HAMDEN, Conn. (AP/WSFB) — A Connecticut high school has apologized and suspended a coach after its girls’ basketball team beat an overmatched opponent 92-4.

Sacred Heart Academy of Hamden beat Lyman Hall-Wallingford on Monday night. The Sharks led 29-0 after one quarter, 56-0 at halftime and 80-0 after three quarters.

Sacred Heart’s president says the school is deeply remorseful about how the game was played and suspended girls’ basketball coach Jason Kirck.

According to WFSB, the basketball team is considered one of the best in the state. The basketball squad was undefeated and ranked third in this week’s GameTime CT Poll.

Before Monday night’s game, the team won by scores of 83 to 48 and 80 to 37.

Lyman Hall’s coach said his team was pressed through most of the first half, and Sacred Heart continued to run its fast break and shoot 3-pointers with the game well out of hand.

Kirck has yet to issue a comment. He was suspended for one game.

Sacred Heart Academy and Lyman Hall are slated to play again on Jan. 28.

link: https://www.wlox.com/2022/01/0...2-4-win-girls-hoops/

So winning is bad, I guess the scores have to be close. PC bullshit.

Why didn't the PC ref call the game?

If the worst 5 girls on the team were playing then I guess it’s too bad. But if the starters were still in after the first quarter then that’s not very good sportsmanship.

I think they suspended the wrong coach. I played football and baseball throughout high school. We lost pretty badly a few times. We learned from those experiences. My kids played college sports. Your job was to pummel your opponent. No quarter given.

In practice they were instructed to play the best players so you could improve your game.

Sorry I think the coach of the winning team is a dick and I wouldn’t want him coaching my kid. With a match up that lopsided, there was no call to continue with a full court press, run the fast break or shoot threes. Just run your set offenses and work on ball movement for close shots. I at least hope he took the starters out early but I doubt. This is my perspective as a former college athlete and starter on a really good basketball team (ranked in the top 25 in NYS).

This is not the coaches fault. This is a league problem. If the league is worried about this they have a few options

A - prevent a game like this from being scheduled
B - Implement a mercy rule (as most HS leagues do)
C - Allow officials to call a game that is severely lopsided

None of this appears to have been in place or acted upon. If the winning team is in a league where they are ranked, and must win against a weak team by sizable margin, they have no choice.

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
If the worst 5 girls on the team were playing then I guess it’s too bad. But if the starters were still in after the first quarter then that’s not very good sportsmanship.

Bingo. The details not included in the story are the ones that are most important. I've coached more youth sports baseball games than I can count and have been in blow out games numerous times. How the winning coach handled the game is what matters. If he ran his second squad and subs the majority of the game (as he should have) then there's no issue here. If he ran a full court press the entire game with his starters, then this guy has some issues someone should help him resolve.

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:
This is not the coaches fault.

Debatable.

quote:

This is a league problem. If the league is worried about this they have a few options

A - prevent a game like this from being scheduled

This is the best solution but difficult to implement as the strength of teams can change significantly from year to year.

quote:

B - Implement a mercy rule (as most HS leagues do)

IMO there should never be a mercy rule at the high school level. At the recreation, elementary, or travel ball levels, fine. But not when kids reach junior high and high school.

quote:

C - Allow officials to call a game that is severely lopsided

Not a responsibility I would want any official to wield.

I had a runaway game going one weekend with my 12 year old team, and I sent my worst batter to the plate with two outs in the fifth knowing he would likely strike out and we could continue the game for at least another inning to allow me an opportunity to get more of my guys on the field. It also afforded the other team at least one more at bat. There's nothing wrong with winning, but there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.

Someone can't coach their team to lose, but they can teach them there is more to life than crushing an opponent. We are talking about kids. Krazeehorse is right they should have had their starters pulled at least by halftime. After the 3rd QT I'd have asked to stop the game or told my team to dribble out the shot clock after working on ball movement.

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
that’s not very good sportsmanship.

True. Coming from a school which fosters one "to lead and make a difference. Guided by integrity, compassion ..." A leader makes even the lowest feel good about their abilities and accomplishments.

https://www.sacredhearthamden.org

But thanks for the Vonnegut reference. I'll add more of his work to my Libby audiobook cue.

Meh.

If you’re not first, you’re last.

The idea that crushing defeats “are poor sportsmanship” in the real world is kinda how we go to this “everybody wins, everybody gets a trophy, everyone is special” PC horseshit. Getting crushed by someone much better than you is natural. You can go to the locker room and cry about it, or you can train like there are people that much better than you that you need to whip. Some of the best lessons I ever learned was getting crushed by someone that bested me.

I have no respect for anyone that apologizes for their team winning.

Nothing wrong with crushing your opponent in High School. This isn't the 5-7 year old rec league downtown. Some of these kids have hopes of playing collegiate ball in 12-months. College start the recruiting process by examining stats before they go to gametape. If the opponent doesn't like it - practice harder and play smarter. Go hire a real coach. If the league doesn't like it - change the parameters of the game.

Honor. Integrity. Sportsmanship.

These are things that are missing, and badly needed in today’s world. Sports is a tool, and there is a reason children in school play sports; it is another method for them to learn important life lessons.

The lesson is NOT win at all costs, damn the other team. Once victory is assured, then other lessons are also important. Winning is critical, yes; in the words of Winston Churchill “never give up”, so especially the losing team has to learn to keep fighting, no matter how lopsided.

But the opposite side is true, as the word “Sportsmanship” implies. It is fair and generous behavior and treatment of the opponent. Sports is not war, people’s lives aren’t at stake. However, sports are a method to develop the mind and body. After about 50-0, the game is over. Let the play clock run down, take 3 point shots from unusual angles for development, etc.