There are some subtle things the winning coach could have done to slow down the onslaught and at least work on some things. Run some more plays. Have kids take layups with their weak hand. Have the inside players work on their mid-range game etc. Have kids play different positions. I agree that you don't want to go too far with this as it gets condescending. But 107-2?...c'mon.

I completely agree with the comments saying that the coach could have taken steps to continue to play competitively whilst still being respectful.

I especially like the story of the father who picked up his gear and walked out of the game. That's very respectable.

To me it appears that the assessment that the winning team continually pressed and basically restricted the losing team from even playing basketball is probably correct. And in that case shows very poor sportsmanship.

My own story is a little bit different. I used to play rugby in high school and was part of a pretty poor team. We just didn't have size, weren't good at tackling and didn't really have any set plays to run. Early in the season we played a game when the opposition (clearly superior in every way to us) essentially ran us to the ground in the first half.

Our team, and boys being boys, felt embarrassed and our collective decision for the second half was to try and hurt the other team and/or fight them. It was quite brutal, if someone's head was exposed, someone would punch it. If someone was on the ground someone would try to stomp them.

Now saying this and looking back, I'm not very proud of the actions our team took. But we were teenagers, full of hormones, getting embarrassed by a team trying to embarrass us and ridicule us.

So when you think about this high school team, think about the messages it is sending to the highly impressionable teenagers on both sides.

The losers might now think themselves losers, and potentially lash out at ANYONE in ANY situation that they perceive as making them look and feel as bad as they did on that day.

The winners may have inflated egos, and think that poor sportsmanship and being disrespectful to those who you perceive to be lesser than you in a certain situation, is okay. This subconsciously breeds a type of arrogance and ignorance which is quite detrimental to a person once they try to expand into the greater world.

And all this for the sake of a coach who he himself is too arrogant to treat another team and another peer (the opposing coach) with some respect.

I know everyone wants to give out participation medals these days and get rid of "winners" and "losers", but personally I'm tired of the p***-ification of sports. Why is it the winning coach's responsibility to handicap his team because his opponent isn't very good? It's not.

I don't like "mercy rules" and there should be no discipline or fallout to come from this for the winning team. That's just ridiculous. It's sports.

I don't think telling your kids that quitting when things get tough is the right thing to do.

Winning or losing you shouldn't expect someone to do anything but play their hardest.

I wouldn't pull my team off a court in any situation unless safety was a major concern.

Also no need for mercy rules or anything. That's coaches responsibility.

A superior team can still play their hardest and still slow down scoring. If you play your hardest under an adjusted strategy by the coach. If a team in a close game is not pressing or playing a high pressure zone even in a close game, that does not mean they are not giving 100%. You give 100% to what you are instructed to do. Goàl of basketball especially at high school level is a lot about winning. At the 1st quarter point I'm sure this goal was reached

What good does continuing to manhandle another team even do for the dominate team. They are not developing in any way from this.i love how the coach says he still played all his players. His 9th is probably better than other teams 1st. Guarantee this is a guy that feels the need to built himself up and wants to be the star of the team instead of the girls playing. He wanted 100 points and be this legendary coach rather than take a minute and perform his real job as a coach and teach his players hoops to go along with some values and life lessons.

Basketball is a great tool for teach many things on and off the court. This guy had a great opportunity in this missmatched game failed miserably in doing so for atleast this one night. Hope this guy impressed his old high school buddies and gets his picture in the local paper. Because boy does he deserve it.

Ok that's all.

agree with NDirishMV.
the coach should have instructed his team to not press, not jump passing lanes etc, let the other team bring up the ball etc, use more clock on possessions, etc.

@JohnDoe, the p***fication of sports! man, come on, the score was 107-2. it wasnt a 30 point win or 40 point win. at some point you have to show a little class. thats all.

We are can go back and forth about what the coach should have done. Life teaches us that there are all kinds of people. Some people will rub it in and others will take a more gentle approach. Our kids/teenagers need to understand this. I see little leagues where they don't keep score and everyone has to feel good at the end of the game. If we continue down such a path of diluting everything and not help these kids understand how people are, then I believe we are doing them a great disservice. How many times in life have you gotten your *** kicked? After all the complaining and whining you try to change and learn from it. The coaches need to resonate the same message to the players. Ultimately, its all about how you choose to accept and respond.

These stories are always written about as if they are truly "controversial", but the reality is that ~80% of people are on one side of the issue and the remaining people are school administrators or people who didn't play sports.

Could the winning coach have done things differently? Maybe. Maybe not. We weren't there. What he did isn't the point. I don't know how the losing coach responded in this example, again, I wasn't there. But based on other situations like this, I wouldn't be surprised if the losing coach talked to her team about how mean and unfair the other team was.

A great lesson for impressionable kids: "if you lose, its because someone else was mean and unfair". Try to get better? Keep up the effort even when things aren't going your way? No that's not nearly as important as making sure kids know that it just wasn't fair.

And in regard to the story about the team just packing up and leaving in the middle of the game... I can guarantee you that only the minority of people think that is admirable. If players are so physically over-matched they are getting hurt - that is a different situation. But to leave just because the other team is playing you hard? Because they are better than you? Refusing to shake hands with a bunch of 8th grade boys who are just trying their hardest.

Wow what a great lesson to teach kids. So noble and admirable. You deserve a pat on the back for not shaking hands with them. What a joke.

Anyways, it's good to see John Kreese is now coaching basketball.

Sweep the leg.

Indiana has no shot clock in HS basketball. That tells you everything you need to know.

It's one thing to beat down an inferior opponent. But in this case, the other team was obviously so out matched that I don't think they even qualify as an "Opponent". To me, this is no differnt than a high school team playing agaisnt 4th graders....or maybe a team of disabled kids and just pouring it on. Impressive.

There is no shot clock in Indiana High School Athletic Association play. The solution is simple. After a 50 point lead? Don't shoot. Run the clock off. If Arlington takes the ball away, they can score, but? If you're that much better? They won't take it away.

@ AJ...Like that rule. 30-point lead the clock runs non-stop...

yea pretty sure there is no shot clock in h.s... so yea... to say the team couldn't have done anything to make the game end quicker is complete b.s. Artificially inflated your teams confidence against a poor team could actually do more damage then getting into run the clock mode.