by coach » Thu Mar 08, 2012 4:34 pm
When it comes down to adding up actual game time minutes, you get a little more than 10 hours of game time in a 19 game season.
For teams that are far superior than their opposition and have a lop-sided score of 40 points in the first half, it is so unfair to short the starting players of their game time minutes and sit them on the bench for the rest of the game.
Add up the countless hours of practice during the season, amount of work done pre-season during the school year and post-season during the school year and not to mention the number of individual player camps and team camps the players will attend add up to far outweigh the hours of game time minutes that they can play. With that being said, those girls/guys have earned the right to be on the court and playing even though there is a lop-sided game. Don't penalize the players and more specifically the teams that put the time in to be that good during the actual season.
It you don't like it, then get better. Put in more time into the game.
"I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don't do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results."
Michael Jordan
Now after that, of course there are times where certain players don't need to be on the court. If they are on the court, then use that time as more of a practice instead of pounding to run up the score. Many coaches (I say coaches for a reason) have different philosophies about this and may disagree but you still play to win the game, not to turn it into a leisure activity. Work the shot-clock and use your end of quarter/game players, work on different zones, approaches of defenses, making the 4th pass in an offense, getting a post touch and reposition for a kickout.