Buzz's timeout strategy

[MU82]

When he was at MU, Buzz sometimes confounded me by calling a timeout after we'd have a run that put us ahead. "Why is he interrupting our momentum?" OK ... I think I have discovered the answer to that question.

I coach a middle-school girls team. We were playing a home game against our rivals, the only team to beat us this season, and we were down by 5. We put together a 7-0 run to take the lead with about 2 1/2 minutes to go, the crowd was going wild and I didn't even think about calling timeout after we scored the go-ahead hoop.

Well, the girls were giddy that we had rallied for the lead, a few of them forgot to get to their places in our press, our opponents beat us down court and scored to tie it up. We then got rattled that we gave up such an easy basket after having shut them down for so long and turned the ball over. A minute or so later, we gave up a rebound basket to fall back behind and we never could pull back even. We lost by 4.

Later on, as I re-wound the game in my brain, I thought, "What if I had taken a timeout immediately after we had gone ahead, just to re-focus the girls and remind them we still had a lot of time on the clock?" We'd have been able to set up our press and maybe instead of giving up a layup we'd have gotten another steal and easy basket. BTW, we had four timeouts remaining, and I ended up not even using one of them - D'oh!

So now I see why a coach would call time in that situation -- Buzz isn't the only one who does so -- and I probably will do just that the next time I face such a situation.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Steve Lavin agrees. He inexplicably had two time outs remaining yesterday after the horn versus Duke that he sat on during the Blue Devils run back.

[chapman]

But do you call a timeout before the end of the half to draw up a play that never develops because none of the players understand what you're trying to do?

[NavinRJohnson]

I have been a grade school volunteer (I'm no coach), for several years as well, and I am a big fan of timeouts off of a positive. You hit it on the head...these kids lose their minds out there. Beyond that, I'd rather have the other coach spending their timeout focused on what we are doing, rather than the things they want to do, or what they work on in practice all the time. I may change defenses as well, even if just for the immediate next possession, because grade schoolers can't recognize or adjust (especially girls who are so literal. If a coach tells them to run a specific set or play, they are going to run it exactly as they are supposed to.) if you're ahead, the frantic pace of most grade school games is not your friend.

[starting5]

tough to compare middle school girls to D1 college players.  The timeout also works the other way and refocuses the team that just lost the lead.  They may come down and rush a shot to get back in front. 
I say ride the wave as long as you can.  Never stop the positive momentum.  If you have coached your players the right way they should be able to control their emotions better

[mu-rara]

tough to compare middle school girls to D1 college players.  The timeout also works the other way and refocuses the team that just lost the lead.  They may come down and rush a shot to get back in front. 
I say ride the wave as long as you can.  Never stop the positive momentum.  If you have coached your players the right way they should be able to control their emotions better

I do chuckle when scoopers who coach elementary and middle school teams compare that to D1.

[MU82]

I do chuckle when scoopers who coach elementary and middle school teams compare that to D1.

I obviously wasn't comparing my middle-schoolers to D1 players. I was comparing the situation. And all I said was I now can see merit to why Buzz and other coaches call those kinds of timeouts.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Happens a lot more then you think. Seen it happen at very high level high school games. Get a basket and immediately call a time out to set up the defense cause odds are, the opposing team is gonna being trying to fly down to court to try to catch them of guard.