Just Change This Rule…Please

My team was a bunch of guys from Bristol and I was determined that we were going to be the best at something. Having seen them in practice, I wasn’t sure quite what.

I decided that even if we were to lose then the opposition would know that they had been in a game. Our speciality was going to be Defence with a capital D.

One rule of the tournament that I was really pleased with was that there was going to be NO ZONE DEFENCE. I have never been a fan of zone defence. My guys were going to pick up full court every time.

The opposition was going to have difficulty getting the ball in, getting it up the floor and putting it in our basket.

Things were going well and we were winning and losing games but we were doing what I wanted them to do and that was playing great defence.

Then we came to the game in question and to be honest I do not remember who the coach was but I do remember that Chris Finch was the referee.

The main problem was that the opposition was playing zone defence all the time. No matter how much I complained to the table, nothing was done. So I called a time out and gave my point guard an interesting instruction. The whole team looked at me as if I was mad, I said just do it.

I waited and waited until I felt the time was right and said NOW!

The guard advanced the ball over the half way line and no further. He simply dribbled the ball on the spot.

Ahead of my team were 5 opposition players standing in their zone defence all on their own.

They truly looked pathetic.

I have not often been really scared but for a moment here I can tell you I was. Chris Finch who was on the far side of the floor took off and headed straight for me with fire in his eyes. However after travelling half the way towards me, he turned and headed for the opposing coach. He let him have it with both barrels, complaining that he was bringing the game into disrepute and was ruining the tournament.

He then went back to his position, gave us a side-line position and the game continued to the end with both teams playing solid man to man defence. I can’t even remember who won the game, but I do remember that we played within the rules all the time.

On the presentation night at the end of the tournament, Chris made the announcements as to the Competition winners and presented trophies to the champions. We hadn’t won any tournaments; we had come 4th in just about everything. Until that is, he announced the Defensive team of the tournament. He called out our name and my guys and I exploded with joy.

That is my only experience of coaching except that in my role as courtside commentator, I see a lot of what coaches do, up close and personal.

In a game recently I saw something that was just too ridiculous to contemplate. Both teams had player coaches and very early in the game the referees made it clear that only the named coaches were allowed to stand during the game.

So for the majority of the game, no one was coaching the Sharks and no one was coaching the Eagles.

Atiba Lyons and Fab Flournoy were on the floor and none of their assistant coaches were allowed to stand.

I presumed that when Todd Cauthorn came over to the table to call a time-out, he was technically breaking the rules. (Perhaps player/coaches on the court will have to be allowed to call a timeout.)

If Billy Spragg, one of the most successful assistant coaches ever in the BBL, saw something that needed changing he was not allowed to stand up and say it.

I am told by referees that this is a FIBA rule and they were going to enforce it.

For all the years I have been doing my job in the BBL, only once had I been removed from the microphone and even on that occasion, I was totally exonerated. I had done nothing wrong.

I don’t comment on refereeing decisions.

But I think something needs to be done about this.

Coaches of the calibre of Todd Cauthorn, John Belk, Billy Spragg and others should not be treated in this cavalier way. They are in their jobs because they provide fantastic support and advice for their head coaches.

I do not think their input should be curtailed in this way.

Later

Mike S