Coaching… Call the Timeout or Just Let Them Play?
A common question that comes up at least once a week is whether or not a coach should call timeout when his team has the ball and the game is on the line. Should the coach just let them play or should he call timeout to run a set play? Two scenarios:
Wisconsin vs Virginia Tech: Wisconsin gets the ball late with the game tied and Travon Hughes doesn’t call timeout. He comes down and hits a banker with .9 seconds left and gives the Badgers the win. Coach Bo Ryan is praised for letting his kids just play at the end of the game. Wisconsin blew a 9 point lead with one minute to go but Bo Ryan had nothing to do with that, only that he let his team play and Hughes hit a bank shot with less than a second. Nice job Bo.
Illinois vs Clemson: I’m an Illini fan and was standing up screaming at the tv during this game. Illinois got the ball when Clemson missed the front end of a 1-1 and had a full 10 seconds to do something with the ball. Illinois didn’t call timeout and point guard Demetri McCamey wasted precious seconds loafing up the court. To make a long story short, the ILLINI didn’t even get a shot up at the basket. It was horrible. I threw the remote down and was yelling “why didn’t Bruce call timeout?” I still don’t understand what happened. If I’m the coach and I see my point guard loafing up the floor with less than 10 seconds left in the game I’m going to call timeout and set a play, either for the tie or the win. Instead, nothing happened and McCamey got handcuffed and couldn’t force the shot up so he passed to the teams worst shooter in hopes he could do something but he didn’t even attempt it.
What should a coach do? I think it depends on the player and the situation. Undoubtedly Bruce Weber had a play called when Clemson was shooting the 1-1 and undoubtedly McCamey didn’t run the play. The situation called for a timeout to be called once McCamey deviated from the script and they had time to call it but didn’t. In the Wisconsin game Hughes is a great playmaker so I understand coach Ryan’s choice to let him go but I wouldn’t have questioned it if he had called timeout regardless if they won or lost.
Coaching is about feelings and instincts and every coach has to go by his gut when these things come up. If your gut is wrong more than right then you had better start looking for a new profession.
December 4th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
If I recall correctly, the Badgers were out of timeouts at the end of their game with Virginia Tech. If I’m correct, they couldn’t have chosen to call a timeout.
December 4th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
You should realize that Bo has already set up a play (in practice last month) and doesn’t need to call timeouts in these situations. It’s one of the reasons Bucky wins so many close games.
You may also notice that Bo is one of very few coaches who NEVER uses a whiteboard on the bench. He doesn’t believe in confusing people with last minute plays — all the plays they need for every situation they’ve already learned in practice.
You’re article is a great example of how Bruce Weber prepares his teams for play…. he doesn’t.
December 4th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Response to Coaching…Call the timeout or just let them play?
Not calling a timeout by Wisconsin was an easy call. Wisconsin didn’t have any timeouts!!!!!!!
December 4th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Wisconsin was out of timeouts - so there was no decision to make. Someone has probably already indicated this.
December 4th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
The reason Bo didn’t call time out at the end of the game, according to the announcers, was because they were out of time outs, and that would have ended in a technical foul.
December 4th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
I believe Wisconsin was out of time outs so there was no way to call one. If I remember right the final TO came with about 12 seconds left to go. Unless you want a Chris Webber TO to finish the game. I didn’t recall if Illinois took TO’s to the locker room. If so blame Coach Weber. Sure was disappointing to lose the Big 10/ACC challenge that way.
Not only was the Illinois game ending in a strange way but only moments later when the women from UW Milwaukee were taking Wisconsin to double OT the same thing happened. UWM races up court and doesn’t get a shot off. Who would have thought this same play would occur twice in 30 minutes.
It’s interesting to watch college hoops today and see the coaches draw up all these plays at the end of the game. I wish we could find out how many are run the way they want them run.
the real issue it seems to me you have to have a bunch of plays that the team has practiced and then call for one or two and see it play out. Can you really create something special each time your in that situation unless you have a team blessed with a pro type player that is heads and shoulders above everybody else on the court.
There is a reason we play the games with real players and not video games.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
OK OK. You guys are all right. My fault. Bo didn’t have a timeout. Would he have used it if he did?
December 8th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Great post, I saw this game and was thinking about the same issues.