Harvard scrimmage

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ramster
Frank Keaney
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Re: Harvard scrimmage

Unread post by ramster »

ATPTourFan wrote:I think it's really misleading to talk about any team "winning" the scrimmage. They're not games. They are combinations of game situations, agreed upon in advance by the coaches.

Exhibitions ARE real games against usually weak competition.

Scrimmages are enhanced practices against outside competition, usually between teams with fairly similar abilities.
ATP,
I have been to two HS Scrimmages this month. Both were played with normal game referees, cheerleaders, the whole thing. One game did not post the points on the scoreboard, the other put them up with each quarter starting new at 0-0, but in both games the final score was known. Both games were played full out, just like regular season games. Players were told in one game the performance would even shape the final roster (final cuts). Playing time for regular season was clearly on the line.

I think a good question for the Coaching staff would be how these College "Secret" scrimages are played. I think it might be an agreement by the staffs to not let the score become public - but sometimes this secret seems to get broken. But I truly believe that these scrimmages are played very competitively and with a lot riding on who might grab the 5th undetermined starting line up position if it is up for grabs and also the battle for playing time is as big in the scrimmages as at any preseason practice.

Again, not saying I am knowledgeable of these current day College "Secret" Scrimmages but I think more info on them straight from the Coaching Staffs would be interesting.
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ATPTourFan
Frank Keaney
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Re: Harvard scrimmage

Unread post by ATPTourFan »

Hi Ramster, I think former Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg highlighted well the differences between modern day scrimmages and exhibitions and how each has their own benefits and disadvantages in a recent ESPN College Basketball Podcast (scrub forward to the 5:30 mark).
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=14049435

Also, Dan Hurley addressed the topic recently speaking to the value in playing both a scrimmage for it's technical/situational/private aspects and an exhibition for its dress rehearsal aspect that should help the newcomers gets some of those game-day jitters out prior to the American game.

Scrimmages allow coaches to run better sets and schemes that would normally NEVER be seen in exhibitions, since coaches would like to save such schemes and spring them on unsuspecting opponents when it counts.
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