LACK OF CLASS GETS COACH FIRED

Two weeks ago, a private Christian high school shutout a special needs high school by the score of 100 to 0. Yes, this was the actual basketball score as Covenant School - insert favorite verb that means "beat down" here - the Dallas Academy. Apparently, Covenant decided to still press on defense, and hurl up quick threes on offense even late into the fourth quarter. After the victory, the higher ups at Covenant were none too thrilled with their team pouring it on. They sent several apologies and even offered to forfeit the victory to Dallas. Well, when their coach, Micah Grimes, refused to include his name in the apology, he was fired.

"In response to the statement posted on The Covenant School Web site, I do not agree with the apology or the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel embarrassed or ashamed," Grimes wrote in the e-mail, according to the newspaper. "We played the game as it was meant to be played. My values and my beliefs would not allow me to run up the score on any opponent, and it will not allow me to apologize for a wide-margin victory when my girls played with honor and integrity."

That's one of the funniest quotes I've read by a coach in a long time. His beliefs would not allow him to run up the score on his opponent? Can I ask what the score would have been if he ran up the score? You would think when the score was 59-0 at halftime, Grimes would have called off the dogs. You don't stop playing the game, but when a team can't score, I think you can play a more relaxed defense and start bleeding the shot clock a bit. Especially when your opponent has several players with special needs and hasn't won a game in four years! How about playing your reserves? I credit the school for living up to their morals and principles and firing Grimes. I thought it was a good message to send after a horrible one was sent in the fourth quarter of that game.

Normally, I am almost never sensitive toward teams on the wrong side of a blowout. I am for some proper etiquette such as not stealing bases, hurling 50-yard bombs, chucking up threes early in the shot clock, but if there is still time on the clock, then you don't stop playing. In football, a team can't stop moving toward the end zone. In baseball, you can't tell a batter to stop swinging for a base hit, and in basketball, you don't tell an offense to simply let the shot clock expire without shooting something. If you get your doors blown in, get up, and go get them the next time.

However, this was an extreme situation. Firstly, it was a high school basketball game. Secondly, the score was 59-0 at halftime, so no one is coming back from that kind of deficit. And thirdly, this Christian school was playing was a special needs school that hasn't won a game in four years! So, I'm not sure how Coach Grimes, his players, and fans were getting a kick over blowing this team out? Live up to what you preach! I'm glad the higher ups at Covenant did at least. Hey Grimes, I wouldn't expect a letter of recommendation from your former bosses anytime soon.

Pat Morgan