Annie Smith, Principal at Paton Churdan Community Schools, originally posted these comments on Facebook. With her permission she is contributing them as a guest columnist for the Iowa Women’s Constituency Caucus.

As we’ve hit the halfway point of this year’s basketball season, I am so confused and disheartened about where the game of basketball has gone! A lot of coaches at all levels think it’s more important to see how many points they can score, how many stats they can get for their players, and how big of a score gap they can get, rather than teach character and sportsmanship through the sport!
Unfortunately we have played teams this year that full court press when there is a 30+ point lead, keep starters in the majority of the game (even when our 2nd/3rd string is playing) just to run up the score, half-court trap after the 35+ rule is in play, etc…..what does that teach any kid on either team?
Pressing and trapping are important tools/strategies of the game, but at what point as a coach do you recognize it’s not needed. I have friends that have seen this happen in middle school ball at all class levels, as well as high school 3A, 2A, & 1A basketball, so I know it’s happening everywhere. In fact, I read about two neighboring districts playing each other at the middle school level where the final score was 80-0. I found out later they pressed the majority of the game. In fact, the students, coaches, & parents from the winning team were so excited and proud about what had happened, and they saw nothing wrong with it! What?!?!
When I was in high school, we were playing a team that struggled, and my dad (our coach) recognized this immediately. He pulled the press, pulled the starters, and worked to show compassion in coaching, while giving quality minutes to those that maybe didn’t normally play as much.
That night taught me so much about what the game was about. It taught me compassion in coaching and playing, and that it is not just about winning and stats! I have played on teams that were on both sides of the winning column… I know for a fact that after high school and college it wasn’t the huge wins that taught me the values I use today… it was the lessons in character and sportsmanship!!!
There are still coaches of character out there, but this year we have only played against a select few that I have truly appreciated. I appreciate them for their understanding that you can coach to win, while still showing ultimate character and sportsmanship! I just wish the other basketball coaches could say the same! Here’s to the lost art of coaching with compassion, teaching character and sportsmanship parallel with skills and fundamentals, and winning with grace!

Thanks be to Annie for sharing this article.
Mary Weaver