Ups and downs on the court
A composite image showing, clockwise from top left, Orem, Maple Mountain, Springville, and Westlake after losing their games on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
BYU fans cheer during the second half of the NCAA basketball game between BYU and Gonzaga at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Gonzaga won the game, 70-65. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
BYU players lock arms as they rally in the final moments of the second half of the NCAA basketball game between BYU and Gonzaga at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Gonzaga won the game, 70-65. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
Brigham Young Cougars guard Brock Zylstra (13) leaves the court after losing to Gonzaga in the NCAA basketball game between BYU and Gonzaga at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Gonzaga won the game, 70-65. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
Lone Peak's T.J. Haws, right, and teammates wait as Brighton's Bryce Callahan holds the ball to stall time during the first half of the 5a boys basketball semifinals between Lone Peak and Brighton at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Friday, March 1, 2013. After Brighton stalled through most of the first and second quarters, the score at the end of the half was 14-7. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
Covering a basketball can be riveting. It can raise your heart beat watching an underdog make a miracle comeback or seeing your local team trounce a long-time rival. Firing off rapid-fire frames as players connect gravity-defying plays, positioning yourself to be in the perfect spot for the jubilation shot after the game-winning swish, and rushing back to the press room to get the images in for deadline.
With high school tournaments on top of our usual load of BYU and UVU games I have spent a lot of time court side this week and, unfortunately, basketball games can also be unbearably dull. One-sided blowouts get old after the first half, and covering a losing team carries little excitement.
On Tuesday I photographed four basketball games, in each of which the team I was covering lost. The first game saw Orem lose by only 5, but the next three games were not nearly as lively. The point differentials were 17, 13 and 14. By the end of the night I was exhausted and feeling very much done with basketball.
However, Tuesday’s load of boring games made me that-much-more excited for Thursday night’s showdown between BYU and Gonzaga, which at the time was the number-two ranked team in the country. The game was incredible. The student section was packed with more fans than I’d ever seen and the arena pulsed with excitement. With five minutes on the clock it was a two-point game and I thought some BYU fans’ heads would explode.
As the clock continued its downward spiral my heart rate increased as I tried to envision what would happen if BYU won and where I should be pointing my lens. I got ready to run onto the court to get up-close photos of BYU players reacting to their riotous upset of the highest ranked team ever to visit the Marriott Center. I slung all of my cameras over my shoulders in case the fans rushed the court.
In the end I and the nearly 20,000 people at the game were left disappointed as Gonzaga squeezed out a 5 point lead to win the game. I shot a few photos of dejected BYU players and fans as Gonzaga quietly celebrated at the center of a stunned crowd, and then I left the court. Though the outcome wasn’t what I had hoped, it was still an incredible game to experience at such close proximity.
That excitement carried into today as I readied myself to shoot Lone Peak in their semifinals game against Brighton. Not many photographers are lucky enough to have arguable the best high school basketball team in the country in their coverage area, and the national press attention the team has been getting makes it that much more interesting.
My expectation for an exciting exhibition of the star team’s skills was demolished when Brighton decided not to play the first half. After Brighton was down 14-7 in the first quarter, they decided to stall Lone Peak’s scoring with a tactic I’ve never witnessed before. Brighton held the ball and stood still for 11 minutes of game time to finish the first half without any more points being scored. Boring.
In the second half Brighton decided to play and I enjoyed shooting the game, but the 53-27 result didn’t exactly raise my pulse.
I feel like I have been on a bit of a roller coaster ride with basketball lately, having one of the most intense games I’ve covered sandwiched between a bunch of very dull filler. Here’s hoping that tomorrow’s 5A championship game between Lone Peak and Alta is an exciting one.