Posted on 01/27/2009 9:14:14 AM PST by nysuperdoodle
I agree run different sets.. Different defenses
Coach Grime's statement and responses from girls on the team
In our own words: The Journey to a 100-0 victory
By: Coach Micah GrimesAfter counting down the seconds until the final buzzer, I lined up my girls to wish the opposing team well, and then headed into the locker room for our post game rituals. After the girls and I said our goodbyes, I headed home to reflect like I always do after every game. But this was no ordinary game. Little did I know that in the next eight days, Barry Horn would write an article for Dallas Morning News about our 100-0 win over Dallas Academy that would start a firestorm of articles, nationally broadcasted news stories, and hateful email about me and the 8 young ladies that make up the Dallas Covenant School girls basketball team. I’ve always taught my girls to value honesty, integrity, compassion for others and to stand up for those values despite the consequences. So it is for Andi, Savannah, Taylor, Lauren, Wren, Marquita, Blair, Tiffany and our assistant coach Kelly that I tell our story.
The Team. We are hardly the “elite basketball powerhouse” that we are described as in the National and local media. Up until 3 years ago, we rarely had a winning season. In fact, during my first year at Covenant four years ago, we experienced one of our worst seasons - a losing record of only 2 wins and 19 losses that sunk to an 82-6 low in a game that forever changed us and how we approached the game of basketball. Two years later we made the first Final Four appearance in the school’s history. Like Dallas Academy, Covenant is a small Christian school, which is why we are in the same district. We don’t have a home gym so we rent out facilities or gym space in the community so we can practice, and then watch game film at the home of one of the players. We’ve never had a full roster. Only about 30 high school girls attend Covenant and only 8 of those girls play basketball. During many of the games this year, we played with 6 girls, and sometimes only 5. When players fouled out, we’ve had to finish the game with 4. But we always finished the game.
The Players. Rarely does a coach find a player who will run the extra laps, do the extra push-ups, or shoot the extra baskets without complaining. I have 8 such players—2 freshmen, a sophomore who is new to the school and team, another sophomore who has been with us for two years, two Juniors who have been with us for 3 years, a Senior who is new to the team and school, and another Junior who is new to basketball and is learning how to play for the first time in her life. My girls believe in each other, motivate each other, and see each other as family. The respect and admiration I have for them and their parents are the main reason why I come back to Covenant each year.
The Game. The game started like any other high school basketball game across the nation. The teams warm-up, coaches talk, the ball is tipped, and then the play begins. We started the game off with a full-court press. After 3 minutes into play, we had already reached a 25-0 lead. Like any rational thinking coach would do, I immediately stopped the full-court press, dropped into a 2-3 zone defense, and started subbing in my 3 bench players. This strategy continued for the rest of the game and allowed the Dallas Academy players to get the ball up the court for a chance to score. The second half started with a score of 59-0. Seeing that we would win by too wide of a margin, running down the clock was the only logical course of action left. Contrary to the articles, there were only a total of four 3-point baskets made; three in the first quarter, and only one in the third quarter. I continued to sub in bench players, play zone defense, and run the clock for the rest of the game. We played fair and honorably within the rules and in the presence of the parents, coaches, and athletic directors for both Covenant School and Dallas Academy.
The Apology. In response to the statement posted on The Covenant School Website, I respectfully disagree with the apology, especially the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel "embarrassed" or "ashamed". We played the game as it was meant to be played and would not intentionally run up the score on any opponent. Although a wide-margin victory is never evidence of compassion, my girls played with honor and integrity and showed respect to Dallas Academy. We honor God, ourselves, and our families when we step on the court to compete. I do not wish to forfeit the game. What kind of example does it set for our children? Do we really want to punish Covenant School girls? Does forfeiting really help Dallas Academy girls? We experienced a blowout almost 4 years ago and it was painful, but it made us who we are today. I believe in the lessons that sports teach us. Competition builds character, and teaches us to value selflessness, hard work, and perseverance. As a coach, I have instilled in my girls these values. So if I lose my job over these statements, I will walk away with my integrity.
Sincerely,
Micah Grimes
Box Scores:
1st
352nd
243rd
294th
12
They could schedule the Mavericks, they might have a shot at that one.
It sounds like what he did was pull off the full-court press after it produced a 25-0 lead in just the first three minutes, but that his girls continued to mount an aggressive defensive attack at the half-court line [steal, layup, steal, layup, etc], which led to the point guard scoring 48 points.
If that's the case, then at some point [maybe 50-0?] he should have pulled his girls even further back into a zone, with strict instructions not to venture out beyond the three point arc under any circumstances.
On the other hand, if he was indeed allowing his girls to mount something akin to an aggressive half-court trap [which is what it sounds like], then I start to lose sympathy for the guy.
But again, for the record - until I see the actual game tape [which, obviously I will never see], then I reserve the right to spin on a dime and completely change my opinion.
Yes, this was an egomaniac wanting to demolish an obviously overmatched group of kids. We SHOULD protect kids from such adults. I played football for some hard nosed Texas coaches, that would kick your backside, cuss you out, and work you full pads in 100 degree weathert, but they would NOT do what this coach did.
Let me ask you a question, with respect to the winning team’s point guard. Should she diminish her skills - and her attractiveness to any college recruiter - by not playing her best?
If the coach altered his game plan to avoid intentionally running up the score - and I understand from several posts here that he did - then he fulfilled his duty to sportsmanship. If he further didn’t allow his players to demean the opponent (and I have not heard he allowed this in any way), then he has instructed the girls on his team well in sportsmanship.
The “they let up at 100” comment was from the opposing coach. In my experience, the girls of the team may have chosen to set that as their own goal, at which point they decided to let up further.
I do not have issues with this coach, personally. His sin appears to have been his public defense of his team (and himself). The school, however, also sinned by impugning their own team and coach publically, without having addressed the situation privately first (apparently).
If the score was really 25-0 after three minutes in the game, this coach DID NOT run up the score. There are 16 separate 3 minute periods in a 48 minute game. That means that the 3 minute score would multiply out to 400 points.
Again - I am at the point now that I just don't know who to believe.
But if, say, after the coach called off the full-court press [when it was 25-0], the point guard was swooping in and stealing the ball just as soon as it advanced to the mid-court line, then yes: After about 50-0, that's inappropriate behavior.
Sometime around the 50-0 mark, the coach should have ordered his girls back beneath the basket, and told them that their zone was to remain in the lane to the greatest extent possible, and that under no circumstances was the defense to extend beyond the 3-point line.
On the other hand, if the point guard was making these steals at the [defensive] foul line, and then dribbling three-quarters of the court for the layup - well, I guess there's not much you could do about that.
Can you understand the difference between "throwing a game" and "not continuing full court defense and shooting three-point shots in the fourth quarter when you were already up 59-0 at halftime"?
Nobody is suggesting throwing the game, but they are suggesting pulling back a little rather than trying to see how much you can humiliate an inferior opponent.
Nonsense. Check the box score in post 122. Check the accounts already given on this thread that he ceased scoring for 4 minutes after reaching 100.
They only scored 12 points in the 4th quarter. Which means that it is possible to run the clock out without scoring 25-30 points per quarter.
This coach is an ass.
(Furthermore, high school is played with 4 eight minute quarters for 32, not 48 minutes.)
The losing team was humiliated by those who scheduled this game, not the team that won.
>>About that time, if I were the coach, I would begin using the time to train (in real-time) some more difficult plays and practice on those with a “real opponent”... That would have been interesting.
You know..., like, “we’ve been trying out this new play, so why don’t we give it a try here...” and so on..., with a number of lesser used plays...<<
I think that would have been a great idea! I wonder if they actually did that.
From what I read, he did back off playing hard against the opponents and put in the ones on the bench, and changed things a little bit, but not to that extent that I was saying, though. Perhaps he thought that what he did — to back off — was enough....
Actually, he was fired for speaking out about the game publicly.
I am appalled at how many neocons we have on Freerepublic trying to make the case for this whiny liberal attitude.
WOW he should go to JAIL!
Now the other school can hire him.
I agree. I really sucked at sports. No one gave me quarter. I learned to do something else that I WAS good at.
These special ed students, the story said, were not SPECIAL OLYMPICS athletes. They were girls with dyslexia and other academic learning disabilities, not PHYSICAL disabilities. I can't believe the girlie men here on Freerepublic. No wonder we can't get a real conservative elected.
You know, I think it was wrong for us to give all but one state to Ronald Reagan in the landslide election he won... maybe we should have evened it out a bit.
Do you know where I can go to sign up for a life that protects me from failing too spectacularly? OH Covenant Christian School, thanks!
Oh yeah... let's just stalemate these people here, we don't have to really try anymore... they're obviously not going to win.
See how insulting you are to these poor girls?
How do you know the LOSING girls didn't have an attitude problem? We always assume the one who loses is a victim. sheesh. They were all teen girls, chances are they ALL had attitudes.
You would have been happy with 75-0 or 75-2? How about 85-0? 90-0? 95?
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