Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 24, 1994 TAG: 9411290032
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
It's been happening since someone put a ball in the hands of a teen-ager and adults took over as coaches. If someone scores too many points or leaves the starters in the game too long, that team is accused of running up the score.
I'm tired of hearing the whimpering. Except for two cases that are already on record, I'll refrain from dealing with personalities. At the Region III girls' basketball tournament, Salem coach Dee Wright admitted taking her starters out too soon when the Spartans led Jefferson Forest 34-6 in the first half.
All of a sudden, Jefferson Forest started catching up. When Salem's starters returned, they were cold and they had a fight on their hands to win and reach the Group AA state basketball tournament.
Wright is one of Timesland's best coaches and has taken many teams to the state. Her statements after the game show that she knew there was a mistake of compassion for both Jefferson Forest and her reserves.
Others, such as Floyd County girls' coach Alan Cantrell, are regularly accused of running up the score. Of course, Cantrell plays 10 to 12 girls a game. They always press, but then that's what Floyd practices. That's the Buffaloes' defense, much as a zone or man-to-man is used by other teams.
Would anyone expect Cantrell not to use what he practices? Would it be fair for his reserves, who are almost as good as the starters, to practice a defense all week and then be told not to use it? Would it be fair to tell them to miss the basket so that instead of winning by 50 or 60 points, they win by only 30 or 40? I think not.
I like what one coach said: ``If you want sympathy, go to the Red Cross or the Salvation Army.''
I'll not name the coach, but I'll assure you that this particular mentor doesn't run up the score. Still, his team has been involved on the plus side of some blowouts.
There is another side to this. Sometimes, a team is so bad that it's hard for the other school not to annihilate the opposition. That team should be pitied. It should look at the blowout as a challenge to improve.
Scores don't always tell whether a school ran up the score. Before accusing a team of doing such a deed, you'd better be able to step into the coach's shoes and know the personnel.
Example: This writer once coached rec league basketball. It might not seem important, but every person tries as hard in those games as they do in junior varsity and high school varsity contests.
We were in the Knights of Columbus basketball tournament in Roanoke, where they insisted on playing eight-minute quarters. We had a very good team, but unfortunately by defections and sickness, there were only eight players on the team.
Those eight could play. In four games, the team set a tournament scoring record that isn't likely to be broken. Of course, we didn't press once the other team was out of the game. We also didn't tell the three reserves, who could have started for many teams that we played, not to try to score.
It would have been showing up the other team had the coaching staff given in to our high-scoring center and let him play guard the last few minutes. He wanted to jack up the outside shots. We said no because that's insulting an outmanned opponent.
The director of the tournament said nothing kind to us after it was over. I reminded him that they insisted on eight-minute instead of six-minute quarters used during league games and that we had only eight players. Enough said.
So, if you get your feelings hurt because another team drubbed your school by 20, 30, 40 or more points, you'll get no sympathy here. They didn't put up those scoreboards as decorations for gymnasiums and stadiums.
GOOD NEWS: For long-suffering fans who had to endure a Salem-Northside boys' basketball game in the Vikings' gym or even the Spartans' more spacious facility the last couple of years, you're off the hook. This year, both games between the arch rivals will be played in the spacious Salem Civic Center.
That facility will now play host to the Patrick Henry-William Fleming games, Salem's Nations Bank Holiday Classic, the Crestar Classic featuring Patrick Henry, William Fleming and Salem, and the Roanoke Valley and Blue Ridge District tournaments.
In addition, two nights of the Region III tournament will be held there. The final night will be played at Salem High because the Group AA and A state wrestling events will be at the Salem Civic Center that weekend.
STILL RADFORD BOUND? Bassett's Kim Hairston, who averaged more than 22 points a game to lead Timesland's fall girls' basketball scoring, was not an early signee.
The 5-foot-5 senior guard is leaning toward Radford University and likely will go there, said Bengal coach Lisa Black.
Hairston, though, delayed signing in order to visit Division I programs at Coppin State and Maryland-Eastern Shore.
SINGING WILLIS: Salem Willis White appreciates a good cowboy song as a fan of B westerns. Recently, he proved he can warble with the best of them when he sang to his team at the half of the Spartans' encounter with Rockbridge County.
In that contest, Salem snapped a 7-7 tie at the half with 23 points in the third quarter on the way to a 30-15 victory.
``Remember you asked what I told them and I said I'd never tell,'' said White.
Confronted with that locker room scene, White confessed.
``After we played William Byrd, I told our players that we used to sing and have a good time after we won. They said, `We don't know any of the songs.'
``I thought there were proverbial football songs. One goes, `We are the Spartans, mighty, mighty Spartans. Everywhere we go, people want to know who we are. So we tell them.' Then you repeat that.
``The defense used to sing a song that said `We shall not be moved.' So I went in at the halftime of the Rockbridge County game. We had played hard and pretty much followed our game plan.
``I told the players, `I don't know what to tell you to do.' I said, `Would it help if I sang to you?' I can't sing a lick. I used to sing in a church choir, but they picked music that had no bass parts so I couldn't sing.
``I about passed out. I didn't expect them to take me up on it. I don't know why I said I'd do it. It was a dumb thing to say.''
White sang the defensive song, because it was the shortest. It worked, though, as Salem won 30-15. That's coaching strategy, folks.
by CNB