Staff Blogs

Lake Country Publications Sports Director JR Radcliffe provides tidbits and details on the Lake Country prep sports scene, from live gameday blogs and exclusive interviews to commentaries and observations.

To rest or not to rest: a challenging question

By JR Radcliffe

Jan. 5, 2010

The flowchart in my head would probably have complex equations all over the place -- you'd need to be a math person to figure them all out.

There would be a series of "if/then" statements, as well. If team up x points + x minutes remaining, then sit starters. If team up x points and opponent is in xth place in the standings and x title is on the line, then do not sit starters.

Coaches on all levels seem to face scrutiny for choosing when to sit and start key players. The NFL is a prime example -- consider the fire Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell has faced for resting his starters with an undefeated season on the line. On the other side is Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who drew some criticism for leaving his starters in play against Arizona until the fourth quarter -- even though the Packers' playoff destiny had been etched in stone at that point.

The issue exists in high school athletics, too, though the factors are altered. At this level, fairness to the other team and to the kids at the end of the bench become crucial components in decision-making.

The problem is that the flowchart in my head doesn't exist. No matter when a coach removes his starters from a one-sided game, there always seems to be grumbling that the decision came too late, that the winning team essentially embarrassed the opponent by playing starters too long. It's a tightrope of timing that has to be frustrating. Take St. John's Military Academy's basketball team last year, which thrashed numerous opponents on its way to a two-loss season. It wasn't the Lancers fault that the schedule stacked up with lesser teams, and yet they had to cater to the opponent and not "embarrass" them by leaving starters in.

Coach Brian Richert expressed his frustration with that reality -- after all, he needed all the time he could to prepare his starters for the postseason, which promised to be a much harder test. He said he owed it to those kids to give them every opportunity on the floor, and he had to keep preparation in mind above the potentially hurt feelings of an opponent. His response to the problem was a beefed-up schedule that lessened the possibility of a lopsided game this year.

But in every conference, there are mismatches. That's one less game coaches can use their starters full-tilt and one less opportunity for the team to develop together. Instead, coaches walk that tight rope, letting starters play as long as they possibly can before the situation becomes too demoralizing for the opponent.

Surely, there are coaches who take it too far, but without some concrete wisdom suggesting when starters absolutely should be removed from a game, it seems only right to give coaches facing the situation the benefit of the doubt. Strategizing in sports comes with enough pressure as it is, and most coaches will also factor in the feelings of an opponent -- but it's a very inexact science, and it's certainly an added burden.

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To rest or not to rest: a challenging question

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