Posted on 01/26/2009 12:03:59 PM PST by Colonel Kangaroo
After 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 no 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
One of the many reasons the NFL sucks. It is full of large men with the mentality of little boys.
“I agree this was probably about a desire to score 100 points. “
But of course you have no evidence. The sore-loser crowd is really piling on the poor underpaid (but victorious) coach. It seems unfair, why don’t you sore losers just stop beating on this guy and let him catch up to you guys in mediocrity?
“If they ran up the score, so what?
Not only is it good to know you suck, it’s important to know how much you suck.”
I think the losing team gets it. Why can’t the GOP get it?
Since he is so underpaid ..... this is a blessing for him. It will give him an opportunity to go and make something better of his life. He is now free to pursue a job paying him more what he is worth.
“They are suppose to teach sportsmanship and a number of other values that our society had typically considered admirable.”
Yes, all-American values like pretending the other team can play basketball, and firing the winning coach because his team actually can play basketball.
No you don’t have to pretend the other team can play good. But you need to be a good sport when you win and win you lose. Apparently nobody taught you that either.
“No you don’t have to pretend the other team can play good. But you need to be a good sport when you win and win you lose. Apparently nobody taught you that either.”
Part of sportsmanship is being prepared for your opponent. The losing team was wholly unprepared. They humiliated themselves through their lack of skill, and unimaginative coaching in the face of a better prepared opponent.
Mercy is not a winning strategy, except, paradoxically, in this specific case.
I take the coach at his word. You and the other sore losers punish his success - but you are exceedingly insensitive to the girls who were successful.
So please indulge me, one of you sore losers please tell me the threshold for fairness in this case. What should the score have been for you not to be so angry? Would 50-0 be OK? how about 10-0? What about 2-0?
It's not about the score.
I'm not a sore loser. I didn't win or lose the game. I didn't have a child in the game. I din't care who won. So calling people who who you disagree with "sore losers" speaks volumes about yourself.
Mercy is not a winning strategy... but it's a valuable chracter trait. Life is about more than winning. The way you treat other people is important. It does matter.
At least one basketball team in Dallas knows how to play defense. Maybe the Mavs could hire this guy.
“You just don’t get it. I’m guessing it’s because you’re a coach being as you would say ..... underpaid. “
When I coached it was for free, which was probably fair compensation.
“It’s not about the score. “
Of course it is, at least with you it is, don’t be disingenuous.
“So calling people who who you disagree with “sore losers” speaks volumes about yourself. “
You are glorifying losing in sports. You think that the losing team was somehow victimized. You are the pure embodiment of sore loser. You have used the success of the winning coach as the very spear to skewer him, because you don’t know how to compete and probably never had what it takes to win.
“The way you treat other people is important. It does matter.” In sports, there is an objective measure of success. It is unarguable. That’s why people like sports.
Mercy in sports is an insult. Only in real life is it a virtue - but sports isn’t real life - again, another reason why people like sports.
I'm not glorifying losing. I'm saying that every competition has a winner and a loser and how we handle each of those speaks to our character.
The game may have been scheduled a few years back. Covenant was 2-19 a couple of years ago and lost a game something like 82 - 6 that year (and no, the opposing coach was not fired). Amazing, what some good coaching (instead of whining) did to the team in two years' time. But then, in the new America, we don't reward winners anymore.
We shouldn't keep score. We should just have fun and then go for ice cream.
That was long long ago, I haven’t seen a game other than pros with four 15 minute quarters in a long long time, even college is only 2 20 minute halves these days.
Rather than being condescending, you should have read the next post, which stated halves should be quarters, I corrected my own mistake, but if you feel that talking down to folks makes you feel better, feel free.
Sorry, you can believe this was some grand event from your view, but this was all about getting triple digits to zip, the coach was rightly fired. I’ve played sports my entire life, and I’ve been on both sides of the complete mismatch, not only as a player, but also as a coach, there is no way in hell you are going to spin this as anything other than what it was.
A coach, who frankly disgraced the name that day. If you are playing down, after its obvious you completely outclass the other team,and have told your players to check their play, there is no way in a basketball game you get ZERO on the other side of the scoreboard, sorry doesn’t happen.
I can take five 2nd graders out a court and if they are allowed to shoot, will make baskets, there is no way you can claim this team checked its play with zero on the other side of the scoreboard, just doesn’t pass the smell test.
I keep going ‘back and forth’ on this one.
I’m not sure any more how I feel about this. Lots of perspectives.
You said — “The guy only had 8 players. Would you have had him play only the three from the bench??????”
Well, the coach did say he’s only played four before... :-)
Is 59 points at the half ridiculous, really, when they had 25 points three minutes in?
I disagree with you. The point spread could have easily been twice as bad, if the winning team so desired. The game was played, was played hard on both sides (I assume the losing team didn’t give up), and played according to the rules.
I hope we can disagree agreeably.
We are definately going to disagree on this one, you cannot claim you played down, when your opponents score was ZERO. Did they play 100%? Probably not, but that score was 100 to 0 because of a coach that completely debased the name and title.
You don’t wind up with a score of ZERO on the other side of the coin, let alone 100 on yours if you truly played down knowing you have completely outclassed the opposition. I can take out five 7 year olds on a court against adults, and if the adults just let the 7 year olds take shots, the score will not be ZERO for them.
We are going to disagree, there is just no way you can claim you played down with the score that was this game, there is no way to spin that.
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