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How to Deal with a Problem Coach


DieHardCubFan

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I want to pose a question for some input and expert opinions on a situation that I have been witnessing taking place for the past few months and wanted to see what you all would do about it. 

There is an athletic program (not at a public school, but nonetheless a "school") where the "coach" of the basketball team gets a stipend from the parents whose sons play for the team.  This team has some very talented upperclassmen playing who are not only very good players, but rather tall (6'05", 6'04", 6'02", etc.).  For the past three months, the coach and his "volunteer assistant coaches/dads" have been starting (and playing, for most of the game) their own sons, who are not only freshmen and sophomores, but are not even very good.  All these coaches' sons do are try to shoot long-range 3-pointers, yet half of the time, they can't even hit the basket, much less the backboard.  Since these coaches have been playing their sons, they have not won a game (something like 10 losses in a row) and even lost to a local private school by close to 50 points.

In other words, other than being the head coach's son and his assistants' sons...they'd be on the bench or better yet, playing on the JV team. 

How would the great membership here on Smoaky.com handle this situation?

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After reading the original post completely, I figured out what situation you are talking about.

I don't know how that whole setup works, but I guess if those kids on the bench are not happy, they have their choices of schools to attend.

I don't know the head coach or the assistants - but if a coach is fine getting beat while playing his own child, I think that it should be reconsidered whether or not he is the right person to be the coach.

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1 hour ago, uniballer said:

After reading the original post completely, I figured out what situation you are talking about.

I don't know how that whole setup works, but I guess if those kids on the bench are not happy, they have their choices of schools to attend.

I don't know the head coach or the assistants - but if a coach is fine getting beat while playing his own child, I think that it should be reconsidered whether or not he is the right person to be the coach.

Some parents fail to realize that at private schools, parents and donors have all of the power...  

I know first hand, that if you donate your time, pay your tuition, and are pretty well off, all you have to do is whisper in the right ear and that coach will not be at the school the next year...

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7 hours ago, MavGrad99 said:

Some parents fail to realize that at private schools, parents and donors have all of the power...  

I know first hand, that if you donate your time, pay your tuition, and are pretty well off, all you have to do is whisper in the right ear and that coach will not be at the school the next year...

This is a home-school team coached by former(uil) HS basketball coach.

 

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11 hours ago, MavGrad99 said:

Some parents fail to realize that at private schools, parents and donors have all of the power...  

I know first hand, that if you donate your time, pay your tuition, and are pretty well off, all you have to do is whisper in the right ear and that coach will not be at the school the next year...

I work at a private school - while what you are saying may be true in some circles, it is not always the truth.  While parents and donors have influence on many things, the right AD will not hire and fire coaches based on that agenda.  I can say with pretty high certainty that is not the case here.

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1 hour ago, uniballer said:

I work at a private school - while what you are saying may be true in some circles, it is not always the truth.  While parents and donors have influence on many things, the right AD will not hire and fire coaches based on that agenda.  I can say with pretty high certainty that is not the case here.

Don't know who is there now, but I can assure you it happened there many years ago. 

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2 hours ago, uniballer said:

I work at a private school - while what you are saying may be true in some circles, it is not always the truth.  While parents and donors have influence on many things, the right AD will not hire and fire coaches based on that agenda.  I can say with pretty high certainty that is not the case here.

I worked at one of the elite educational private schools in Ft Worth 8-10 years ago... certain circles ran that school.  From what I learned from many other educators at the other schools is that it is pretty much that way everywhere... losing a group of donors could be the difference in $500k a year for those schools... so I get it... I don't have to like it or agree with it though.

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1 hour ago, blesseddaily said:

Don't know who is there now, but I can assure you it happened there many years ago. 

Yeah, I'm not sure - just my second full time year around here, but I don't see it.

24 minutes ago, MavGrad99 said:

I worked at one of the elite educational private schools in Ft Worth 8-10 years ago... certain circles ran that school.  From what I learned from many other educators at the other schools is that it is pretty much that way everywhere... losing a group of donors could be the difference in $500k a year for those schools... so I get it... I don't have to like it or agree with it though.

I think that when you deal with a private school obviously raising money is key.  And I think that perhaps you would want to make those who give money feel as if their opinion is important, as it probably should be.  My point is just that from what I see on a daily basis, our school people are making decisions based on what they feel is best.  I can honestly say I have not seen a decision that I thought was based on outside influence.  I definitely get the concept and I'm not saying it does not happen at all, I just have not seen it.

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11 minutes ago, uniballer said:

Yeah, I'm not sure - just my second full time year around here, but I don't see it.

I think that when you deal with a private school obviously raising money is key.  And I think that perhaps you would want to make those who give money feel as if their opinion is important, as it probably should be.  My point is just that from what I see on a daily basis, our school people are making decisions based on what they feel is best.  I can honestly say I have not seen a decision that I thought was based on outside influence.  I definitely get the concept and I'm not saying it does not happen at all, I just have not seen it.

which is good.  it really is... you don't feel like you have to look over your shoulder.  But I saw a great girls basketball coach get fired because a certain student didn't play enough.  It was the difference in $400k a year... So basically this mom donated $320k a year after her 4 kids' tuition.  It was crazy...  She wasn't even discrete about it.  It was like "I am going to take my donations to ______ if this coach isn't fired."  The mom was one of the high rollers at American Airlines...  Her daughter always got the best treatment in my training room 😉 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just an update on this situation.  Over the past month or so, an independent set of statistics have been kept which clearly show that the coach's son, his daughter's boyfriend, and his best friend have no reason to be playing on the varsity, much less starting.  However, if one listens to or sees the "stats" that are sent to the players & their parents, you'd think "the chosen ones" are ready for the NBA.

On top of this, last night was Senior Night and there were five seniors on the team.  One these seniors started the last three years, yet the "coach" did not start him (again, on Senior Night) because he received a technical foul in a game last week.  Of course, after the kid got a technical for questioning a call against him, the coach not only benched him, he publicly humiliated the young man in front of his teammates, his parents, and the entire gym.  Of course, his son and even himself, have gotten a multitude of techs this season, but he has never reacted the way he did against this young man.  Not only did the coach not start him, he refused to even play him at all.

What a role model this "coach" is for how NOT to be a coach.

 

Sorry if no one cares about young men who are playing a game, but I have to at least rant as an observer of the game.

 

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41 minutes ago, DieHardCubFan said:

Just an update on this situation.  Over the past month or so, an independent set of statistics have been kept which clearly show that the coach's son, his daughter's boyfriend, and his best friend have no reason to be playing on the varsity, much less starting.  However, if one listens to or sees the "stats" that are sent to the players & their parents, you'd think "the chosen ones" are ready for the NBA.

On top of this, last night was Senior Night and there were five seniors on the team.  One these seniors started the last three years, yet the "coach" did not start him (again, on Senior Night) because he received a technical foul in a game last week.  Of course, after the kid got a technical for questioning a call against him, the coach not only benched him, he publicly humiliated the young man in front of his teammates, his parents, and the entire gym.  Of course, his son and even himself, have gotten a multitude of techs this season, but he has never reacted the way he did against this young man.  Not only did the coach not start him, he refused to even play him at all.

What a role model this "coach" is for how NOT to be a coach.

 

Sorry if no one cares about young men who are playing a game, but I have to at least rant as an observer of the game.

 

Tell the the kid that character is important so don't lose his even others are losing theirs....also tell the kid who got the tech ,that a good judge does not care how others break the law, he only cares why you did it and giving out justice. Remind your boy that God is a good judge and to trust Him and on judgment day God will punish all wrongs, even the ones we are guilty of ourselves.  

Romans 3:23-24 New International Version (NIV)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

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1 hour ago, DieHardCubFan said:

Just an update on this situation.  Over the past month or so, an independent set of statistics have been kept which clearly show that the coach's son, his daughter's boyfriend, and his best friend have no reason to be playing on the varsity, much less starting.  However, if one listens to or sees the "stats" that are sent to the players & their parents, you'd think "the chosen ones" are ready for the NBA.

On top of this, last night was Senior Night and there were five seniors on the team.  One these seniors started the last three years, yet the "coach" did not start him (again, on Senior Night) because he received a technical foul in a game last week.  Of course, after the kid got a technical for questioning a call against him, the coach not only benched him, he publicly humiliated the young man in front of his teammates, his parents, and the entire gym.  Of course, his son and even himself, have gotten a multitude of techs this season, but he has never reacted the way he did against this young man.  Not only did the coach not start him, he refused to even play him at all.

What a role model this "coach" is for how NOT to be a coach.

 

Sorry if no one cares about young men who are playing a game, but I have to at least rant as an observer of the game.

 

I am guessing  your kids is one of the players being benched??

 

Have you attempted to talk to the coach about the situation?? 

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4 hours ago, Nacwagons said:

I am guessing  your kids is one of the players being benched??

 

Have you attempted to talk to the coach about the situation?? 

No, not exactly one of my kids.  However, my nephew is a 6'06" center (who is also the top scorer on the team) on the team.  Another nephew (who is 6'05", by the way and is projected to be even taller) is a sophomore and starts on the JV team.

And trust me, all of the parents have tried to talk to the coach.  He refuses to discuss how he coaches, who he plays, etc.  So does the "athletic director."

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18 hours ago, DieHardCubFan said:

No, not exactly one of my kids.  However, my nephew is a 6'06" center (who is also the top scorer on the team) on the team.  Another nephew (who is 6'05", by the way and is projected to be even taller) is a sophomore and starts on the JV team.

And trust me, all of the parents have tried to talk to the coach.  He refuses to discuss how he coaches, who he plays, etc.  So does the "athletic director."

I think the fact that you have to put athletic director in quotation marks tells you all you need to know.  This is not school sports.  This is a "select" team.  That's not to say that there is no politics in school sports, but I have seen coaches play kids that they couldn't stand because they knew it gave them the best chance to win.  Find a new organization.

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On 1/27/2019 at 10:20 PM, MavGrad99 said:

Some parents fail to realize that at private schools, parents and donors have all of the power...  

I know first hand, that if you donate your time, pay your tuition, and are pretty well off, all you have to do is whisper in the right ear and that coach will not be at the school the next year...

Public schools certain folks have all the power also

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35 minutes ago, JV_COACH said:

Public schools certain folks have all the power also

yep... those 8-12 people that sit on their thrones once a month work behind the scenes to make everyone kiss their toe rings.... I see it all of the time...

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11 hours ago, Stankylegg said:

In this case, I would find a new league to put the kids in.  Base on what has been said here, the coach isn’t going to change, and also based on what has been said here, the kids that aren’t playing would have a real opportunity somewhere else. 

Stanky,

That is exactly what a large group is planning on doing.  The coach will still have his boys (about 4-5) while the others (who are much taller and talented) are going to go elsewhere.  They have some extremely smart and athletically talented young men on this home-school team.  However, their coach has essentially ruined the season for the seniors and upperclassmen so he can play his own kids and their best friends. 

The self-proclaimed "athletic director," who has a long history of doing the same thing (i.e., playing his own kids and their best friends) has finally called a meeting with the parents.  However, he stated that only the "fathers" will be invited to attend.  I'm going just to see how many of the moms show up and let him have it.  (It is going to be some great drama!)

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21 hours ago, miltonbradley said:

I think the fact that you have to put athletic director in quotation marks tells you all you need to know.  This is not school sports.  This is a "select" team.  That's not to say that there is no politics in school sports, but I have seen coaches play kids that they couldn't stand because they knew it gave them the best chance to win.  Find a new organization.

Milton,

It is a home school team from the area.  Not a select team (although there is a very talented select team playing in the home school league out of Dallas that we saw a couple of weekends ago who are could beat most teams in UIL.  And I have always thought that you put your best five players on the court, but not this guy.

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On 2/15/2019 at 7:47 AM, DieHardCubFan said:

Stanky,

That is exactly what a large group is planning on doing.  The coach will still have his boys (about 4-5) while the others (who are much taller and talented) are going to go elsewhere.  They have some extremely smart and athletically talented young men on this home-school team.  However, their coach has essentially ruined the season for the seniors and upperclassmen so he can play his own kids and their best friends. 

The self-proclaimed "athletic director," who has a long history of doing the same thing (i.e., playing his own kids and their best friends) has finally called a meeting with the parents.  However, he stated that only the "fathers" will be invited to attend.  I'm going just to see how many of the moms show up and let him have it.  (It is going to be some great drama!)

Doesn’t sound like an intelligent man.  Dad’s only!  Lol

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I know it's peeps own choice, but I personally don't understand putting a kid in private school...IN TEXAS anyway. I understand it in other states but not here.

Way less politics on public school side, better coaches, better facilties/resources and academics are underrated because folks think dropout rates are what determines good schools or not, when in reality...what a school offers is more important.

Had a cousin go through a similar deal at a Tyler private a few years back. His folks took him out, stuck em at Whitehouse, now he plays in college.

Put your kid in public school. JMO.

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