Lebanon Head Coaching Search

[TheRealTruth]

Maurice Grooms. A star athlete at LHS, starter at DT at Western Kentucky, high school coach here in the mid-state for many years. They could bring in "one of their own" to rejuvenate the community and alumni base. And with Friendship going div 2 and being able to give out scholarships, the next coach at Lebanon better be able to keep the best athletes from going down the road.

The only missing part of his resume is that he has not been a coordinator or head coach, but name every black head coach/coordinator in mid-state history, not in Metro...you won't make it to two hands. Brent Alexander was a 12 year player in the NFL and couldn't get a job at his alma mater, Gallatin, and how is that working out for them?

I will freely admit that I am biased, Coach Grooms and I have been friends for many years, and I have heard him speak hundreds of times with immeasurable passion about the city of Lebanon and his beloved Blue Devils, and I believe that is time for LHS to call him home.

Lebanon people always say, "Once a Blue Devil, always a Blue Devil", well here's their chance to prove it.

 

Coach Grooms should have at least Coordinator on his resume if not head coach to compete for this job. Concerning Brent Alexander applying for Gallatin. Great guy, not qualified to teach. JPII hired him. Mark Williams is an excellent hire for Gallatin. Gallatin graduated 20 seniors in 2011, 16 of which started multiple years and a down year(s) was expected before a run a title would be possible. Also, Gallatin beat LHS 36-0 this year with a 3-7 team.

[three peet]

LHS has some good players. C. Thomas, W. Bruton, J. Crutchfield, T. Davis and a offensive line that includes Burlingame, Osier, Sanders, Bohanan, and other big guys all looks impressive. Young guys like J. Stewart and K. Bruton will be very good players for years to come. I think there is a good team in place for the incoming coach to inherit.

 

With all of that being said it is going to take some time. "Rome wasn't built in a day" and neither will the Blue Devils football program's success. It will take some time and a lot of hard work however with the right fit this could be a very strong football team in a few years. How hard the guys buy in and how much they dedicate themselves is going to be a major "deciding factor". It doesn't matter if Medley, Brown, Crane, McNeal, Alexander, OR even Gary Rankin himself is the person strolling the sidelines in the seasons to come.

 

Go Blue Devils!!!!!

This is ooooooo so true.

[volsrock]

any word on a list of candidates besides rankin?

[Big Poppa 17]

Coach Grooms should have at least Coordinator on his resume if not head coach to compete for this job. Concerning Brent Alexander applying for Gallatin. Great guy, not qualified to teach. JPII hired him. Mark Williams is an excellent hire for Gallatin. Gallatin graduated 20 seniors in 2011, 16 of which started multiple years and a down year(s) was expected before a run a title would be possible. Also, Gallatin beat LHS 36-0 this year with a 3-7 team.

How is he supposed to get coordinator experience? Does every black coach that wants to be a head coach in the midstate have to go to Metro (or play for the Titans) to get experience? Besides there are really good head coaches out there who did not have experience as coordinators, John Harbaugh at Baltimore and our own Mike Munchak come to mind (Munchak was 9-7 last year). Would you rather have someone with coordinator experience that was an abject failure when he was a coordinator? If so there are several out there that may want this job.

People need to be realistic about this position. Yes, there is definitely a possibility for a turnaround with LHS. The facilities are brand new, there are athletes in the system and there is size in the system as well. The community cares, the alumni definitely cares. But, they are playing in a tough district, they are the fifth best program in their own county (MJ, FCS, WC, Watertown), FCS will be giving out full athletic scholarships next year. How much does the administration want to have a successful program?

Point blank, the next LHS head coach is going to have to sell his program and his vision to the administration, community, alumni, and most importantly, to the kids, to keep from falling further behind. And some of you may not believe this, but I believe that the presentation of the program and vision is almost as important as X's and O's. And that is why I believe that Maurice Grooms is the best candidate for the job. He has the X's and O's down, but his contacts in the community, alumni, and the kids will move this program forward.

[HighLife]

 

How is he supposed to get coordinator experience? Does every black coach that wants to be a head coach in the midstate have to go to Metro (or play for the Titans) to get experience? Besides there are really good head coaches out there who did not have experience as coordinators, John Harbaugh at Baltimore and our own Mike Munchak come to mind (Munchak was 9-7 last year). Would you rather have someone with coordinator experience that was an abject failure when he was a coordinator? If so there are several out there that may want this job.

People need to be realistic about this position. Yes, there is definitely a possibility for a turnaround with LHS. The facilities are brand new, there are athletes in the system and there is size in the system as well. The community cares, the alumni definitely cares. But, they are playing in a tough district, they are the fifth best program in their own county (MJ, FCS, WC, Watertown), FCS will be giving out full athletic scholarships next year. How much does the administration want to have a successful program?

Point blank, the next LHS head coach is going to have to sell his program and his vision to the administration, community, alumni, and most importantly, to the kids, to keep from falling further behind. And some of you may not believe this, but I believe that the presentation of the program and vision is almost as important as X's and O's. And that is why I believe that Maurice Grooms is the best candidate for the job. He has the X's and O's down, but his contacts in the community, alumni, and the kids will move this program forward.

 

What does being black have to do with being a coordinator? And who said anything about him being black as a negative? Usually coaches that have aspirations of moving up start as position coaches, go to coordinators, and if they are successful as coordinators get a shot to run their own program.

 

It doesn't always work like that and the most qualified guys don't always get the job, but more often then not they do..

[volsrock]

as crazy as this statement sounds, more teams are destroyed by head coaches and their staffs than lack of talent. I have seen coaches that cannot find the field manage to win a championship by just tossing the ball out. I have also seen teams that had solid head coaches and staff that managed to get every bit of talent out of a very limited talent pool. Finding the right fit is by far the best possible thing to happen, can the kids and coaches mesh, can the coach mesh with all the intangibles, such as community, parents and administration. It is very rare that an assistant coach with no coordinating experience steps in and does a great job, this also punishes kids because of his on the job training. It seems better to find someone with a track record that has an established record of success and then it is important to hold that experience against what is going on at Lebanon. It is great to get the big name coach if possible but for the long term of any program it is just as vital to find a program that can adjust his style to the talents of his kids year in and year out. You will have up years and down years and some in between, the key is to find someone that the kids respect, play hard for and that makes the school and the community proud not only on friday nights but the rest of the week also...to many things these days are down on snap decisions....we all know that the grass is not greener on the other side, it is usually just a different color of brown.....lebanon should not go to someone learning on the job....it should go to an experienced coach...have they started the interviewing process yet, what is their time line?

[Crocker9]

Maurice.............you be dreaming!!Lebanon has NEVER been the most powerful team in the region............tell me when??

 

Powerful, implying strength. I never said the best team. But there was a time when Lebanon was producing some of the strongest athletes in the region.

[osk24]

I'd say Grooms. From Lebanon and has a good relationship with the community. Knows a ton of people that can help out. Great guy overall.

 

Thinks like a player on the field helps a lot

 

[HighLife]

I'd say Grooms. From Lebanon and has a good relationship with the community. Knows a ton of people that can help out. Great guy overall.

 

Thinks like a player on the field helps a lot

 

So you want a coach who thinks like a high school player on the field?? Got ya. Most coaches especially head coaches think about 5 plays ahead and think above a player on the field, which is why they are called a coach.

[osk24]

Your over thinking the statement Highlife.

[HighLife]

Got ya.. Best if luck to Lebanon on their coaching hire. Do they have a timeline?

[HighLife]

Got ya.. Best of luck to Lebanon on their coaching hire. Do they have a timeline?