This is what I taught my kids...
Always respect your opponent. You do this by
1) always playing your best against them. This tells them you respect them enough to not feel like you can toy with them and get away with it. It also helps them see what they need to improve, and how much improvement they may need to make.
2)never giving half-assed effort. This tells them you don't respect their ability or their work. Plus, they might just kick your butt if you aren't careful.
3)never hotdogging (since I used the term before). This falls under toying with them, and is the epitome of disrespectful behavior.
Now, I am not opposed to a flashy pass or play when it is called for. If you can hit a behind the back pass to your teammate against a competitive opponent because that is the open passing lane, I am all for it. It is no different than that behind-the-back dribble move Audrey used against New Orleans. It was done to get her open for the breakaway, and it was a thing of beauty.
Chavez, on the other hand, pulled an unnecessary under the leg maneuver against 1) a team they were already beating by a huge margin and 2) in a situation where she was already free for the easy lay-up. As I saw it, this was done for no reason other than to show off, which disrespects, embarrasses, and belittles the opponent. As you note there is always room for disagreement but I cannot see any need for that.
Having our freshman wing hit 7/8 from three point land fell under rule #1 for me. It was in the flow of the game, happened early (2nd q), and wasn't in any way a matter of hotdogging. Same with our full court pressure defense. Margin of victory is not the determining factor; an arrogant, show-off attitude is. Another factor that I personally account for is the age of the players in the game. The younger the players, the more they should be very mindful of respectful behavior towards the opponent, because the relative skill levels vary by a much greater margin among the younger set. By the time players get to college, the rule can relax a little.
I hope this clarifies my personal position on the matter.
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Agree x 3
Last edited: Nov 18, 2021