THE DECISION

Please keep in mind in no way am I questioning anyone’s strategy or philosophy on the following study. There are way better coaches than me out there who do what they feel is best for their team. This is just a research study to see what coaches prefer to do in this late game situation.

Last night in high school, college and the NBA we had eight Foul or Defend situations. (If I missed one, please let me know)

Let’s start in the Big Ten with the Michigan State Spartans. This is the third time this season MSU has found themselves with a Foul or Defend.

Tom Izzo, one of the best we have seen the past 20 years decided to defend and it worked…once again. MSU has always been a tough defensive club. Izzo’s decision to “check” worked.

In the “League” the Dallas Mavericks were up three on the Sacramento Kings. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle decided to defend. Well Isaiah Thomas made them pay with a three pointer off the glass with :09 to play. Some may think that is too much time to foul but…The game went to overtime and Carlisle found himself in the same position, again with :09 to play. What’s he do? Well he relies on his defense. “Flipper” was a very good defender at Virginia. This time Thomas came up short with his three-point attempt.

There were two other men’s college games in which Montana State elected to defend against Northern Colorado and they got the stop. Also Seattle was up three on New Mexico State, decided to defend and BOOM! New Mexico State makes a three to force the extra session.

Here’s something interesting; New Mexico State, who made a three to force a second OT is on defense, up three with :03 decides to defend. Seattle misses a three.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the ladies. (I wish more women’s coaches would contact me with their Foul Or Defend situations). Last night Kentucky had a situation where they defended against Texas A&M. The Wildcats got the stop and in girls high school basketball, St. Clair FOULED! Yes, they tried out the situation that has worked 27 out of 28 times this season against Port Huron and what do you know; it worked!

Numbers:

263 total “Foul Or Defend” situations

Teams that have fouled have won 27 of the 28 games.

235 times a team has defended and 44 have given up a three-point shot. (18% success rate)

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

Twitter: @CoachFinamore

AN OLD ADAGE

Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘It doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game’?

Well I have news for you – who ever said that, had no clue!

As a coach, we can all agree that winning and losing is like night and day.

If you compete, you understand what I’m talking about.

If you put a tremendous amount of time in preparation, you know what I’m talking about.

When you lose, you think of all the things you could’ve done different.  When you win, you feel good for your athletes, school and organization.

Who ever came up with that phrase wasn’t much of a competitor.

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Tommy Hicks of the Press-Register on the coach in-waiting.

If a coach in waiting gets tired of waiting, does he approach the athletic director or university president and ask for a timeframe? Demand a timeframe? When a coach in waiting makes a suggestion in a meeting, does it carry more weight than other assistants? If a head coach starts turning over more duties to the coach in waiting, is he trying to provide experience or is he simply saving his energy for a longer stretch as the head coach?

George Vescey of the New York Times on Joe Lapchick

Many people in the room nodded, in memory of Lapchick’s character. I have vivid memories of the dignified man who lingered to sign autographs for kids in the old Garden. His daughter, Barbara Lapcek, who uses the family’s Czech spelling, described her father in terms of “gravitas” and “humanism” and said the famous coach was not an “authoritarian” in his home with his wife and three children.

Greg Bishop of the New York Times on the sports scene in Seattle.

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com