[PHSForever]

Tell them not to shoot?

So, punish the kids for being that much better? Do the math. They scored 25 points in under 2 minutes, then scored 45 points the remainder of the 1st half, then scored 30 points the whole 2nd half. Would it be any less embarrassing to the Kimper team if they had, for example, just thrown the ball out of bounds and said "Here ya go" every time they got the ball (meaning Pikeville)? Should he have sent one player out to play 1 on 5? Why is no one saying anything about the other team? Why didn't their (Kimper's) coach come out and say "No mas" after being down 70-0 at the half?

A person commented on the article (the original one) who claimed to be an employee over at Kimper, and said that they had 4th graders on the team just to make sure they had enough players. With turnout that low, and playing 4th graders, I'm wondering why they were even in the tournament? And the answer, I'm sure, is that the coach wanted them to play so they can get better. In which case, SOMEONE has to play them in the tournament.

Look, we can debate this all day long, fact of the matter is, this could be avoided only by a running clock or mercy rule, or Kimper not having a team (which I think is unfair because it would punish the kids who DO want to play). He didn't keep playing defense, he sat his starters less than 2 minutes into the game, and further, he is not taking ANY 8th graders to the mid-December game, only 6th and 7th. Here's hoping Kimper gets better, that all the teams have an injury free season, and that the kids have fun and learn and get better on EVERY team.