Just read from http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=904726 and it makes me sick... Associated Press MORE: Read the original story | Should the coach get fired? DALLAS — The coach of a Texas high school basketball team that beat another team 100-0 was fired Sunday, the same day he sent an e-mail to a newspaper saying he will not apologize "for a wide-margin victory when my girls played with honor and integrity." Kyle Queal, the headmaster for Covenant School, said in The Dallas Morning News online edition that he could not answer if the firing was a direct result of coach Micah Grimes' e-mail disagreeing with administrators who called the blowout "shameful." Queal did not immediately answer phone messages or e-mail from The Associated Press. On its Web site last week, Covenant, a private Christian school, posted a statement regretting the outcome of its Jan. 13 shutout win over Dallas Academy. "It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened. This clearly does not reflect a Christlike and honorable approach to competition," said the statement, signed by Queal and board chair Todd Doshier. Grimes, who has been criticized for letting the game get so far out of hand, made it clear in the e-mail Sunday to the newspaper that he does not agree with his school's assessment. "In response to the statement posted on The Covenant School Web site, I do not agree with the apology or the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel embarrassed or ashamed," Grimes wrote in the e-mail, according to the newspaper. "We played the game as it was meant to be played. My values and my beliefs would not allow me to run up the score on any opponent, and it will not allow me to apologize for a wide-margin victory when my girls played with honor and integrity." A phone number for Grimes could not be located by The Associated Press. The Dallas Morning News said Grimes did not respond to their repeated e-mail requests for a telephone interview. There was no answer at a number listed for Doshier. A parent who attended the game said Covenant continued to make 3-pointers— even in the fourth quarter. She praised the Covenant players but said spectators and an assistant coach were cheering wildly as their team edged closer to 100 points. Covenant was up 59-0 at halftime. Dallas Academy has eight girls on its varsity team and about 20 girls in its high school. It is winless over the last four seasons. The academy boasts of its small class sizes and specializes in teaching students struggling with "learning differences," such as short attention spans or dyslexia. There is no mercy rule in girls basketball that shortens the game or permits the clock to continue running when scores become one-sided. There is, however, "a golden rule" that should have applied in this contest, Edd Burleson, the director of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, said last week. Both schools are members of this association, which oversees private school athletics in Texas. The story has received national attention, and the Dallas Academy team has been recognized for refusing to give up during the lopsided contest.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLL That's just ridiculous... is it more wrong to fix the game so it looks less dominant??
To me, instead of question the winning coach's intention, we should question whether the losing coach did his job or not. Yeah, the losing team has a small number of pool, but if they decide to stay in the league (assume they believe they are competitive enough), it's their own responsibility to play better, but not crying for mercy from others. The winning coach has his rights to call the plays, and let the session going. The losing coach has his rights to pull out, if he really think that will protect his own players. However, he did not. If so, that means both coaches agree to let the play continue. So, why blame the one who actually doing a better job from the coaching perspective? If the theory stands, MJ should be kicked out of NBA long time ago, so did many other legends. Wayne Gretzky will be banned from hocky, because he made 99.99999% others look like 3-yr old kids on ice...
It was never mentioned in the article whether the losing coach complained, and since there is no mercy rule, the game has to continue. What I question is that since there is such disparity, why is Dallas Academy in the same division as Covenant School? In the NCAA there is Div 1,2 3 etc. I would assume (perhaps incorrectly), there is a similar streaming system in the league in which these girls play. Perhaps this is a wake up call for the league organizers. In my own personal opinion, some common sense could have been employed. When you're playing beginners in badminton, do you go all out to kill them? Probably not. I know the situation is different (social v competitive) but given the already known gulf in ability, what really is the difference between 100-0 and 50-0?
what score before it is lopsided? is 20-0 lopsided? Since Dallas Academy was winless over the last four seasons, shouldn't all the past winning coaches be fired as well? If rule is rule, it should be applied to prior coaches as well.
I think none of the coaches are to be blamed or fired. The system has to be amended to ensure teams of similar abilities are grouped in the same division. In the case of Dallas Academy, no matter how bad they are, they still need to be grouped with teams in the lowest level division. Hey, losing 40-0 or 50-0 might feel like winning to them.
When your opponents are less able to compete, it's only gracious to be generous... especially when you can afford to be (see the half-time score)
What's even more perverse is how there are people saying (on that site which hosted lazybuddy's article) that the coach should be fired for "nonchristian practise". Maybe I'm going over my head in this cause it's a sensitive comment about religion, but sports aren't christian, and mercy doesn't apply to sports.
Mods, feel free to delete this post if it's not allowed at BC...I dont' want to drag this into a religious debate.
erhm, that was my message. why didnt they halt the game at half time? is 59-0 not lopsided while 100-0 is? Maybe the winning side was being generous, they stopped at the 100 mark.
That's made me think of the LD/LCW match a few years ago when LD was leading 13-0 or 14-0 in the final game. LD must have been too generous to stop scoring and let LCW came back and win the match. Otherwise if LD won 15-0, LYB would have been fired.
Heard the story.. ...if i were on the Dallas Academy team and realized Covenant School had slowed down the game or played down to the level of my team, i would be so upset. Heck, if the score had been more than that, say a 150-0, i'd be happy. Btw, this type of scoring massacre has happened in other sports before.. And if i were Dallas Academy's School Principle, i'd higher the just fired coach...
Depend on what kinda games. If social friendly play, I will make the games to be interesting. If competition (i.e. tournament), if the beginner simply registered the wrong flight, then s/he is responsible for the fault. Just as the losing team, they are clearly not in the same level for 4 years, but still decide to stay. Even at international stage, blow out scores happened here and there. ZN gave Mia and CM 11:0 in WC 2003. I do not think ZN should be kicked out, for giving other legends "no face", right? Why can't ZN give them 11:1 or 11:2 instead? Also, there was a news (forgot which tourny), XXF set up a record to blank a JP opponent 11:0 and 11:1 in just 8 minutes. So, should we blame XXF doing the job too fast? Or, we think the poor JP girl should be better prepared next time?
Even if there's no written rule, the coach can simply call the players off the court, and throw out the white towel. I do not think any one can forcely to drag them back on the court, right? The losing coach did not do so, simply because he still believe continue playing will be better than walk out. So, if his decision is made at this way, why the winning team can not continue to play at high standard?
That's true. In another related article, they stated the winning team stopped at 100 mark, when there are still 4 minutes left in the game. If they did not stop, the score might be 120 instead. If I am the winning coach, and know that I will be fired after so. I might order my team to play full force from 1st second, and run up the score like 250-0. At least, I will set a record even harder to break.
i wonder why they couldn't even get 1 or 2 points, despite disability...Convenant is bound to foul or something...or a lucky shot might go in...nonetheless, if there's no mercy rule, there really isn't anything that can/should be done...a coach can always put bench players on after it gets a little out of hand, but if even the bench players are playing better than the other team's starters, then i don't know what you can do as an opposing coach lol...you can't really forfeit during the game..what message does that send to your players? that you should quit without a fight? or that he didn't feel they had the ability to face adversity in the other seasons they were winless, but this time he did? best situation i can imagine is having a talk coach to coach and just pass the ball around and run out the time...but then it wouldn't be competition, and that isn't sports
I would imagine the priority and objectives of the 2 schools are vastly different. Dallas Academy knows what their shortcomings are and I'm sure expect a thrashing every time they hit the court. Perhaps they treat each game as a learning experience. As far as adversity goes, I think losing a basketball game is their least of their problems, considering their disablilty on the learning side. In a sense, I'd almost congratulate them for putting up a team. In the NBA, when there is a blowout, teams tend to empty the bench. I wonder if this can be done in the pros, why not at a not very high girls varsity level. Naturally, it's a coach's decision and I won't second guess that.