Whether it is watching high school or college basketball games in person, on line streamed or on TV I hold my breath every time when individual players are introduced. Because if when a teammate chest bumps his teammates as they are introduced by the public address announcer by both jumping into the air and bump each other chest to chest is a possible injury in the making.

It is an injury in the possible making when one of the players jumping into the air to chest bump each other, comes down on the other’s ankle and seriously sprains an ankle, ruptures an achilles tendon or tears a ligament. Just like they do when they come down on a teammate or opponents foot in a game from coming down from their jump for a shot, jumping for loose ball in the air, on a rebound, on a shot, etc. There is also the possibility of injuries other than to the ankles or feet. How about a bruised sternum, bruised, cracked or even broken ribs? Maybe they bang heads leading to possible concussions or head cuts, who knows what could happen?

It is one thing to come down from jumping in the game and get hurt in game action, but to do it in pre-game introductions is a no-brainer, yet game after game I see many teams display this dangerous attention getter.

With tourney time starting tomorrow and the TV cameras and online streamed cameras on them these chest bumpers maybe trying to even jump higher to get more attention especially the 20/20 players that don’t get into the game unless their team is 20 points ahead or 20 points behind so they maybe wanting to get in their time in th limelight.

It would be bad and serious enough if it is one of the subs being introduced, but it could be a team catastrophe if it was a starter or a key substitute expected to play in the game.

I do not understand why coaches allow this action. All a coach has to do is by expecting no foolishness that the players see on College TV games of all of the different kind of attention making gyrations that players come up with and go through to bring attention to themselves and teammates when being announced.

Maybe some are planning even more dangerous antics to go through when it comes time for the pre-game player introductions to try to out do their opponents or other tourney teams pre-game introductions. Also, probably the coaches don’t know or are not aware of what their players are going to do when it comes time for their team’s pre-game intro’s.

All the coaches would have to do is to tell their players that there will be no contact of any type between teammates and the player being introduced whether it is a non starter or a starter. Players should clap their own hands together as each teammate is introduced regardless of where they are on the floor in relation to the player being introduced.

This is what I expected my players to do and that was before 2000 too.

I wouldn’t want to be the coach that any of his players gets injured during pre-game introductions. Especially when an injury could easily be prevented in the pre-game announcements if coaches didn’t allow any of these potential injury causing actions by teammates during this time. It is bad enough if they get hurt during the game.

In fact, the MPA has added the following change in pre-game player introductions for this years tournaments. The non-starters will not be allowed to shake hands or fist bump their opponents, coaches or officials. Only the starters will be allowed shake hands after they are introduced alternately at mid-court.

Suggetion. Maybe the coaches who allow these type of potential dangerous attention getters should remind themselves of the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

Maybe another good reason is the flu epidemic is still going on here in Maine and we wouldn’t want sick subs, starters, coaches or officials especially at tourney time for any involved.

Hope bringing this to the attention of coaches might prevent a possible injury to one of the tournament players before their game even begins..