Someone, in another post I read, pointed out that the change in the rules several years ago that allowed advancing the ball to half court during the final minutes of the game placed a premium on having timeouts available late in the game, especially when your team is in a tight game or trailing by a not insurmountable number of points. This is something that I had not given particular thought to as I was yelling at the tv screen both in this game and for the last several seasons - use your time outs!
But, I read this and thought about two things. First, Coach Harper made her choice not to use her time outs work against Notre Dame. Maybe she knows something about her team and players to which we, as fans, are not exactly privy. Second, I have noticed, particularly in the first three games of the season, that Coach Harper frequently takes the time to talk to a player as they come out of the game. I suspect that these are teaching moments that didn't happen with the previous staff and may, while not taking the place of a time out, lessen the absolute need for one. Following the game thread, I noticed several posts calling for the use of a time out. In several of those instances, I found myself saying internally, "No, this is a little too early. Let's see if the ladies get this turned around with the next play or two." And, in each instance, they did. I say this not to suggest that I am a much more magnificent armchair coach than most on here, but to simply suggest that there may be a method to Coach Harper's madness, and perhaps we shouldn't let our blood pressure rise to unhealthy levels watching these early in the season games until we see how she reacts in a true pressure situation! Remember, I think we can all agree that this is not the same coaching staff we have observed over the last several seasons!
Jim
