{"id":150114,"date":"2022-01-10T04:46:28","date_gmt":"2022-01-10T09:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=150114"},"modified":"2022-01-10T04:46:31","modified_gmt":"2022-01-10T09:46:31","slug":"monday-mailbag-shot-clock-opt-outs-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2022\/01\/10\/monday-mailbag-shot-clock-opt-outs-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Monday Mailbag: shot clock, opt outs, more"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SCOTT TRUXELL\/<\/strong>independent editor<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Monday Mailbag is back and this week\u2019s questions center around a shot clock in Ohio, Van Wert basketball, bowl game opt-outs and Baker Mayfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: I see the shot clock discussion is back. Several more states have added it and now LeBron James is calling for one in Ohio. How long until it happens? Name withheld upon request<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A: It\u2019s probably just a matter of time before it happens here but exactly how much time or how long is hard to say.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not sure why LeBron is jumping into the discussion, given the fact that he\u2019s in Southern California, but I don\u2019t think his comments will factor in to the discussion.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I\u2019m still very hesitant about adding a shot clock at the high school level, simply because I don\u2019t see the benefit.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people believe it\u2019ll make the game more entertaining and lead to higher scoring games, which isn\u2019t necessarily true, especially if teams are already struggling to make baskets. One person once told me it would prepare kids who go on to play basketball at the collegiate level, but something like five percent of high school players actually go on to play in college at any level, so that doesn\u2019t seem like a valid argument.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some fans complain about stall ball, but how often does anyone see true stall ball these days? With Paul Wayne retired, it\u2019s all but gone in Ohio.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I just can\u2019t help but think a shot clock would benefit loaded teams and would have an adverse effect on ones that are already struggling.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If anyone has a legit reason or benefits, I\u2019d love to hear it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Get out your crystal ball \u2013 how many boys basketball games do you see Van Wert finishing with this season? Name withheld upon request<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

A: That\u2019s a tough one and besides, my crystal ball is in the shop for repairs.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like this Van Wert team and I think they\u2019ve shown vast improvement and play outstanding defense. They certainly have some winnable games left on the schedule. They also have some tough ones, starting with Friday\u2019s game against St. Marys Memorial. Never mind the fact that the Roughriders are 5-6, they\u2019ve played a brutal stretch of five games.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not going to give a number but I would say that if the Cougars have a very good shot at finishing well over .500 and in the upper division of the Western Buckeye League.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

C: I am completely disgusted when players opt out of bowl games. It proves that they are not team players but that they are only thinking of themselves. It disrupts the whole team. If a player opts out they should be forced to repay the school, or schools they had been playing for. They had been given scholarships, training, etc. so that they would play for the team, yes I said TEAM! Larry Morrison<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A: I\u2019m not a fan of it either.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I understand why it happens, especially if a player is in a non-playoff bowl and is projected to be a first round NFL draft pick. I still don\u2019t like it though.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I like even less is the way the NCAA transfer portal is being used, but I suppose that\u2019s a discussion for a different time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: I know you\u2019re a Cleveland Browns fan. What are your thoughts on the Browns probably releasing or bailing on Baker Mayfield? Name withheld upon request<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A: All things considered, I don\u2019t get it, but let\u2019s say they do release or trade him, then what? Who\u2019s next to step in? What\u2019s the plan?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the injury situation this year \u2013 Mayfield, the offensive line, Kareem Hunt, etc. \u2013 and given the fact they\u2019ve already picked up his fifth year option, why not see if this will truly work if he\u2019s healthy?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do believe there is plenty of behind the scenes stuff going on and we may never know what\u2019s really going on or what happened.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are other issues too. The receivers as a whole are probably below average. Austin Hooper at tight end has been a huge disappointment and I can\u2019t help but think Kevin Stefanski should relinquish play calling duties to his offensive coordinator.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Mayfield is back next year, and I think he should be, it\u2019ll truly be a make or break year for him and Stefanski.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a sports question or comment for the next Monday Mailbag, please email it to sports@thevwindependent.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SCOTT TRUXELL\/independent editor The Monday Mailbag is back and this week\u2019s questions center around a shot clock in Ohio, Van Wert basketball, bowl game opt-outs and Baker Mayfield. Q: I see the shot clock discussion is back. Several more states have added it and now LeBron James is calling for one in Ohio. How long […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-04 20:02:44","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150114\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}