Is Kobe Bryant a Bad
Example For Scoring 81 Points?
David PincusAfter Kobe Bryant scored 81
points against Toronto, Vince Carter said that it was bad for the
kids who idolize Bryant since it might encourage them to try to get
81. Many people scoffed at his remarks, particularly since Vince
hasn't been shy scoring the ball in his career. But it appeared that
he was right after Epiphanny Prince from Murry Bergtraum High School
scored 113 points in a game, a new record for girl's hoops.
Now normally I don't consider complaints about teams rubbing it in
during blowouts to have much merit, the same way NFL teams complain
when TO and Chad Johnson dance in the end zone; if you don't like it
either knock them down or prevent them from scoring. When it gets to
the college level rubbing it in starts to matter a little. But in a
high school basketball game, rubbing it in is awful.
Epiphanny Prince didn't just score 113 points against Louis Brandeis
High School; she did it with her team winning 137-32. A 105-point
difference! She went 54-60 and played every minute. I'd say the star
player has to leave the game when the lead builds to 70 or 80. But
coach Ed Grizinsky left her in just to score those points, leaving
the other 23 players on the teams out to dry.
So where does this rank all-time in sports? Right behind when
Vladimir Radmanovic let his little sister braid his hair. Yeah, I'm
not impressed. Unless you're a class-A ignoramus or live in an
asylum you're way out of line to even put this close to Kobe's 81 or
(heaven-forbid) Wilt's 100. It's just high school basketball. Travis
Best scored 86 in a high school game. Even Kwame "what-am-I-doing-in-the-NBA"
Brown had superstar numbers in high school.
There is a scale and sense of accomplishment in sports. Jim Abbot
(who had just one arm) throwing a no-hitter against the Cleveland
Indians is a tremendous feat, one that in my opinion should be
ranked higher in sports infamy. When Kobe had 61 in his 81-point
game, the LA lead was still just single-digits. There has to be a
struggle, a challenge, a sense of "Wow, that was an impressive thing
to do." Prince's team won by 105, so clearly they were facing a
pretty horendous team. If the deficit were 50 or 60 maybe it'd be a
better feat.
It's not just the "hurting their feelings" part of winning by 105
that's bad about this; it's that by doing this they come off as
class-less fools. A good comedian knows when to stop the same way
the Pistons knew when to bring in Darko. But to leave in Prince at
the sake of the other 23 players and parents and friends in
attendance is ridiculous.
I do hope that both Kobe's 81 and Prince's 113 point-marks will stay
unchallenged for a few decades. 113 is perhaps the best performance
in American high school history (I assume). But let's not put her
game even near professional accomplishments.
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