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
As pointed out this morning on our local Radio show, there was no bad talk by the loosing coach. He was accepting of the fact that they lost big time. There is no wass to really speculate unless someone has the tape. but I know from experience that when you put in the second string they will try as hard to score as the first team woud have. So that is the way it is.
I gotta admit that I see running up the score (while making full use of your bench of course) as tough love in action.
Dead serious here.
How about a good education for the opposing team. In the real world, when you are faced with competition, be it business, battlefield, home, whatever, your opponents never let up because you are losing. More often than not, in the real world, if you have an opponent who is weaker, you strike harder. Playing a strong team is a good education to see what to do to win. Review how they played, emulate them. Nothing good can come from letting up when you are winning except a few warm fuzzy feelings.
>>There can be nothing good out of shutting out the opposing team. Absolutely nothing.<<
With that I strongly disagree. The hard work of the winning team can be fully appreciated and the losing team can “learn from their failures”.
Didja ever see “Facing the Giants”? A VERY good story (acting, not so much).
Thats how I came to see it.
I once played in an intramural game where we scored 50 points before halftime...but the other team was stoned out of their minds...yes, I’m being serious here.
I feel sorry for everybody involved. The losing team will never forget the humiliation, the winning team will never forget the coach being fired, the coach will never forget it either.
I wonder...what was the fan reaction to this? Were there any in attendance at the end?
>>Not very Christian.<<
How so?
You don't know what youre talking about. Some of these private schools have only a hundred students or less. Maybe they got barely 5 kids who can play. My son played in a league with teams like that.
Never, ever did I see a high school team emasculate its opposition like this. Its absolutely disgusting.
Even if this is the case (and it is a big assumption that requires mind reading and assuming the coach lied in his letter), so what.. welcome to the real world..
It seems it would be un-Christian to falsly throw the game to the other team. Deceptive and lying, making the other team believe they are better and more capable than they are. If you don't give it your all, you are lying to yourself, the fans, and the other team.
The coach states that they stopped driving for domination somewhere around 25 to zip; if the other team was having such a bad night, how much more should you do? (I assume it is illegal to actually take a shot for the other team?)
Basketball is a timed event, you can go into overtime but not call the game at the bottom of the seventh for lack of competition.
Life is a timed event as well, and I'd teach my kid not to do unnecessary harm. When appropriate, I'd advise him or her that winning streaks don't go on forever. I'd never suggest that they should simply quit winning because someone else had to lose.
Reminds me of the Monty Python soccer match between a professional soccer team and the group of one-legged pirates.
This is making a mountain out of a mole hill. Why is this a point of national discussion?
These kind of scores happen all the time.
We got more pressing problems than the lopsided score of a basketball game.
From their website..
The (school is for) those students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and other learning differences. Total enrollment ranges between 140 and 145
Sorry, but your attitude only works when there is a level playing field. The coach of the winning team just ran up the score because... he's an A-hole, IMO.
The guy only had 8 players. Would you have had him play only the three from the bench??????
Exactly. Sounds like this guy put his entire bench (well, 3 kids...) in. No reason why they should stop playing, or not be allowed to score.
When a team only has 3 subs, including Frosh and kids "who are learning the game"....geez, I'd hardly call that a "powerhouse". From previous articles, I thought that this was some prep squad of college-bound kids, or something.
MSM gets it half-right, as per usual.
The other stories indicated that there was a vocal group of fans for the winners cheering on the drive to 100 points.
Apparently there was a good attendance toward the end. Most the time in HS games, the girls game is the prelim for the boys game and the attendance builds toward the end of the girls' contest as the boys fans start coming in. BTW, in the boys contest, the Covenant boys extracted a bit of revenge by winning.
I meant the opposite outcome- Covenant lost the boys game.
>>Sorry, but your attitude only works when there is a level playing field.<<
The court was level or they would not have both been on it. Either that or it was a “Harlem Globetrotters” type opportunity for the winning team.
But somehow I think actively making fun of the incompetence of the other team on the court would have been worse.
If it is a serious game, play it like a serious game. If he brought out the bench and changed tactics to “help” the other team, he already did more than a lot of coaches would.
My daughter played varsity basketball on a team that won less than half it’s games. The ONLY time I was upset in games was when I didn’t think her team was doing their best or I felt they were playing against unfair refs (which was comically obvious only on a few occasions). Other than that, the score was irrelevant. It would have been insulting if the other team just stopped really trying. Trial by fire is a good thing.
Like I said in a previous post, this game was “tough love in action”.
It was inappropriate to fire him. Period. His team won the contest fair and square. The results of the game do not reflect badly on him; they reflect on the other team’s need to adjust its strategy and tactics.
Thanks.
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