Guarding the Hoop

by Jesse Amstutz

During the Goshen College/Bethel College Basketball game Bethel won 70-54 by realizing that Goshen would only attempt layups and short shots. Bethel decided they would guard the middle and the hoop so it would make Goshen shoot. This plan worked out well because shooting is definitely not Goshen’s strong suit. Bethel did not start putting their plan to use until the beginning of the second half. Which makes sense because in the first half if someone was ahead is was only by one or two points.
After seeing Goshen be controlled by Bethel I feel that Goshen needs to work on slowing down and thinking. Or maybe they just need to not be so influenced by their opponents and practice their shots when another game like this comes along they will be prepared. It is also unusual to see Seth Kaufman not play at the same level of the other players, but it is not his fault since this is his first year of playing college basketball. Goshen does not deserve all the blame for losing though, the refereeing was and has not been the best in college basketball. Fan Matt Miller comments saying,”Yes, the refereeing for college ball is terrible. Not only are they bad now but i remember when i kept stats for college basketball when I was in college they were just as bad. They just aren’t very consistent.”
All that I’ve said comes from conversations and discussions I had with other fans such as Matt Miller and my own viewings of the game playing. As the season goes on I am predicting that Goshen will eventually learn from their mistakes and get the hang of the game. It may take one practice or maybe one more game, but eventually it will happen.