GWAA and JF each referenced this during the URI game. It's also happened before and others here have referenced it as well. I am old enough that I understand it, and even agree with it when it comes to many players. But not when it comes to Joe.
With a second half lead against URI, Joe Bamisile had a breakaway dunk in front of him, the kind that has put his own past highlights on SportsCenter several times this season. Only this time, the "Not Top 10" people needed to be paying attention since Joe missed the dunk.
We've all thought similar things under similar circumstances...just lay in the easy two, that's a royal fuck-up, and the dreaded, "let's hope that doesn't come back to bite us." The very worst ramification is that such a selfish play might cost us a game one day. I know, I've been there and thought all of these things.
A timeout was called immediately after the play and the GW coaches, removing themselves away from the bench area and gathered in a circle. I could see a few smirks, as if to either say "we've told him 1,000 times" or "this better not cost us this game", as if this were an inside joke. Nobody yelled at Joe or even explained why this might have been wrong. And, in my estimation, nobody should have.
Early in the season, Joe was pegged as this exuberant, joyful player who made sure he was having fun on the court. He elevated the cheers of home fans and was not the slightest bit intimidated to take road fans on as well. He understands the impact that a sensational play has on his teammates, the coaches, the fans, and most of all, himself. Maybe GW69 can help me out here, but Joe appears to have an insatiable need to use his rare athleticism to pull momentum his way. I don't see an egotist whose primary interest is getting on ESPN. I see a player who knows how his exciting play can lift his team.
If you're his coach, you just can't take this away from him. Why would you even want to? Yes, the day might come when a blown dunk become the difference between a win and a loss. However, doesn't this need to be weighed against all of those moments when Joe's high wire antics help turn losses into wins? The problem is that a blown dunk is an easy target to look back upon and say if we just had those two points....even though turnovers, missed free throws, etc. all contribute to losses as well. An uncontested missed dunk or layup should never happen whereas a missed free throw will still happen 20% of the time for an 80% shooter.
I guess this is called taking the bad with the good. If you want Joe's incredibly athletic play, if you want to go crazy after he throws down a thunderous dunk, if you want to see his teammates become even more motivated as a result of what they've just witnessed, and if you want to see plays that sometimes swing momentum and help turn losses into wins, then you have to be OK with the occasional missed dunk, even if it should cost GW a game. That's called "letting Joe be Joe."