Qestion for all

[myfeethurt]

Hope this helps, we dealt with a lousy coach by using this.

 

Do you have a lousy coach?

March 25, 2010 by iathletes

Let’s face it, there has been more than 1 player emailing me for advice on how to handle their lousy coach. I have seen the world of Jr High and HS school basketball and know 2 things about coaches:

1.) some are fantastic, energized, great teachers and positive role models

2.) Some are just lousy and do not embrace their leadership role and have other agenda’s.

 

I understand coaches get complaints all the time from players/parents about playing time, I am not talking about lack of playing time, I am talking about the lack of structure, advice and genuine care for each player.

 

If you’re that player stuck with a coach who is not willing to challenge you in a positive way, not willing to go the extra mile for you or your teammates, one that doesn’t even seem to care then here are my thoughts on what you can still think and do:

 

1.) Stay positive; believe strongly in your abilities no matter what.

2.) Your passion for the game is a reality, don’t ever lose that.

3.) Your goals are still achievable, even with a lousy coach.

4.) Resiliency in the face of a skeptical leader is a powerful ability.

5.) If you care enough about your personal work every day and always do the right thing then you can leave the gym with your head up high.

6.) Never talk back; even though you know they are not doing the right things, they are still your coach.

7.) Never stop working hard, there are many avenues for you to seek out to reach your goals

 

Her high school coach said she was no good and refused to play her (fours years of his crap).

 

She is being recruited by several colleges, received offers and will be playing at college level. It is due to her dedication, AAU Exposure Tournaments and skill camps.

 

By the way she is an honors graduate, very active in church / community volunteer work and knows what her vocation will be.

 

HIgh School basketball is 90% politics, 5% hype and 5% skill, it is irrelavant!

[PHargis]

Hoop, I think we can agree with a lot of that. However, an objective realistic analysis of ones ability and course can certainly help. Thats certinly difficult and between the two is sometimes a conflict in itself. Without being argumentative, this is not a 50/50 proposition. It likely is shaded more as my first post with what is involved. Emotion will shade it according to many things, Its only complicated when the Coaches, not nnecessarily high school or AAU( might be two AAU), decide to give conflicting advice. The parent is the referee and grades alwqys win. In most schools the high school coach keeps track of those.

I think agreement can be had that the high school Coach takes care of most of the development and it might not be all pleasant and summer play( which improves play an extra grade level for every summer played) is a factor that makes a player a vetern at an earlier age. And there are risks at that and quicker success that could or could not be helpful. The parent is the deciding factor. Nothing wrong with good frank discussions but what eventually happens is leaning toward extremes and thats what prompted my first response.

[commander]

Where is AAU participation up 75% in women's basketball? Tennessee? I'm not so sure about those stats.

 

High school coaches are limited to their involvement during the summer by the T$$AA. I think there are several coaches that encourage their players to play AAU and get better. I certainly don't think they are all lazy bums... Give them some credit. In Tennessee we still have some women's games that are attended better than the men's. There aren't many, but there are some.

 

I'm a believer in AAU. My daughters got better by playing it. I'm grateful to her AAU program and coaches. I'm also grateful to their high school coach.

 

I'm sorry if your daughter is an a bad situation, but let's don't throw them all under the bus!

[Hoopallday]

Where is AAU participation up 75% in women's basketball? Tennessee? I'm not so sure about those stats.

 

High school coaches are limited to their involvement during the summer by the T$$AA. I think there are several coaches that encourage their players to play AAU and get better. I certainly don't think they are all lazy bums... Give them some credit. In Tennessee we still have some women's games that are attended better than the men's. There aren't many, but there are some.

 

I'm a believer in AAU. My daughters got better by playing it. I'm grateful to her AAU program and coaches. I'm also grateful to their high school coach.

 

I'm sorry if your daughter is an a bad situation, but let's don't throw them all under the bus!

i agree with both of u. i did not say all high scool coaches are bad or lazy. i said there are some exceptional ones as there are aau. the original question was why doesnt High School coach like AAU coaches.? College coaches only have 85 days in a year to recruit players. If they go see one player in NE TN then that counts as a day so the will not waist there days on doing that. What they do is go to an AAU or a Showcase tourney in the summer to watch hundereds of girls at one time and that still only counts for one day. Trust me on this one, I am a college coach and I recruit every year. I will not waste a day on watching Science Hill play Volunteer unless I have seen a girl in the summer playing against quality competition and really like her. Then I might waste a day on it. College coaches want to see what you do against the best, not what you do against the AA school down the street that has no talent. In this case, both High School and AAU coaches need to work together so they can get the best value for the young lady. Playing ball all year around will only make the high school player better for there team. When I call a high school coach it is because I have seen that girl in an AAU or showcase tourney... Great points on this board.... Everybodys points are well thought out!

[senator]

AAU is good for some athletes but they only learn the talents of the sports and their aau coaches don't have to be concerned about grades. The high school coach is most of the time an educator and should be concerned about the education and future development of the student to prepare them for higher learning. Since making a living playing sports is so rare and playing at the next level few will accomplish a good high school teacher should prepare students for life while getting the potential talent to over achieve by playing hard and being smart. AAU relies more on raw talent and most coaches aren't educators and some teach bad habits and fundamentals, and others are great. The AAU players that do best in high school most of the time the coaches from HS and AAU are on the same page.

[King21]

I'm from the Upper Cumberland area. As a current AAU coach, I always try to consult or conversate about what and how my highschool coaches do things so that I may teach the younger boys and girls about how to play and get them familiar with the system they will see in highschool. I know there are times that I may slip, but I try to do everything in accordance to what is being done at the highschool. In the end, it's all about the kids!

[PHargis]

Thanks for the response. A lot of good points. The bottem line is that all interest should be for the young ladies and that is what most High School coaches have lost. They would rather be 20-1 and beat there chest of how good of a coach they are than work with the summer coach and help the young lady reach her goal of continuing her education and playing career at the next level. Bottom line is that nobody cares about girls basketball except the people involved. So if a high school goes 30-0 and wins the state nobody cares except the school who won. So why not work together for a higher purpose, helping young ladies reach there dream and you can do this and still have a quality high school product.

 

Most high school coaches will not even have any dialog with AAU coaches. I do not know what they are affraid of. If the high school coach is doing what he/she is suppost to be doing, they have nothing to worry about. If they prepare everyday to be the coach these young ladies deserve then they should be will to work together. What the are failing to realize is that High School basketball is irrelevant. A young lady does not need to play high school basketball to get to the next level but 90% of them have to play summer ball to do so unless you are a Candace Parker. If the High School coaches dont come around they will not have anybody to fill there teams. Just look at the numbers. High School participation is down over the past 5 years and AAU is up 75%. Just sad!!!

 

By the way, There is not a high school team in this area that can hang with a top D1 team. Science Hill is a quility team but most D1 AAU teams have really good player 1-10. They have a couple quality players. Joe Ebarb? really? that is funny! But great point!

Wow, motivation is a wonderful thing except when its partison and the other side and facts are not presented. Being on this site, understanding how both the High School and AAU programs are supposed to work and how they do work is very interesting but I have never seen such a partison post being made from someone who is supposed to be a recruiter for a College/University, in the past 6 years. It is no wonder getting into a school is hard to do. Yes it is true there are some very good technicians of AAU skills outside of High Schools and as I read this, I could only think of five and two of them had coached high school before. All five were superior and provided a service.

No one in HS basketball does it for the money. You hear of coaches who have astronomically great records and watch them coach and you wonder how in the world and how long it had taken them to accumulate that many wins, and again you wonder how someone disguising themselves as an expert on recruiting can do so and broadbrush the coaching profession like this. The motivation, after rereading this, is obvious. An AAU coach trying to builod himself a cabin in upper East Tennessee and live off of the monthly stipends that parents will pay him to satisfy thiere daughters dreams. So just listening to wha+t is being posted and the records around Morristown who has AA schools with good records and The great schools in AAA around Science Hill and Morristown West, in District 1 and two. This is no recruiter.

Coaching, in the Big 8 and the IMAC, is very good and respected. Sure, not everyone is great but a lot are very good. They do care about their players. Sometimes they compare with themselves too much but who doesn't.

Something tells me this poster is shooting at Morristown West for not winning the State or Science Hill for not doing better. And in doing so is shooting at the parents of those two schools. On his behalf, schools in the area do need to get out of the area, in the State and see what the competition is. The Christmas tournament, up there is very good. So what if players play AAU and travel all summer, what good is it to the people in the area and only a few.

There is a point of play that fits the middle ground here and if someone is trying to instill better play is one thing but to downgrade the great coaches in the area, is going in the wrong direction and is the direct opposite of what they think they are promoting.

[theknack]

PH, you are a little out in left field on this one. Hoop is a well intentioned AAU coach up here who has done some good things for many girls most with little or no money out of their pocket. Don't really admire his methods or agree with his opinions on the value of school ball, but anyone that devotes the time and effort he does to girls basketball for nothing deserves some appreciation.

 

And, yes, I think he is actually a small college recruiter, too.

[momofafalcon]

Well it looks like you’re another basher of Volunteer sports.

 

“I will not waste a day on watching Science Hill play Volunteer unless I have seen a girl in the summer playing against quality competition and really like her. Then I might waste a day on it. College coaches want to see what you do against the best, not what you do against the AA school down the street that has no talent”.

 

Let me set you straight about Volunteer, we are an AAA team with talent. In 2 short years Coach Myers has developed some of the best players around. Price (last year’s team) received a basketball scholarship, Gilliam (this years team) received a basketball scholarship. Now he is developing Lindholm, one of the best guards in E Tennessee possibly the state. Ever hear of them?

 

I’m beginning to wonder if you are a recruiter, college coach or any kind of coach at all.

We only lost Gilliam off this year’s team and Myers has groomed a post to replace her. We’re going to kick butt next season! If you have a team why don’t you contact Coach Myers and set up a scrimmage with our girls? I guarantee you it won’t be a wasted day! If you’re afraid to play us then I’ll buy you tickets to Volunteer / Science Hill games this coming season so you can see what basketball really is!

[compusatman]

Lindholm...best guard in the state? Please. EBarb...a coaching advocate? He is nothing more than a money counter. His teams get no direction or instruction only a place to play pickup. Barnwell? Yes, he is a good coach. But Ebarb has nothing to do with it. Wade at Bristol. Fairly good coach but the girls run that team. France at DB...Please! The Volunteer coach...maybe. South? Simply the worst. Surcey at Central? Fairly good coach. The rest? Forget it. The facts are glaringly evident. AAU summer ball is a shot in the dark. Some teams practice once a week...play once a month. The Division I AAU team my daughter is on practices 4 times a week when not playing and 3 when playing. And they play two weekends a month. This calibre' team is for high asperations. Period. High school ball for girls? Just something to do. No teaching, no instruction, no dedication...no nothing. You want to go to college then you better be playing on a Division I AAU team. All high school ball will get you is a cheap dinner at an awards banquet. You can say I am jaded but it is a fact. I have seen it for too long. My son was an All State RB for one the most successful coaches of our time. I can tell you that I understand a good coach when I meet one. Yes, I'm a high school parent. I have had my daughters coach tell my daughter to not give the ball to the highest percentage scorer on the team. Why? You people don't have a clue. It is abuse. What goes on with my daughters high school team is abuse. A few parents want something done. Without numbers we are dead in the water. The up and coming "superstars" from the middle school refuse to play after their Frosh year. Why? They see the total waste of time and disrespect. Their parents follow suite and allow them to bail out. We are left but with the most dedicated players available. And you people think there is equality. What a joke. Making this particular AAU Division I team is considered an answered prayer for an NET/SWVA girl who wants to play college ball. It is a saving from the high school discust that they must endure each winter. Surviving only long enough to play in the summer with the best of the best against the best. No drama, just hard core competition. And this attitude coming from each and every girl on the team. Why? Because they have learned what a great coach is made of and dread going back to mediocrety. And you say the high school teaches much more than just basketball? All my daughter is taught in school ball is negativity. It takes the rest of the year to extract the poison of negativity only to have it reinjected the next winter. You say, why do you play? Because the number one rule in my home is you never quit. Period. So you people can get on here and pat each other on the back all you want but the girls on my daughters AAU team will be going to college. And most of them with a full ride. That was FULL RIDE. And it ain't because of the high school coach. So you can have your thread back now as I will leave you with one thing. High school Football is serious business. Yes, it makes money. Well, high school girls basketball is a joke. AAU Girls Basketball compares to high school Football. High school girls basketball will never achieve that. I'll let you figure out why.

[PHargis]

PH, you are a little out in left field on this one. Hoop is a well intentioned AAU coach up here who has done some good things for many girls most with little or no money out of their pocket. Don't really admire his methods or agree with his opinions on the value of school ball, but anyone that devotes the time and effort he does to girls basketball for nothing deserves some appreciation.

 

And, yes, I think he is actually a small college recruiter, too.

I had figured that this was the case. Some who have posted here have gone thru AAU also but have not had the experiences as hoop but as you might gather from all posting, Hoop is having to post based on his experiences and to go thru that particular situation, that is what he is dealing with. Its his environment but if he is a recruiter, he should understand the other side at least, some. This reminds me of some posts I had with fans of MWest this past season. I am now understanding more of their posts. Ther attitudes of High School exposure and help from Morristown to Science Hill as far as High Schools and coaching, between AAU and High Schools must not be very good. My impression was it was more between AAA schools and AA schools for the big part, ie not many AAA high schools. I can see now that there is more going on in that part of the State than that.

So I doubt Hoops is going to recruit very well except around Tennessee and Science Hill. He likely has little high school support in the other areas.

I am going to have to agree with Hoop that cooperation is part of the answer. Greenville and Greenville Bank does a good job of promoting the Tournament but what was obvious in the region was Schools did not cooperate much in attendance to what was a major Tournament. That part of the State is consumed with something other than great High School or middle School Basketball., Evaluating talent in a situation like that is impossible unless other top schools are played in the state. I now understand why MWest may have thought they had to go clear to Arizona for a Christmas tournament instead of finding one here in the State. and Yes there were some good schools, in State, that played in that event. Just maybe, it would be wise for schools to analyze Girls Basketball in the area. It may be it needs some help. Maybe just trying to depend on a few for AAU support is not the answer. Maybe a group of parents/supporters need to get involved and to support the organization. Certainly coaches would help also. Just finding a few players from an area is not going to make the sport stronger.

[Hoopallday]

Like I have said before everybody makes great points. The bottom line is both High School coaches and summer/aau coaches should work together in a positive way to help certain young ladies reach there goal of playing at the next level. I know not all young ladies want to do this and that is perfectly ok. I just think if they worked together then it would be a more enjoyable experance for the player and that is what it is all about!

 

Thanks for all of your input. Just wanted some feed back so we can change for the better.