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blowouts in basketball

mb7299

mb7299

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2013
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Iowa Falls
I coach a jh basketball team thats just learning the game for the first time and arent very talented so they get beat pretty badly most games they play. I took issue with a coach that when his team was up by over 40 points he still had his starters in with the last 3 minutes left to play. I called him on it during a game and he took offense (we played them twice and he did it both games). When do you guys think is a good time to pull out your starters in a blowout and show sportsmanship?
 
mb7299 said:
I coach a jh basketball team thats just learning the game for the first time and arent very talented so they get beat pretty badly most games they play. I took issue with a coach that when his team was up by over 40 points he still had his starters in with the last 3 minutes left to play. I called him on it during a game and he took offense (we played them twice and he did it both games). When do you guys think is a good time to pull out your starters in a blowout and show sportsmanship?
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I’ve always thought if it’s over 20 points in the second half the leading team should at least start rotating other guys in, stop pressing, etc. Until halftime I am fine with the winning team keeping the pedal to the medal (unless it’s just ridiculously out of hand).

Neither team learns and gets better from a game like you describe.
 
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Coach is lucky none of his starters got hurt in garbage time, or started receiving some hard fouls.
 
farminclone said:
I’ve always thought if it’s over 20 points in the second half the leading team should at least start rotating other guys in, stop pressing, etc. Until halftime I am fine with the winning team keeping the pedal to the medal (unless it’s just ridiculously out of hand).

Neither team learns and gets better from a game like you describe.
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I should also say these are both small schools so 3 of his better 7th graders played 2 quarters in the 8th grade game so it wasnt like those kids didnt get to play much in the first place but they still played all 4 quarters in the 7th grade game.
 
If it's middle school basketball I think they should be frequently rotating all the kids in all game so in that case I wouldn't expect them to sit the "starters".

I know for my son's 7th grade team they have 10 kids and play 8 minute quarters so each rotation of 5 kids plays for 4 minutes and then all 5 sub out, more or less anyways.
 
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There's no set score and it depends on the league for me. But if one team is clearly outmatched, there are things you can work on without running up the score. Increase passing, work with your less dominant hand, switch up positions.
 
I coach 5th and 6th graders at a small school as well. I would not describe us as great or anything, but slightly above .500. We have had a few games where we get up by 20 points or so. I believe in gamesmanship so the starters play sparingly. One coach took that to mean they should start pressing us with their starters when they hadn't pressured us all game. That's a time where I wish we would have stuck it to them.
 
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IASTATE07 said:
I coach 5th and 6th graders at a small school as well. I would not describe us as great or anything, but slightly above .500. We have had a few games where we get up by 20 points or so. I believe in gamesmanship so the starters play sparingly. One coach took that to mean they should start pressing us with their starters when they hadn't pressured us all game. That's a time where I wish we would have stuck it to them.
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Soon as they do that there is nothing wrong with putting the starters back in and burying them.
 
NWICY said:
Soon as they do that there is nothing wrong with putting the starters back in and burying them.
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I couldn’t tell you the opponent or the year, but I swear someone did that to ISU, and Fennelly immediately put the starters back in. My recollection is that they scored a couple of quick buckets then bled the clock.
 
Pat said:
I couldn’t tell you the opponent or the year, but I swear someone did that to ISU, and Fennelly immediately put the starters back in. My recollection is that they scored a couple of quick buckets then bled the clock.
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North Carolina was the team, can't remember if it was regular season or a tourney game.
 
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I would usually pull my better players and if it still kept going I would take a post and have them play point and get the lightest lineup that I can.
 
Coaching at the middle school level for 25 years or so, my feeling was, if we are blowing a team out, say 20 to 25 points, at half. I am playing my starters 3 to 4 minutes 3rd quarter and 3 minutes at the start of the fourth quarter.
Luckily with running clock, it tends to keep scores down. We also would stop pressing when up by 20. Not pick them up until they get to half court.

I had word with another coach early in my career, when he left his starters in, after they were blowing us out. His response was I only have 8 kids, and I said, "ya, but you do not have to have your 3 best players on the floor the whole game, and sub the other 5 through the last 2 spots."
 
I feel the loosing team coach s/b the first to substitute. That sends the message to the other coach the winner is no longer in doubt.

If the coach whose team is up doesn't sub, then he is douche and it's more about his ego than the kids.
 
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