12/21/24
December 30, 2008
Is US High School Basketball Really Behind the Times?: The author, a high school and youth basketball coach in England, thinks that high school basketball in the US needs a significant change in the rules. I think his argument makes sense. (I also wish I'd been around to see that tournament game he writes about.)
posted by Howard_T to basketball at 04:42 PM - 5 comments
Personally, I liked basketball more when there was no shot clock. A team could actually run plays. Now, it's just run and gun.
posted by Shotput at 11:23 AM on December 31, 2008
I do agree that high school games should be 40 minutes,instead of 32 like junior high,but I dont think he shot clock is necessary until college.
posted by mars1 at 02:30 PM on December 31, 2008
One of the effects of the 32 minute game with no shot clock is that it lets the team with lesser offensive power remain competitive. More game time and a shot clock would give the offensive juggernaut that many more chances to score. (A 40 minute game with a 24 second clock means they would be guaranteed at least 50 possessions.)
High school is probably the first time when these kids will be learning team fundamentals rather than individual skill fundamentals. The two most important team fundamentals? Defense and passing. Those aren't exactly the components of run-and-gun, especially when the kids are still learning.
There is a difference between the high school and college games, to be sure. However, there's a transition period already in place. It's called freshman year. High school is the last time many of these kids will have a chance to play basketball. The game becomes something else at the college level that takes more dedication and time than their skill sets warrant. If the author of the article was a better coach, he might understand that what he's involved in is two-fold: a game for kids to play and a test to see who goes on to the next level. If it's changed to benefit the latter, the former (who are the majority, BTW) will suffer.
posted by joaquim at 02:42 PM on December 31, 2008
I agree with Joaquim, Mars1, Shotput, and jjzucal remarks. As for the 1972 Olympics remark, the US team was cheated. The game had ended with a US victory. An international basketball official, who had no authority to do so and should have been ignored, ordered the Olympic officials running the game to replay the end and the Olympic officials did!
posted by Salamander08 at 06:35 PM on December 31, 2008
Yes, even in the urban areas, where one might expect a fast-paced, streetball-like game, games stay in the 40's, maybe 50's.
However, I have one problem with the international game: it is becoming too much like the NBA. It used to be 20-minute halves, a 30-second shot clock, and I understand the trapezoid lanes will become a thing of the past soon.