Here in southwest MO there is a controversy going on from a high school basketball game. Here is an article with video about the situation:

http://www.ozarkssportszone.com/2019/01 ... hrow-line/

The team in question has triplets that are on the team. Their father is the coach and principal of the school. They were caught switching out in an end of the game situation to get a better free throw shooter at the line. There were two incidents of it caught on video during the same game. There have also been rumors around that if one of the triplets is in foul trouble they will swap uniforms at half time to keep one of the better players on the court more.

Some are furious about it and want the team stripped of the tournament championship...while others think it is no big deal as people have switched free throw shooters for years ...with the whole mindset of if you are cheating you arent trying and if the refs dont notice it then it is their fault.


Just curious what the fine brethren here at CFMB think.... is it bad...is it no big deal?

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Trying to switch out a free-thrower shooter has always been done. We'd always try it.

Switching jerseys to avoid foul trouble is out of bounds I think.

The former is trying to take advantage of a ref not doing his job. The latter is something that a ref would be unable to catch.

_________________
You know me like that.

It’s Missouri, no one cares.

_________________
We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Coming from where you live, that is great!

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Sounds like a pretty shitty coach, principal, and dad.

The free-throw shooter is gamesmanship.

The jersey-changing is just flat-out cheating.

_________________
You know me like that.

Had an observer at a summer referee camp do this to the crew I was working with to see if we noticed. First thing I do when calling a shooting foul or a common foul while in the bonus is to communicate to my partners who my shooter is. If a time out is called I make sure to communicate who the shooter is. This situation happens...

_________________
An unjust law is no law at all--St. Augustine of Hippo

Cause tried and true
I see the light in you
Oh, can you dig in my soul?
Could you smell my whole...
life?--Gener and Deaner

this has to be psychologically scarring for the triplet who is getting pulled off the line and taking on extra fouls

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

What a terrible father.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I took the liberty to pass this OP on to my cousin, a referee and the trainer for the local HS referee association. His reply:




Probably won't go on for long- I'd vote for a Sharpie on the biceps of each at tip and half. Any more than that and you're probably getting sued for accusing them of something, or assault.

Is the free throw switch really unheard of? We'd try that frequently as long as the better shooter was close to the foul. That shooter would go to the line "assuming" the foul was against him.

It would work from time to time.

_________________
You know me like that.

Both flat out cheating. Both trying to get one over on the ref. One of them just goes to an extreme.

If the ref can't keep the number of the guy that got fouled straight, that's on the ref. No different than taking advantage of a ref making a bad call. Nobody is going to say, "Sorry, Mr. Ref, I actually hit that ball out of bounds."

The jersey switching is cheating and a ref would not be able to catch that.

_________________
You know me like that.

The father should be prohibited from coaching any HS sports for a period of time at least a year, preferably more.

_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

It depends how blatant it is. Most fouls are shooting fouls and it is fairly obvious to everyone who the shooter is.

The jersey swapping is a bannable offense.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

It is a lot different. If a ref makes a bad call, that is 100% his call and it is out of the coaches hands. On the other hand, if ref makes a call and the coach or players purposely tries to deceive him by sneaking the wrong player to the line, that is an attempt at cheating, no matter how hard you try to deflect it by saying "the ref should be paying better attention". The refs do the best they can to keep it all straight despite all the distractions, and to have coaches and players purposely trying to take advantage of these distractions to gain an advantage is certainly an attempt at cheating.

I agree that it is by definition cheating.

But players are attempting to deceive/distract the refs all throughout every game. It's up to the refs to manage it. If a guy intentionally flops when he isn't touched, is he cheating? I guess you could argue that he is but it happens in every game.

I'm just saying certain things are part of the game, even if they are skirting the rules or lack integrity.

The foul switching thing is probably higher on the scale of cheating than flopping or faking an injury to draw a whistle but I don't think the disparity is that great. These are all things that a ref would have the ability to correct. I'm not saying the ref needs to be 100% accurate at all times but, in theory, these are discoverable cheats.

_________________
You know me like that.

this guy is also the principal of the school? if he's willing to cheat this badly to win a basketball game, I question his ethics and ability to perform in his role as principal.

This thing has blown up to crazy levels down here. Curious if the state has any consequences. Rumors going around that state is putting pressure on school to suspend coach for a few games.

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

That should be a suspension for any coach who does it. I would also consider a forfeiture of the game.

_________________
An Ode to the Texas man who shot an Antifa terrorist:

Oh, he might have went on livin'
But he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the Ranger
With the big iron on his hip

Latest I have read appeared that the state is not going to issue any punishment, but is pushing the local school to punish the coach/team. My guess is something will happen on Monday

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."