Should a college prospect play in High School?

[K2ruth]

Beach boy, I don't have specific numbers but I know that most clubs feature this information on their web pages. Also, there is a difference between an elite D-1 player and everyone else not just in volleyball but other sports as well. Several baseball players, especially pitchers, forego high school for club. Same with basketball. Football is different because they don't have travel teams.

 

As to burnout, a good club program will keep the training fresh, to prevent burnout. Bratman, those numbers for Anderson County are impressive. I just don't know their coaches except for the one that was with PR. As I have posted before, they are alot of fun to watch and a bear to play because of the energy and intensity they bring every match. They are certainly an exception and not the rule. I still stand by my premise.

[beachboy]

I am not so sure about the baseball player angle.  Around here ALL of the top pitchers I know of all played for their high schools.  And we have had some very good ones go to D1 schools as well as get drafted by MLB.  If there is an elite pitcher that did not play for their high school I do not know of it, and if I am wrong then my bad.

Hope the weekend is kind to everyone.  Go Vols!

[PhillyAl]

I've read all the threads and have been having fun keeping up with the volleyball talk on here. Haven't posted because I didn't feel like it.

 

Athletes and their parents are the only ones that should make this decision. If I want my daughter to play HS volleyball then she will. If I don't then she will not. It's that simple. What do I look at when deciding whether my daughter should play HS volleyball???

 

1. Does she want to play or not?

2. Does she have a chance to play D1 volleyball? 

3. Will the coach help her get better.

4. Do I think she should play.

5. If she is getting recruited. What do the college coaches suggest

 

Here are my answers to these questions.

My daughter does not want to play HS Volleyball. Not because she doesn't like it but because she isn't fond of the coach. My daughter does have a chance to play D1 volleyball. The coach will not help her get better. If she played HS volleyball her coach would not help her get better because he doesn't know how. She tried it once and he was always late for practice and he cared about how ONE person did on the team.

 

Now "Beachboy" and "hardangle" I respect what you have been saying on here and I would like to ask you. what do you think about a coach that is late for practice, has a girl on the team coaching more than he does and only cared about one person on the team. This is a hypothetical situation i am bringing up. So if we know all these to be true what do you say about that. Would you let your daughter play for that coach??

 

Lastly. My daughter has asked the coaches recruiting her whether she should play HS volleyball or not. Here was their standard answer. If you want to and you think the coach will help you at your position then yes. If you just want to represent your school then yes. Then they would ask "who is the coach" . I would tell them and they would say, "i understand why you don't want to play".

 

So it's not up to the club coaches or the HS coaches whether your child should play. It's up to you and your child.

 

Beachboy and Hardangle...Pleasae give me your feedback on my hypothetical.

[K2ruth]

I agree with Philly on this one. There is zero excuse for this behavior. But it is the culture of many (not all) high school coaches. Some coaches are interested in making money off the sport either thru owning a club or groups like the one in west knoxville that make money off of elementary school girls, some want their go boosted by being a coach, and some (few ) do it for the right reason. The behavior you describe is a high school I wouldn't play for.

[beachboy]

Philly, I think you are right on all of your points. It is ALWAYS up to the parents and the player to make their own decisions.  My problem comes from any coach whether club or high school trying to pressure the player/parents into playing only on their team/club.  And that happens all over the country.  There should not be pressure from clubs either directly or indirectly to influence players in their decisions.

[bigbluevolley]

Philly. I agree too. You are spot on. I know you asked for two people to answer your hypothetical. One wasn't me but I'm going to answer it anyways.

 

I would absolutley not play for that coach. The hypothetical sounds very familiar to what people are saying went on at Bearden last year. That is why two main players didn't play this year.

[beachboy]

Just heard this from a close friend of mine at Catholic High School.  It seems as if they only had 2 players selected to the 4AA All-District team and one of them was also named MVP.  But here's the kicker, neither one of them played club this past season.  They played have played club in the past but not this past season.  Hmmmm, just sayin!!

[bigbluevolley]

BB. I remember when we were dealing with district awards and state awards. Which was a while ago. These awards are picked by coaches in a room where one coach says I'll vote for yours if you vote for mine. District awards are picked by coaches in that manor (as you know). Prep Xtra and all state are picked by people that don't even watch volleyball. These awards are a joke. They were way back when and they are now. I'm not saying the girls chosen don't deserve the award. Just saying that it doesn't mean all that in the grand skeem of things. Congratulations to ALL the girls who were picked.

[chill]

BB, please don't go bringing evidence to back up your argument to this conversation. Not appreciated!

[K2ruth]

Listening to all of the other posts in other threads make me more certain that a D1 prospect would do better not playing high school and working with Black Ops.

[PhillyAl]

If your High school coach knows what they are doing then it's fine to play HS. Black Ops is also a very good alternative.

[2Players]

There's a D1 commit (Nebraska, one of the top programs in the country) that did NOT play high school vb this year though she did play her freshman year.  I asked her personally why she didn't play and she said that she knew that she wanted to commit this year and wanted to get as much training as possible.  That wasn't going to happen at her high school.  Her freshman year while she was there she broke 4 fingers (which the coach didn't even bother to ask about) and pulled a muscle in her shoulder.  All due to no technique and poor muscle training.  She enjoyed the team and the girls but her goal was to stay healthy and to get better.  She would leave practice and go to either rehab or to her club to get 1 on 1 training with her club coach so that she would not get any worse.  I totally understand that.  I mean really. I don't think it's selfish it's smart.  I think the memories that she'll have from playing college will be far better and last longer than high school.  Selfish is not being supportive and understanding that there are others out there who just don't feel the same as you do. Oh, and she plays at K2.  Everyone on her club team is a D1 prospect.  Even the girls on the bench.  That's how far coaching, training, and building relationships with colleges can get you.  Doesn't matter about your personal feelings about the club.  The proof is there.  Though I will say that out of all of those prospects only 2 of the girls did NOT play high school but none of the girls are being recruited from high school.  Why don't coaches up their game?  Why don't parents allow their kids to be coached hard?  Why don't high school coaches actually train instead of relying on club then getting upset when club upstages their program?  Why don't they build relationships with colleges?  It's mind boggling to me.