Story
Basketball coaches balance sportsmanship, player development in early-season mismatches
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
by
Matt Porter
When Inlet Grove High took the floor at Atlantic High last week, junior Alia Joe Coleman believed her team had a chance.
When Inlet went down by 20 points in the first quarter, she had her doubts. It wasn't long before she wished she was back on the bus.
Coleman scored a team-high four points while Atlantic raced to a 70-7 win.
That blowout loss was stunning, but it may not have been the most eye-popping result of the week. On Monday, Pahokee beat Forest Hill 60-16. That same night, Dwyer, by far the area's best team, beat Santaluces 100-14.
Every girls basketball season has its share of unfair fights. They become rare come playoff time - on average, all of last year's eight FHSAA finals were decided by 10 points - but things can get ugly in November and December, when rebuilding teams are finding their way.
Sometimes, they find their way into a tiger's cage.
It's nearly impossible for Santaluces (0-6) and Inlet Grove (0-4) to compete with Dwyer, which boasts three Division I recruits and a roster of year-round travel players; speedy, hungry Atlantic or any of the area's top teams.
"It goes in cycles," Dwyer coach Jeryl Akins said. "Maybe every three years you'll find a team that has its girls together for three years. They're killing someone who's getting a new team."
That was Dwyer against Santaluces, which graduated eight from last year's roster of nine and has just two players with more than two years' playing experience.
"I have a totally new team," said first-year Santaluces coach Horace Smith, 23. "I don't mean new to me. I mean new to basketball. If we're in school, we're in first grade. They're timid, very nervous."
In those games, feelings are treated delicately. Pressing is a dirty tactic. Zone defense is preferable. Only seldom-used reserves should think about driving to the hoop. And if you knock an opponent over, help them up.
In 2003, the FHSAA instituted a running clock in basketball to help avoid blowouts, but that may only slow things down a little. In the interest of sportsmanship, Akins said he instructed his players to hold the ball against Santaluces to waste time. They still cruised to an 86-point win, with his bench players making jumpers.
"I just looked around and the score kept going up," Akins said.
In last week's 59-point win over Santaluces, Suncoast coach Kelli Erianne didn't pull her team back entirely. Her reasoning: since teams only have 18 to 22 regular-season games before district tournaments, game experience is valuable.
"We pressed in the first half," Erianne said. "Not because we wanted to be evil, but because we worked on it for three straight days in practice. It was time to implement it in a game. Players only have so many chances to play."
Suncoast junior point guard Capri Winn wanted badly to blow off steam after starting the season 1-3, including a 40-point loss to Dwyer. Against Santaluces, "We wanted to prove we're a good team," Winn said. "But I understand it's sportsmanship. Obviously we're going to win, so it's not fair to keep pressing."
With the FHSAA shuffling districts every two years, teams usually agree to two-year contracts with non-district opponents. So why not beg out of a would-be blowout? Barring several injuries or a severe dip in turnout, many coaches use tough losses as teaching experiences.
"I'm trying to teach them you can't complain about it," Santaluces' Smith said. "You may have a day where nothing goes right. You've got to have amnesia."
So far, first-year Inlet Grove coach Jamarra Robinson has lost games by 51, 40 and 63 points. Seven of her 10 players are basketball newbies. She's thankful for Coleman, the only player with more than two years of playing experience.
"These girls, they want it, but they don't know how to get it," said the 23-year-old Robinson, a former point guard at Centennial who played in college. "When we sleep, those guys are working out. How do you think Dwyer got so good?"
In part, by taking their lumps.
"When I first got here in 2004-05, my teams were pretty weak," Akins said. "I've been on that end and said, 'Girls, let's just get through this.'"
Back then, he thanked those other teams -- like Santaluces' Smith now appreciates Dwyer.
"Now I don't have to tell them to work hard in practice," Smith said. "They do it on their own now."
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User Comments:
Matt Porter commented on November 27, 2012 at 10 p.m.: report abuse
I honestly don't see where any kids are "belittled." Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "ratings."
okay commented on November 27, 2012 at 10:58 p.m.: report abuse
Some blowouts are inevitable. Most of the coaches in this area handle both ends of one fairly well. The coaches who are still pressing full court late in the 4th quarter are simply massaging their own egos.
coacha commented on November 27, 2012 at 11:01 p.m.: report abuse
Great write up Matt! It makes alotta sense of these huge blowouts. I believe girls basketball is not taken seriously at the elementary and middle school levels by parents. Then when they get older girls think they can just join a high school team and win games. While the elite players have been playing since grade school.
coacha commented on November 27, 2012 at 11:08 p.m.: report abuse
I have a BIG problem with the pressing strategy of palm beach county teams. (just doing it to weak teams.) I see games where elite teams never ever press a quality team. And go all out , full court, like they have no other defense on the weak teams. Pressing should be your syle no matter the opponent!!! It shouldnt be used as a bully tactic.
ATLfan commented on November 28, 2012 at 7:38 a.m.: report abuse
For as long as I can remember (which gets shorter by the years) girls basketball has had these incredible blow outs. It is due to exactly what this article covers, teams that are high schools just trying to field a team vs. teams that every girl in the county wants to go to.
Literally you have young girls that never played vs. girls that play a lot. There is no answer to this, and Coaches don't always run up the score.
The skill level is so dramatically different. That being said, to those girls, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
I saw one such team turn it around completely in Miami and end up losing in the Regional Championship game. See one thing you cannot coach is heart, and these girls had heart and desire, they practiced just as hard as the girls that kicked their butts. It can be done with one summer at the beach and in the gym.
Basketball is the simplest game in the world, get in shape, put the ball in the basket and work hard as a group to a goal and anyone can get it done.
See the difference is not as dramatic as the score at least as the girls capabilities are concerned. The difference is in the work ethic and desire.
So again players, what does not kill you makes you stronger. Go get stronger and better, don't give up.
c'mon man commented on November 28, 2012 at 10:07 a.m.: report abuse
Dwyers coach is a liar he didn't press 1st half and was up 55-12 at halftime. He even called a timeout with 2 minutes left to put his starters back in the game. Its hard just to get girls to play and then when they do come and play they get beat down. I don't blame the kids its the adults that are to blame. C'mon man
journo guy commented on November 28, 2012 at 10:27 a.m.: report abuse
Matt... why do you always respond to the criticism?
For example, you respond to someone who talks about "ratings" in regard to the newspaper, and who has at least two clear grammar errors in a two sentence post. I have to believe that Jim Coleman and Nick Moschella would prefer that you not respond to posters, and just let your work stand for itself.
You put your work out there every day Matt and do a pretty good job.
Have thicker skin my friend.
thisguy commented on November 28, 2012 at 10:51 a.m.: report abuse
Great point c'mon man! Maybe we should write an article about how much illegal recruiting goes on in Palm Beach county basketball! Stealing players and everything else that goes on. We won’t go there would we?
UPSET commented on November 28, 2012 at 1:38 p.m.: report abuse
This article does not bridge this “gap” everyone is talking about it; it makes these girls feel inadequate. Sports are more than the score on the board kid’s gain so much more than skill from sports and Matt’s negative words about these girls that are working hard, learning discipline and other valuable life lessons is taking away this opportunity. He is focused on the wrong thing. If this gap is so big Matt help bridge it motivate this kids don’t make them feel they have no chance and should just quit! Very disappointed in this article, it is degrading to female sports!!!
Rose commented on November 28, 2012 at 4:45 p.m.: report abuse
@thisguy: illegal recruiting is all about the parents and principals. If parents and principals say no to recruiters then the kid stays at home school. If parents and principals say yes to recruiters then kid goes to another school. Coaches can only ask, parents got the say so and so do principals. Coaches not supposed to ask so they get others to ask for them. Look at lake worth boys- two kids from Leonard and one from Park Vista. Parents had to say yes and sign papers to get kids there. Principals had to say okay. Stealing players is what's done because sports crazed parents and principals of the schools.
@upset: a reporter isn't a cheerleader or motivator. A reporter reports the news. They don't make it up or try to motivate kids. U need to understand the job of a reporter. The article put the ball in the hoop - a slam dunk! Good job Matt.
Matt Porter commented on November 28, 2012 at 7:32 p.m.: report abuse
Journo guy: Good thought, but my skin's pretty thick. As such, I don't mind wading into the discussion on occasion, regardless of the commenter's spelling ability. It's not solely criticism that gets a response, either, though I do enjoy setting the record straight.
UPSET commented on November 29, 2012 at 8:32 a.m.: report abuse
Than why did you avoid responding to my post? The clear issue is this article is that it was POINTLESS!!! You had no story so you decided to down grade young girls so you could have something to write. Your story on top of being ignorant was without a central topic or idea. Now your job as a writer at least requires you to do that.
@Rose: I am not asking him to be a “cheerleader” nor for you fruitless response to my post, I am asking him to not BASH kids. He at least has a civil duty to do that. And the last time I check a reporter was supposed to accurately deliver news, which he FAILED to do! So what was your argument again?
thisguy commented on November 29, 2012 at 8:41 a.m.: report abuse
@rose what is your occupation because I can tell it’s not coaching maybe you're one of those “want to-be” parent/coaches that come to the game thinking they know basketball. First off the coach plants the seed in the student head to come play for them. If the coach never said anything the student would have stayed at its home school.
area coach commented on November 29, 2012 at 1:29 p.m.: report abuse
@UPSET : How is this article "bashing" or "down grading" (degrading?) any of the kids? The article states there this a great talent gap. Telling someone who just started playing basketball that they are not nearly as good as someone who plays year-round for much of their life is not "bashing" them, it's simply stating a fact. If the lesser teams/players want to improve, it is up to them.
The topic was how both sides of these blowouts deal with them. There were quotes from both sides and other research done. So, how was the article "without a central topic or idea?"
I enjoyed the article. Talent mismatches are very common in high school sports, partiuclarly with the girls sports. Now, the reasons for these groups of better talent all being at the same school is also an interesting topic...
Rose commented on November 29, 2012 at 5:24 p.m.: report abuse
@UPSET: There was no bashing of kids in the article. What was not accurate in the story? Area coach says it best.
@thisguy: I don't pretend to know anything about basketball. I like to watch my kids play it. I hear what kids say about the coaches and their people and remember what it was like when my brother was in high school. Kids are smarter than you think they are and unless you don't control your own kids, it's still up to the parent to decide where their kid goes to school. Maybe you let your kids (if you have any) run the show. We don't. They go to the school we tell them to go to and if changing schools will benefit them in the future, then we decide that.
UPSET commented on November 30, 2012 at 7:54 a.m.: report abuse
The comment made about wanting to get back on the bus is telling these kids that they should just give up. This article is like throwing dirt in a wound! These kids already have to deal with the fact that they are losing and all their peers disrespect them because of it and now Matt Porter decides to put it in the paper again so everyone knows. This paper would have been great if he focused on how hard these girls work to get better even day despite their losses but instead said they should not even be in the fight.
"Basketball coaches balance sportsmanship, player development in early-season mismatches" and what does this title have to do with girls basketball having unbalanced teams? He did not mention sportsmanship at all!!!!
@Rose: Clearly you are not a coach or an editor or a writer so why does your opinion even matter. You belong in the stands. Thank you for exiting the comments :)
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