet that they were not provided. There are people who are calling these girls and their coach un-christian because of how they played. That is unfair to the team. The same way the losing team went to the gym and put in hours and sacrificed the winning team did. To forfeit their hard work is disrespectful to those girls. It is not as if they did not play to get those points and the W. They busted their butts on the court and won the game. They deserved the W. Punishing the team because the coach wasn't more restrictive in the 2nd and 3rd quarters is completely uncalled for. I mean 29/24 points 8 players thats 3/4 points per player which means they're only making 2 baskets each against a horrible team. They only scored 12 points in the 4th so I think the coach should have done more to reel in the team during the 2nd and 3rd. For the most part the only thing the coach could do to better the score would be to tell his team not to even make an effort.

Originally Posted by VAgirl18

Take responsibility for what -- still having the pride to put a team on the court even though they're losing? For spending hours practicing and for some girls to sacrifice their time to join the team because they almost didn't have enough players to field a team? For suffering the embarrassment of making national headlines even though it takes a person with a great attitude to go onto the court and represent their school, knowing that they may be the weakest team in their division and lose every game?

For the most part both teams have done most of the above. Quite frankly I think the losing team may have had too much pride. if the score is 59-0 at the half as a coach you probably should back out of the game. The losing team is so bad that they didnt get a basket. There is some responsibility that falls on their team for playing that poorly.


ETA: I agree with the coach going against the admins because his team worked hard and played well to say that they are sorry for doing well and to forfeit that game was out of order. Someone needed to stand up for that team and as the coach he should have been (and was) that someone

[VAgirl18]

Originally Posted by I.A.S.K.

For the most part both teams have done all of the above. Quite frankly I think the losing team may have had too much pride. if the score is 59-0 at the half as a coach you probably should back out of the game. The losing team is so bad that they didnt get a basket. There is some responsibility that falls on their team for playing that poorly.

Backing out?? What kind of example would that show. The whole thing has to do with class and sportsmanship, something that the coach obviously lacks.

[Kevlar281]

I listened to Mike and Mike rip them this morning while I was rowing. Apparently it showed poor sportsmanship. But IMO it is complete bullshit to expect some benchwarmer who rarely sees playing time to play like shit just to appease public perception. Usually it's the third stringers who play their heart out against a team that has all but given up, that leads to these situations.

Here's what I posted on another forum about this topic.

[I.A.S.K.]

Originally Posted by VAgirl18

Backing out?? What kind of example would that show. The whole thing has to do with class and sportsmanship, something that the coach obviously lacks.

That would show that for every person there may come a time when you're in over your head and need to back out. I usually would not advocate backing out, but in this situation there is not much that could have been done. Its either the other team basically quits playing because they're scoring too much or your team quits because they're that much better.

I think the fact that the score consistantly droped shows that they played with class and sportsmanship. If the winning team is even decent it would be hard for them to not score on the other team. Its like saying you shouldn't score that many points playing with no opposition. They were playing with very little opposition so of course they're going to keep scoring. what would have shown more sportsmanship? Him telling his team not to defend the other team and not to take shots?

Coach: Okay team in these last three quarters there will be no rebounds, no defense, and no shooting.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by srmom

Would you please tell this to Bob Stoopes?

You know... I'm just going to let you know that I read that and disagree

but.....

Texas scored more points in the 4th quarter than OU did last year... just sayin'

[epchick]

Originally Posted by SigKapSweetie

I agree that they should have held down their score.

This is what I don't understand. How do you hold down a score against a team that scored ZERO points? That means the Covenant team would have to just run around the court, not shooting anything (cause God forbid a shot makes another point) until time runs out. That isn't fair to the Cambridge team.

Again I say, more of the responsibility should have been placed on the DA team coach (even the school).

ETA: I know this is a private school, but I still agree with the coach speaking out. Why should he apologize for doing nothing wrong? He coached his team to play better, and they did. Is it the Covenant coach's fault that the DA team played horribly? No, he has no control over that.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by LaneSig

The word around here is that the leaders of the school felt that the coach was being insubordinate. Insubordination is one offense that can get you fired (or nonrenewed contract) or transfered in a public school. In a private school, it would apparently be an automatic firing.

To you and KSig....it turned into a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation from the looks of it.

[SWTXBelle]

Why does an academic school have an athletic program?

Ask, and you will be told that the practices, the games, and the competition build character. That said, which team showed the type of character those parents are paying their hard-earned money for? The losing team's coach wasn't going to call the game - from everything I've read, he and his team were determined to finish the game. The gracious, sportsmanlike thing to do would be to play but don't press, or give the other team the opportunity to call it a game at half-time. IMHO, the coach deserved to be fired because while he won the game, he did so in a manner that was not in keeping with the school's fundamental principles. He compounded the problem by his behavior after it hit the press.

There are enough cut-throat private schools out there that I'm sure he'll have a new job in no time.

[KappaKittyCat]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

The gracious, sportsmanlike thing to do would be to play but don't press

According to the quotes from the girls on the website, they did stop the press and switch up their defense strategy after the 1st quarter.

[SWTXBelle]

Then I stand corrected on that point. Thanks, KKC.