By Scott Ludwig, MagicLudwig1@caleb-slinkardgmail.com
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament – March Madness – is one of sport’s finest productions.
Each year, the 68 best teams in college basketball are selected to participate in a three-week, single-elimination slugfest. The last team standing is the National Champion.
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With the possible exception of a handful of teams every year who feel slighted for not being included, the tournament is as close to perfect as anyone could hope for.
So what could possibly make college basketball even better? Well, I’m glad you asked.
The rules of basket ball (two words) have changed considerably since 1891, when it was invented in Springfield, Massachusetts, by James Naismith. For one thing, peach baskets are no longer attached to the wall for a goal. For another, now basketball is a compound word.
Here’s one of the original rules that has dramatically changed over the years: physical contact between players was not allowed. Anyone that has seen a game in the last 50 years knows that was thrown out the window a long time ago.
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Other changes include the introduction of the shot clock and the three-point shot, the use of instant replay, and the alternate possession rule, which eliminated the need for a jump ball every time teams share joint possession of the ball.
However, lately things have pretty much remained status quo. That being said, maybe now’s the time for a few ideas to make the game not only more interesting, but more competitive as well.How about awarding four points for shots well beyond the three-point arc? I’m thinking anything beyond half court. The game changed dramatically when the three-point shot was introduced; just imagine what would happen with a shot worth four points. Why not award points for outstanding defensive efforts? Currently, containing the opposing team in the backcourt for 10 seconds constitutes a turnover. Why not tack on a point for the defensive team as well? Along those lines, why not award or take away points on the offensive side of the ball as well? For example, deduct a point for a missed layup, or award a bonus point for a swish. Also, should a dunk really be worth two points? If so, then maybe missing a dunk should result in losing two points. After 10 team fouls in a half, the opposing team could have a choice on subsequent fouls of either two foul shots (as is the case now) or possession of the ball (something new). Why shouldn’t it be fair game to take a shot from out of bounds rather than making an inbounds pass? As it stands now, it’s theoretically impossible to make a last-second shot with less than .7 seconds left on the clock. If you could shoot from out of bounds, .1 seconds would allow more than enough time. It could make for some really exciting finishes. For men’s college basketball specifically, for the love of all things holy convert to quarters rather than halves since EVERY OTHER BASKETBALL LEAGUE IN THE UNIVERSE USES THEM!Three timeouts per team per game. There was a game during March Madness where the last 8.6 seconds of the game took almost 30 minutes to play. Enough already. Regardless of their number of fouls in a game, players will not be removed from the game. What purpose does that serve? I understand the strategy behind concentrating on opponents with a certain number of fouls to eliminate them from the game, but I don’t understand the overall rationale. My nine-year-old grandson asked me why he was taken out of the game after getting called for five fouls for his aggressive play. I didn’t have an answer then, nor do I have one now. One more and I’ll stop. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Raise. The. Basket. Seriously, the first peach basket was 10 feet above the ground, the same height it is today. However, the average American male is four inches taller now than he was 130 years ago. And I imagine leg strength and conditioning has improved many times over since then. So why, pray tell, is the basket still at the same height?
A seven-foot tall man can dunk on a 10-foot goal standing flat-footed. Almost every men’s basketball team in the country – collegiate and professional – has a player or two who fits the bill. Next year, the Florida Gators will have a player 7’9” tall who can swat balls above the rim just by lifting his arm.
You may have seen a popular video that shows Dwight Howard dunking on a 13-foot rim. On the opposite end of the spectrum, 5’7” Spud Webb was the 1986 NBA Slam Dunk champion. Both are clear indications that it’s time to up the ante, so to speak, and make the game more challenging for the tallest of the tall – and the shortest of the short.
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I recommend raising the goal to 11 feet, but I wouldn’t be opposed to 12. The pure shooters will have little difficulty adjusting to the new height, regardless of what it is.
The taller players who earn a living dunking a basketball, however, may have to – forgive the pun – up their game.
