On Monday, this blog told the story of the Greenville University basketball team, which scored 200 points -- one short of the Division III record -- to defeat Fontbonne 200-146 over the weekend. Located in southern Illinois, Greenville is a familiar name to some Minnesota small-college fans because its football team plays in the UMAC with Crown, Martin Luther and St. Scholastica.
Greenville University coach whose team scored 200 points told players to 'go for it.' Here's why
Greenville University coach George Barber said: "There was a palpable shift in the crowd in the final minutes from 'Will they win?' to 'Will they get 200?' You could feel it."
February 5, 2019 at 5:05PM
Later in the day, on the d3hoops.com blog (a must-stop for small-college sports fans), editor Patrick Coleman interviewed Greenville coach George Barber.
We'll tell you some of what he said and send you to Coleman's post for the rest of it.
Barber told Coleman: "I knew I would take heat; I deserve any scorn people might have, and hope I respond well. I said, 'If they keep trying to score, we will keep trying to score'. There was a palpable shift in the crowd in the final minutes from 'Will they win?' to 'Will they get 200?' You could feel it. With 10 seconds to go, opponent's ball and at 198 points, I called time out. I told the team, 'You will never be this close again. Never. So go for a steal or foul but give yourself a chance. If we don't get it (200) no problem, but being this close, you will regret if you don't try.' "
That lead to an intentional foul and the lay-up that gave Greenville its 199th and 200th points, Afterward, students rushed the floor as if the team had won a conference title or pulled off a major upset.
More from Barber, whose team plays the run-and-shoot style called "Systems Basketball" that typically results in teams and opponents scoring huge numbers of points.
"A lot of the angst centers around winning and losing, and where sportsmanship fits in once one of those possibilities is certain. This brings up a point we make with our team all the time. Is winning an idol? We have a wallpaper sign in our locker room that says: 'De-emphasize the Win, Play with Freedom.' If you take away the possibility of winning, (or losing) will you still play hard? Is it only about winning and losing? With our style we can be up 30 and lose, down 30 and come back and win, and even if there is no possibility of one or the other, will you give it your best? Will you give it your absolute best?"
And, finally, Barber talked about keeping relationships solid after what happened:
"Some may disagree with what I did, and I have to take that responsibility and shoulder that reality. I do not want it to permanently damage relationships, and would weep about that. I hope I respond graciously to both those who agree and those that disagree with what I did."
However, you feel about what happened, Barber comes across as thoughtful, sincere and an interesting guy.
To fully understand the weeping reference, you'll have to real the full blog post.
Penn State, a winner by 56 against the U last season, is next up in the now-brawnier conference.
