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Grinnell kid scores 138 points in a game

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Small Town Guy, Nov 20, 2012.

  1. Stoney

    Stoney Well-Known Member

    Well, I'm guessin they do like playing Grinnell, because they get to set scoring records too. There's now some kid at Faith Bible School who can tell his grandchildren that he once scored 70 points in a college game. So long as he conveniently leaves out the part about nearly all coming on unguarded layups that the other guys were intentionally giving him.

    Might be fun for the players, but it doesn't mean the rest of us should be impressed or need regard records set in Grinnell games as legit. Deadspin is right, they are sham records.
     
  2. Small Town Guy

    Small Town Guy Well-Known Member

    Maybe. And? They're not scheduling bible teams by force. After 20 years, teams know what they're getting with Grinnell, whether it's someone in their conference who actually beats them every year or a nonconference foe served up as a sacrificial lamb.

    I also have a feeling Faith Bible isn't too disappointed over the fact they're getting publicity, since, normally, Faith Bible isn't on the tips of people's tongues.

    It was a sham record, absurd, etc. Yes. But I don't know how it being a 110-40 victory with two guys scoring 30 would necessarily be a more ethical victory. Of course records that occur during the heat of a close event are more meaningful. (which is why Kobe's 81 is more impressive than Wilt's 100, but that's another thread). But countless records and marks are basically shams. The other night Doc Rivers called a timeout with less than 2 minutes left in a 20-point game to try to get Rondo an assist to keep some stupid streak of 10-assist games going. It was dumb and funny, but not a disgrace.

    So where's the record book with legitimate records and who are the judges? Were Maravich's scoring marks legitimate considering how those LSU teams played and who coached him and the scores of some of their games? Of all those games Wilt scored over 60, which ones should we actually count as not being a sham? Van Brocklin's 554 yards came in a 54-14 victory. So who's the legitimate record holder of the NFL single-game passing record? Darryl Sittler's record for 10 points in an NHL game came in an 11-4 victory. Sham?

    The people most upset about it seem to more angry with the fact others would celebrate it as some type of accomplishment than with the actual result. If it existed in a vacuum, I doubt people would be angry.

    I don't think it's some grand athletic achievement; it's not Bob Beamon or anything. Give it a 20-second mention on SportsCenter and move on. But because everything's amplified a thousand times these days, people get sick of others talking about it and have to reflexively fight back against one overreaction ("WOW! THAT KID MUST BE GREATEST SCORER EVER! HAHA! HE'S BETTER THAN KOBE OR LEBRON! LOL") with another overreaction ("This is a disgrace and the people should be ashamed.").
     
  3. old_tony

    old_tony Well-Known Member

    I think coaches who preach "the right way" might not mind their defense allowing 61% shooting if it can force 49 turnovers. If you win the turnover battle, 49-17, I don't know how other folks can say you're playing "the wrong way."
     
  4. dixiehack

    dixiehack Well-Known Member

    I think it's hilarious to read the butthurt from people saying that they don't win tournament games playing this way. So what? Name the past five D-III champions.
     
  5. Stoney

    Stoney Well-Known Member

    That's a good response, STG, and I agree with most of it. I don't know precisely where the line is between legit records and sham records. But I am confident you've crossed over it if all these factors converge in one game:

    1) Your purpose in scheduling that opponent was purely to break a scoring record.

    2) Your game plan from the beginning was entirely about getting one player as many shots as possible in pursuit of that record.

    3) You're intentionally allowing the other team to shoot wide open layups all game long in pursuit of that record.

    4) Your offensive rebounders are intentionally passing up wide open layups throughout the game so that the "designated shooter" can take lower percentage shots in pursuit of a record.

    I would say these factors distinguish Grinnell from the other examples you cited. Admittedly, from what I've read, there was also apparently a significant "sham" element to how Wilt got his 100, but at least that came against a legit NBA opponent, and his teammates didn't start intentionally chasing the record until he got close, it wasn't their game plan and purpose from the beginning.
     
  6. old_tony

    old_tony Well-Known Member

    I saw some of the highlights. That kid made a ton of shots just rising up off the dribble. The naysayers will probably say he can't play off the ball.
     
  7. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    More than half the games played in Division I this time of year are scheduled for the sole purpose of making money. There is no chance of competitiveness. Why is that more noble than this scheduling?
     
  8. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    [​IMG]

    Guess who's back, once again,
    Shady's back, tell a friend
    Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back


    Another thread waiting, o_t.
     
  9. jr/shotglass

    jr/shotglass Well-Known Member

    Stoney, I wouldn't look too unkindly upon Grinnell's scheduling.

    We have a USCAA school just outside town, school of about 700 students, mostly commuters, that is playing three Division I opponents between now and Christmas.
     
  10. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    That statement shows your ignorance of the reality of small college athletics. Grinnell didn't "seek out" anybody. The school they played is about 30-40 miles from their campus.

    That's your typical mid-week Division III non-conference game. Somebody you can play within a two-hour drive.
     
  11. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    I've been watching, playing, coaching and covering basketball for 45 years.

    And I know.

    Because when I was playing, I was a slug-footed sloth, and I hated playing teams that could and would run my ass off the court. If teams were playing a nice medium pace, I could keep it up for 3-4 minutes at a time, then I had to hit the bench. But if they cranked it up fullcourt, that 3-4 minutes became 1-2 minutes.

    And I've seen it happen in hundreds and hundreds of games I've seen (and coached and covered) since. The players who are in shape and can run, love to play that way. The ones who aren't, don't.
     
  12. bpoindexter

    bpoindexter Active Member

    I did a feature story on a school in Roseville, Calif. - Valley Christian Academy - running the Grinnell System last season, and the Lions plan to run it again this season. I interviewed Gary Smith, now an assistant coach at Davis High School, for the story. It's definitely different - and tons of fun to watch, if you have an open mind. They openly give up layups and don't sweat it, since they have a goal to cast X amount of three-pointers per game.

    Worth pointing out: This kid, his school and The System is garnering its share of scrutiny in the wake of his 138. Yet, when Kobe scored 81 a few years ago against a flat-footed, lazy, typical NBA non-defense-playing bunch of losers collecting millions for nothing, everyone in the media was lining up to blow him.
     
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