grizzlyjournal
Well-known member
All things being equal (sort of) every Big Sky team (men and women) has or will play 5 games in 9 days including one Thurs-Mon stretch with 3 games that also involves travel.
I"m no expert in sports physiology, athletic stress or medicine, but I am of the opinion the current Big Sky Conference schedule is placing possibly dangerous physical and mental burdens on these young players, many still in their teens.
I watched parts of both ISU vs NAU games last night and -- post-game -- came to the conclusion that the players on the court showed significant signs of physical fatigue. The Bengals, in fact, were playing a Monday night road game after a Saturday night home game double OT loss. Ironically, it was the NAU players who seemed to be most affected. Weber State, the team that beat ISU in the double OT game, lost its Monday night game at UNC, 88-54. Fatigue? Hmmm. Of course, I can't prove anything re: my observations. But it seemed that the NAU men literally ran out of gas over the final 10 minutes of their home court loss to the Bengals. I didn't stay up to watch the UNC-WSU game, but the score made me think that the Wildcats were probably a bit tired Monday night, having to travel on Sunday from Pocatello to Greely.
The women's game in Pocatello involved several scrums with players on the floor, one in which an ISU player stumbled and plowed into NAU's Montana Oltrogge, causing what looked to be a significant injury. The ISU player was charged with a flagrant foul, but it looked like she simply lost her footing in a dive for a loose ball. An NAU fan was escorted out of the gym shortly after the incident. In the post-game interview, ISU coach Seton Sobolewski said his squad was dealing with significant exhaustion after its 10-point home court loss, but did not blame anything specific.
Obviously, teams with deep benches where up to 8 or 9 players regularly play in double digit minutes might fare better than those teams that rely on 6-7 players logging 30+ minutes over 5 games.
Regardless, I still think 5 games over 9 days is a tough task for young athletes who also have classes and homework.
Another factor: The schedule totally ignores low attendance numbers at all Monday games... an oversight that probably affects host schools with low Monday night gate receipts.
I strongly believe the Big Sky Conference should take steps to eliminate or adjust this clearly inconvenient and possibly dangerous conference schedule. I'm interested in the opinions of others regarding this schedule.
I"m no expert in sports physiology, athletic stress or medicine, but I am of the opinion the current Big Sky Conference schedule is placing possibly dangerous physical and mental burdens on these young players, many still in their teens.
I watched parts of both ISU vs NAU games last night and -- post-game -- came to the conclusion that the players on the court showed significant signs of physical fatigue. The Bengals, in fact, were playing a Monday night road game after a Saturday night home game double OT loss. Ironically, it was the NAU players who seemed to be most affected. Weber State, the team that beat ISU in the double OT game, lost its Monday night game at UNC, 88-54. Fatigue? Hmmm. Of course, I can't prove anything re: my observations. But it seemed that the NAU men literally ran out of gas over the final 10 minutes of their home court loss to the Bengals. I didn't stay up to watch the UNC-WSU game, but the score made me think that the Wildcats were probably a bit tired Monday night, having to travel on Sunday from Pocatello to Greely.
The women's game in Pocatello involved several scrums with players on the floor, one in which an ISU player stumbled and plowed into NAU's Montana Oltrogge, causing what looked to be a significant injury. The ISU player was charged with a flagrant foul, but it looked like she simply lost her footing in a dive for a loose ball. An NAU fan was escorted out of the gym shortly after the incident. In the post-game interview, ISU coach Seton Sobolewski said his squad was dealing with significant exhaustion after its 10-point home court loss, but did not blame anything specific.
Obviously, teams with deep benches where up to 8 or 9 players regularly play in double digit minutes might fare better than those teams that rely on 6-7 players logging 30+ minutes over 5 games.
Regardless, I still think 5 games over 9 days is a tough task for young athletes who also have classes and homework.
Another factor: The schedule totally ignores low attendance numbers at all Monday games... an oversight that probably affects host schools with low Monday night gate receipts.
I strongly believe the Big Sky Conference should take steps to eliminate or adjust this clearly inconvenient and possibly dangerous conference schedule. I'm interested in the opinions of others regarding this schedule.