Nov 6-8, the JC Men’s Basketball Tournament was held at Las Positas College, where the Hawks went undefeated in all three games and ultimately brought home the cup. Following the events of that weekend, the team went on to play two more games, both of which they won by an astonishing lead, leaving their opponents in the dust. As one example, during their game against Lassen on Saturday, November 15, the Hawks won 102-44, making for quite a boring event. Considering the Hawks took the immediate lead so early on, there were zero questions as to who would be the victor.
Similarly, a small college in Indiana known as the Grace College Lancers set a huge record for the most points scored by a women’s college basketball team in one game by defeating Ohio Christian 172-91 earlier this month. The previous record was 159 points, a record not broken since 1995.
Although both victories were great accomplishments won fair and square, it does bring up concerns over sportsmanship and questions regarding whether or not games should have a cap once one team is a certain amount of points ahead of the other.
Huge score gaps can be both demoralizing for the losing team and considered unsportsmanlike if the winning team seems to be “running up the score.” Blowout games are less frequent, but when they occur it can lead to loss of confidence, increased frustration, and reduced effort for the losing team as they near the final minutes of the game and lose hope of redemption.
Head Coach Dan Davis responded to these concerns in an interview with The Athletic.
“That is a tough part,” said Davis. “But the team we played (Ohio Christian), we barely beat them last year. And they were running with us (Tuesday), they scored 91 points! So in that third quarter, we weren’t trapping and being as aggressive. We were just playing man-to-man, full court.”
Davis elaborated on how in these situations, there is a certain kind of etiquette expected from the players.
“You’re caught in that balance a little bit,” explained Davis, “But I will tell you, I’ve had my butt beat by 74 before in college. It’s like the old Steve Spurrier (saying), hey it’s your job to stop us and it’s my job to stop you. It’s that style of ball” (The Athletic).
Head Coach James Giacomazzi at Las Positas College has his own way of going about these situations.
“I thought Lassen played hard and did what they could, but at the end of the day our pressure caused a lot of problems for them because we made them play at a faster tempo than they wanted to,” reflected Giacomazzi.
“My plan of action (in these situations) is to try to keep playing hard and maybe go deeper into my bench and give some other guys an opportunity to play in order to see how much improvement they’ve made.
“I am mindful of the sportsmanship aspect in lopsided games like that in terms of score, but we also have to stay true to who we are as a team and do what we do in practice every day so we can make modifications, but ultimately we have to play how we play,” asserted Giacomazzi.
Like the Head Coach from Indiana, Coach Giacomazzi stood firm in his opinion of large-lead games.
“I do not think there should be a cap on games because it’s one team’s job to get a stop on defense and it’s another team’s job to try to score on offense. That’s just the nature of the game. At the four year level, you make your schedule so you don’t have to play a team you know is much inferior to yours. However, at our two year level, teams that were just alright one year can potentially be fighting for a championship the next, so you just have to adjust and play the schedule that’s given to you.”
While some may choose to harbor grudges or self-depricate, others can take the hard loss as a chance to learn and improve from previous mistakes. Defeats can have a positive impact if athletes can put aside their egos and choose to learn from them. Difficult games can not only foster resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity, but also build humility within oneself and encourage athletes to work harder for success.
Overall, the most important thing is for both sides to remain courteous towards each other no matter what, something Head Coach Giacomazzi does not take lightly. So, next time you’re on the field, track, or court, consider this when you decide how to handle these situations, and remember that sometimes even losses can be individual victories. That just depends on your mindset.
