Unicoi players quit

[wtaylor]

Funny thing is, the coach missed the championship game of the Nera White tournament after the boys had returned. I don't know where he was at, but it seems to be a hard line to take, when the coach misses less than a week after the young men did. I am from Macon and know nothing of either situation, but I did find this odd. Unicoi has a really good team, so I hope cooler heads will prevail.

[dare]

Yeah, he left the day of the championship game because his 4 year old son was in the hospital, he didn't take a week long trip to Disney.

[BAMA4EVER]

Yea I would say leaving to go be with your 4 year old who had pneumonia is a little different. I thought it said alot about him to leave and go be with his son .

[wtaylor]

Bama I didn't know the situation, and it is certainly a legitamate reason. However, some people would consider going to spend quality time with family a great reason also. I would trade any basketball game for a chance to spend time with my grandparents, as they are all deceased. I think we have forgotten about the important things in life and put way too much emphasis on sports. I hope the kids had a great time on their trip, and someday when they are my age look back on it and say it was well worth it.

[BAMA4EVER]

Just an opinion but I feel it really isn't about sports. Its about commitment to your team. Quitting because things don't go your way seems selfish. Playing sports requires dedication and commitment and doesn't seem like these players had that. Still not sure how else this could have been handled..the boys played in each game after they returned its not like they were buried on the bench for it. As has been said you have to look at fairness to the other players who started while they were on this trip. Would it have been fair to them to be sent back to bench when these players returned from Disney in the middle of the season? But these kids obviously showed they weren't very much interested in anything thing but selves since quit on team when team was winning. Guess u witnessed their success in nera white tournament first hand wtaylor? Again just my opinion but I'm guessing these kids look back on this and realize Disney was open all year but turning back on teammates wasn't right thing to do ..

[BAMA4EVER]

Funny you seem to know alot about the situation wtaylor to be from Macon county? U know the nera white tournament was less than a week after trip and u know the trip was with grandparents? Neither of those things have been posted. Interesting, u sure your not family member trying to justify something that can't be justified?

[EAsports]

If the kids earned a starting position on the team due to talent, and they helped the the most as starters and this was set before the trip, I feel the coach quit on the team and the kids involved. In two games did the kids that started in the spots all the sudden get better? I see it as punishment to the kids that could hurt the team as a whole. The kids were starters because they earned it. They beat out the other kids to get the spot. Your argument is the replacements should have the spot because the others missed? And not because they earned it or did they earn it because they haven't missed a game. I understand responsibility commitment team player and all that stuff but life lesson are not as simple as black and white. We wish it was but we all have to work with situations daily that aren't as easy as black and white this is how it is.

[wtaylor]

Funny you seem to know alot about the situation wtaylor to be from Macon county? U know the nera white tournament was less than a week after trip and u know the trip was with grandparents? Neither of those things have been posted. Interesting, u sure your not family member trying to justify something that can't be justified?

 

Bama you can look me up, as I don't hide behind a screen name. My name is at the bottom of every post I have ever made in my 8 years on CoachT. I am not siding with anyone, but hate it for Unicoi County as they have a pretty good team and could contend for a state tournament berth this year. I do tend to agree with EA Sports that is could have been handled differently and cooler heads would have prevailed. Some things the coach may have considered that I know nothing about is the kids track record. Have they missed practices or games in the past? Has a similar situation occured in the past and how it was handled? Did that situation help or hurt the team? Again, I don't know all the specifics, but punishing a kid for a family trip in this days time is tough IMO. Many of the kids I have coached have had little to no family involvement and because of this, it caused them enormous problems. You are referring to life lessons in many of your posts about commitment and dedication to your team, but what about commitment and dedication to your family? My high school coach taught me everyone's priorities should be God, Family, Work/School in that order. For some reason, we have pushed work/school/sports ahead of family and society is suffering from it.

[ksgovols]

Guys. It is black and white. You are a team player or you are not. The coach didn't kick these guys off the team. They quit. How much quality time do you take away from your team to be on vacation do you take before the team is affected? There's a Fall Break, a Winter Break and a Spring Break for most schools besides a 2 week dead period in the Summer. Those are for taking vacations with your family when your sport is not in season. I've done it for the past 6 years. It is completely unfair for a player to leave his team in the lurch while he's playing on the beach. Family crisis, funerals, are another thing. If you don't mind missing the games to be cruising around Orlando, then you shouldn't mind being on the pine for the same number of games that you missed for your pleasure. Every year some baseball guys from my son's team wanted to take off the week of Spring Break for a senior trip. They don't care what happens to the team while they were gone because they were only thinking of themselves. Their parents justified it as a 'senior thing'. Ok, fine. For every game you miss while you're in Florida, you have to sit an equal amount when you return. Then, we'll evaluate where you are in the pecking order and what your status is on this team. Not reduced minutes. No minutes. My Dad taught me that I'd have to do things that I didn't want to do and I would have to sacrifice my wishes at times for the bigger picture. It wouldn't enter mine (and by osmosis or shared philosophy) my son's thought process to leave my team for my own selfish gain. Never.

Edited January 13, 2012 by ksgovols

[Dragonmaster]

Bama you can look me up, as I don't hide behind a screen name. My name is at the bottom of every post I have ever made in my 8 years on CoachT. I am not siding with anyone, but hate it for Unicoi County as they have a pretty good team and could contend for a state tournament berth this year. I do tend to agree with EA Sports that is could have been handled differently and cooler heads would have prevailed. Some things the coach may have considered that I know nothing about is the kids track record. Have they missed practices or games in the past? Has a similar situation occured in the past and how it was handled? Did that situation help or hurt the team? Again, I don't know all the specifics, but punishing a kid for a family trip in this days time is tough IMO. Many of the kids I have coached have had little to no family involvement and because of this, it caused them enormous problems. You are referring to life lessons in many of your posts about commitment and dedication to your team, but what about commitment and dedication to your family? My high school coach taught me everyone's priorities should be God, Family, Work/School in that order. For some reason, we have pushed work/school/sports ahead of family and society is suffering from it.

 

 

 

I hate to disagree with you statement but 30 years ago 1. parents wouldn't have taken their children during school time. 2. Players wouldn't have gone during school time because of mandatory attendance policies, 3. It wasn't an all about me society. Parenting has changed and not for the better. The inmates are in charge.

Roy Kirkland

[ksgovols]

The baseball coach I spoke of had the rule of 4 as well. God, Family, Work (School), Team. What happens is that kids or their parents try to make a fun filled trip to Orlando a family commitment when it's not. That's a warped priority unless it's a once in a lifetime kind of thing. Me and my son stayed for football during Fall Break while the other 3 went to Disney World during Fall Break. Those family members weren't sick or dying or getting married or having a baby or being christened. That's what 'Family' means, not watching tv with the whole family on Friday night because that's what families do. Misguided people extrapolate Disney vacations as being ahead of Work and Team and just behind God. Not so. Parents and players will try to justify their actions by their ability, good or bad. Well, they won't miss you or well, they'll let you have your starting spot back because they've really missed you. Not so. There is a level of commitment and self sacrifice that is implied if not demanded when you sign up to play team sports. Don't like it? Find an individual sport where you aren't letting a team down when you choose to be selfish.

[bounder]

I agree with you ksgovols this is more of an "Ego" thing than anything else. There's no I in Team. Probably more the parents than the kids but not by much. If you bail on me during the season, I'm not sure I have as much respect for you when you come back, and want your spot back. Especially if I've been doing as good as you were.