Scooter Chapman
Hoops playoffs need a tweak
Published on Wed, Mar 3, 2010 by Scooter ChapmanRead More Chapman
We are in the midst of the "second season" of basketball for high school teams and college teams and it's exciting, especially in those so-called loser-out games.
I like to call them, "winner-goes-on" games, but that's just me.
One thing I am tired of is the parade to the free throw line in the last minutes of high school and college games as teams behind in the score start fouling to stop the clock.
Since the advent of the three-point field goal, many teams trailing in the last couple of minutes by eight to 12 points start committing fouls to stop the clock. They take a chance that the opposition will not hit two free throws or they will give up two points to get the ball back and have a chance for a three-ball to narrow the score.
You've all seen the fouls. As soon as a ball is secured inbounds, a player swipes at an elbow or grabs the waist of the ball handler to commit a foul. The rules say you have to be going for the basketball but an intentional foul never is called unless a player is pushed hard from behind.
An intentional foul gives the foulee two free throws and the ball out-of-bounds at mid-court.
Change needed
Looking back at my high school scorebook gives insight. In three games I checked, the 'Riders hit 4-of-8 from the stripe in the last period, 14-of-22 one night and 9-of-11 on another occasion. I checked a playoff game last week, too.
Prior to the last period, in those three games they had shot only eight free throws, 13 free throws and nine free throws the previous three periods, then eight freebies through three periods in the playoff game, then hit 11-of-17 free shots in the final quarter.
Officials will not call a deliberate foul to stop the clock an intentional foul.
Rules-makers should make changes at both high school and college basketball and here's my answer to stop the steady stream to the foul line:
Make every intentional foul to stop the clock in the last two minutes of a game a two-shot foul and the ball out-of-bounds. Make the team that is behind play legitimate defense. If they foul a shooter or get called for blocking, that's one thing, but when they grab, poke, prod and wrestle the ball handler to stop the clock or they commit a foul away from the ball to stop the clock, it's two freebies and the ball out.
I guarantee the last two minutes will not last 10 or 15 minutes, as it does now, and you see those fouls to stop the clock disappear.
Do you agree? Do you have any other ideas? Send me an e-mail and we'll print some of the replies.
Wednesday Whirl
The Nisqually League threw the Olympic League a giant curve ball when it came to Sequim's playoff hoop game with Eatonville. Sequim was the No. 3 team from the Olympic League, with a better record than Eatonville or Interlake, yet someone decided to count only games against other 2A schools.
Sequim's wins against 3A schools didn't count so they tied with Eatonville and Interlake squeezed into Sequim's rightful spot.
Next year will be much different with the Olympic League with six 2A teams, one 1A and a single 3A team. They're still trying to figure out league schedules, etc.
Pirate plunders
The Peninsula Pirate men's basketball team shot themselves into the NWAACC Hoop Tournament for the eighth time in the past 13 years and the sixth time under coach Peter Stewart with a heart-thumping win over Shoreline last Wednesday.
The Pirates came from behind with an unbelievable 14-0 run against the division's top team and it was a solid defensive effort in the second half, which spurred on the offense.
The Pirates finished conference play with a 10-6 record and, although they are 13-12, don't count them out of placing in the tournament in Kennewick as all those December losses now are helping turn close games into wins.
Overrated?
Many basketball fans are wondering if the Port Angeles girls program is overrated as they fell hard to Capital 66-53 a week ago and entered the WCD tournament with an 18-3 record.
The losses were to Mount Si and Mount Tahoma over Christmas and to the Cougars in a playoff. Port Angeles has a fine program, but the Olympic League's overall weakness hurts them when they get into district and state play.
The 'Riders, Olympic and Bremerton girls all lost their games against the Western Cascade League, while the Olympic boys lost. Bremerton and Port Angeles won first-round boys games.
If the 'Rider girls played in a tougher league day in and day out, they still would be good enough to have a solid record because of playing teams equal or better.
The program is not overrated, just stuck in a conference that is getting better slowly.
Columns by KONP 1450 AM sports announcer Scooter Chapman appear weekly in the Sequim Gazette. He can be reached via e-mail at scooter@olypen.com.
I like to call them, "winner-goes-on" games, but that's just me.
One thing I am tired of is the parade to the free throw line in the last minutes of high school and college games as teams behind in the score start fouling to stop the clock.
Since the advent of the three-point field goal, many teams trailing in the last couple of minutes by eight to 12 points start committing fouls to stop the clock. They take a chance that the opposition will not hit two free throws or they will give up two points to get the ball back and have a chance for a three-ball to narrow the score.
You've all seen the fouls. As soon as a ball is secured inbounds, a player swipes at an elbow or grabs the waist of the ball handler to commit a foul. The rules say you have to be going for the basketball but an intentional foul never is called unless a player is pushed hard from behind.
An intentional foul gives the foulee two free throws and the ball out-of-bounds at mid-court.
Change needed
Looking back at my high school scorebook gives insight. In three games I checked, the 'Riders hit 4-of-8 from the stripe in the last period, 14-of-22 one night and 9-of-11 on another occasion. I checked a playoff game last week, too.
Prior to the last period, in those three games they had shot only eight free throws, 13 free throws and nine free throws the previous three periods, then eight freebies through three periods in the playoff game, then hit 11-of-17 free shots in the final quarter.
Officials will not call a deliberate foul to stop the clock an intentional foul.
Rules-makers should make changes at both high school and college basketball and here's my answer to stop the steady stream to the foul line:
Make every intentional foul to stop the clock in the last two minutes of a game a two-shot foul and the ball out-of-bounds. Make the team that is behind play legitimate defense. If they foul a shooter or get called for blocking, that's one thing, but when they grab, poke, prod and wrestle the ball handler to stop the clock or they commit a foul away from the ball to stop the clock, it's two freebies and the ball out.
I guarantee the last two minutes will not last 10 or 15 minutes, as it does now, and you see those fouls to stop the clock disappear.
Do you agree? Do you have any other ideas? Send me an e-mail and we'll print some of the replies.
Wednesday Whirl
The Nisqually League threw the Olympic League a giant curve ball when it came to Sequim's playoff hoop game with Eatonville. Sequim was the No. 3 team from the Olympic League, with a better record than Eatonville or Interlake, yet someone decided to count only games against other 2A schools.
Sequim's wins against 3A schools didn't count so they tied with Eatonville and Interlake squeezed into Sequim's rightful spot.
Next year will be much different with the Olympic League with six 2A teams, one 1A and a single 3A team. They're still trying to figure out league schedules, etc.
Pirate plunders
The Peninsula Pirate men's basketball team shot themselves into the NWAACC Hoop Tournament for the eighth time in the past 13 years and the sixth time under coach Peter Stewart with a heart-thumping win over Shoreline last Wednesday.
The Pirates came from behind with an unbelievable 14-0 run against the division's top team and it was a solid defensive effort in the second half, which spurred on the offense.
The Pirates finished conference play with a 10-6 record and, although they are 13-12, don't count them out of placing in the tournament in Kennewick as all those December losses now are helping turn close games into wins.
Overrated?
Many basketball fans are wondering if the Port Angeles girls program is overrated as they fell hard to Capital 66-53 a week ago and entered the WCD tournament with an 18-3 record.
The losses were to Mount Si and Mount Tahoma over Christmas and to the Cougars in a playoff. Port Angeles has a fine program, but the Olympic League's overall weakness hurts them when they get into district and state play.
The 'Riders, Olympic and Bremerton girls all lost their games against the Western Cascade League, while the Olympic boys lost. Bremerton and Port Angeles won first-round boys games.
If the 'Rider girls played in a tougher league day in and day out, they still would be good enough to have a solid record because of playing teams equal or better.
The program is not overrated, just stuck in a conference that is getting better slowly.
Columns by KONP 1450 AM sports announcer Scooter Chapman appear weekly in the Sequim Gazette. He can be reached via e-mail at scooter@olypen.com.
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