Ezell Harding "What lesson are you teaching?"

[shay]

props to Jeffp for the excellent posting... It took a lot for these boys to say HEY! i wanna come back. The decision is not left up to the junkies on Coacht, but the administration, coach, and players of the basketball team. No one around here is whining that they havent played the whole season or whatever. It was a good decision for them to be able to come back and have a second chance.. no- employers may not give second chances, but Ezell is a christian school that teaches second chances are all we have to rely on sometimes. Everyone screws up and makes bad decisions, its just a part of life... these boys are just lucky that they were given a second chance.. as for everyone who is against this decision, go coach a high school team or become a board member or something and then your opinion will count to. Until then.. thats all it will be is an opinion.

[trackman]

cw160 and shay: Thanks. Your posts mean I'm not alone.

[mp1115]

cw160: Burnette is the A.D.

[CoachT]

Campbelle2: as a coach I might agree with you and if it was my decision I might refuse to let them back on the team. But it is not my team, I do not know these kids like Coach Burnette does, so I can't disagree with his decision.

[Campbelle2]

I am in no way saying that Coach Burnette is not a good coach. Coaches and administrators have chances everyday to prove it's not all about winning. This is one of those opportunities. Could they be right about this situation. Maybe, but there must be much more to this than we all know including myself. The team voted them back in. Teenagers don't always know what is best for them. This is not always a good reason to let them back. If this were just before the season started or maybe the first week of the season I might feel different. Coach Burnette has been to the state finals two years in a row and has done a great job there (for the record). I hold the administration more accountable than the coach on this one. Coach Burnette may not have any control in this matter. So, I am not attacking a hard working coach in any stretch of the imagination. I'm sure there was alot of pressure from the fans and alumni to take them back and also on these young men to come back. I wish them the best, but this sand is full of landmines.

[CoachT]

Personally I can't imagine letting these players come back. However, there have been many times in coaching where I did things that no "outsiders" would understand. We are the outsiders here so I give Coach Burnette the benefit of the doubt, not that he needed my approval anyway. Also, in letting the team vote as to whether or not to allow them back- you know that the only way you allow that is if you have already made up your mind that you can live with whatever they decide.

[Winner]

The main point of my original post was stated as the initial question....

 

Are the Ezell players being allowed to join the team mid-season without sanctions?

 

I never said they should not be allowed to come back. I believe AJ blackburn has terrific potential to play basketball at the next level. I'm very happy he's back on the team. Note my original question "...without sanctions?"

 

You've got to admit it causes several serious questions?

 

Were there any negative repercussions for their initial decision to leave the team "high and dry?"

 

Is it really right to have players vote on their return? What player would vote NO even if they wanted to? Peer pressure would certainly cause them to vote YES.

 

How will the underclassmen feel at the end of the season when and if they still don't make the playoffs?

 

How will they feel at the beginning of next season when the team struggles because players don't have the experience they might have had if the seniors hadn't returned?

 

Will the same thing be allowed of them when they are seniors?

 

It's a big can of worms. I pray it doesn't destroy all Ezell has built to this point.

[Edited by Winner on 1-21-03 4:02P]

 

[hoopsmom21]

jacketpride:

who is the team to beat??? ezell i think not. goodpasture still is the team to beat. nobody is jealous of what ezell may or may not have. didnt dca win that game last night. thats what i thought. either way look for goodpasture at the top of the district.

[shay]

hey hoops, you act like it was a shut-out or something. The last time I checked a 1 point difference is not that great. Its like a free throw. I could see you braggin if it were like 10-98 or something but come on. One Point. Please.

[mason1bball]

it really doesnt matter if they came back or not cause we (ba) just beat them by 30 something points. i hope that doesnt come across in a jerk manner but its true.. the 3 guys didnt start, but came in about 3 minutes into the game, and we're they're only offense.

[FloridaBoy]

Yes..and mason can go back to Div II and give some more "financial aid." Don't all of us 1A schools could give "financial aid"

[sbcoach]

cw160: Not to step on toes, but this thread and the first post are the major problem with coaching in high schools today. A coach made a decision - and parents don't like it. So the parents now are going to sabotage the coach because they don't have the faith that the coach is doing the right thing for the team."

Not stepping on any toes either. I don't have connection to EH, just making observation from comments on thread. I'm sure the parents are supporting actions of this coach or you would be hearing more from it. You make some good suggestions, just not sure if any other stones were being thrown :confused: