Missouri Boys Basketball Coaching Movement
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Here's the problem...When you're a parent, you lose all ability to evaluate your child's level of play. There are hardly any exceptions. They exist, just very rare.
In nearly 20 years of being a basketball coach (all but one as an assistant), I've struggled with playing time of a certain player maybe a half dozen times. One time is was enough of a struggle that I mentioned it to our head coach. It boiled down to a difference of opinion about a player's worth, but that was about it. However, most places get multiple parent complaints about playing time every single year. And it's batcrap.
I had a family member a long while back complain about the playing time of his daughter. She was on a horrid 3 or 4 win varsity team. She was so right-handed, she was almost a lefty. 5' tall, couldn't shoot a lick outside of about 12', and obviously couldn't do anything but hammer the ball to the floor with her right hand. Couldn't guard a sole or rebound. Played hard, but she was extremely limited. Her dad, who might be the most sensible guy I know, complained all the time to me (I was in college at the time, and went to quite a few of her games) about her playing time. I finally had to tell him...She's on a horrible team, and isn't getting much PT. Don't you think if she was any good, she'd be playing a bit more? Or something to that effect. That conversation really made me understand most parents just aren't capable of being objective about their child's athletic ability.
I couldn’t agree more. Wonder how many coaches though would be willing to admit that truth when it comes to evaluating their own kids’ abilities?
I’ve often said nothing will get a coach in trouble quicker than if their own son/daughter can’t play, but plays anyway …
It's probably true that most coaches' kids can play a little, but when they can't, I've seen coaches dig in with their own version of reality just as much as any other parent would.
Oh, I totally agree. I meant ALL parents. The above mentioned relative was also a coach. Different sport, but still a coach. And I've seen coaches that are parents have meetings with their kid's coaches complaining about playing time.
Wow. Being a West Platte alum, I completely disagree with this. Coach Higdon did a great job. The results weren’t there but he was building something at WP.
Letting him go due to lack of success I’ve heard. People don’t like losing. But I’m sorry when you have very little talent on the floor you can’t win many games.
You are so right Eagles. Few parents have a clue. My wife and I went to a high percentage of practices. It was pretty easy to see who was the better players. And I think most kids know who is better.
But I had a discussion with my daughters coach her senior year about her starting. Because the junior behind her might have been a bit better. Coach told me that he was going to win maybe 5 games no matter who he started. So he felt she deserved to start. Hard to argue with that.
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Very hard to argue with the logic. When you're not going to win or be competitive, it makes it pretty easy to reward your seniors (especially if they're one that has been with the program for years). Harder decision would be if that player was a soph or frosh. And often times I think people (everyone, coaches...parents....admin...fans) get waaaaaay too caught up in starting vs coming off the bench. I know this isn't always the case, but I'd venture a guess (I could look it up, just too lazy this morning) that our top 8 don't see a variance of more than 5 mins/game most years. Regardless of if they start or come off of the bench. And I'd say most at our level are like this. One you get past the top 8 or so, that gap becomes bigger for most.
So hard for some to realize, but that one key ingredient most winning teams have...TALENT.
Exactly. Feel sorry for the next coach, comes in with little to work with and a short leash from the start. Only way it doesn’t go bad is if they hire a WP Guy.
What a shame. A coach gets a team to respect after a few bad seasons and he is gone. Way to treat a fine young coach.
He was informed that we was to be let go way back in January, but given the "privilege" to resign at the end of the season. Had a group of parents that were upset with playing time and that he was "hard" on his players. Admin was weak, school board listened parents, and some say the assistant played a role in it as well. The parents that were the biggest problem are freshmen and sophomore parents so we will see how this all goes!
http://footballscoop.com/news/frank...complain-coaching-sad-realities-youth-sports/
This article is geared towards youth sports, but the same applies to what you all are talking discussing.
This article is geared towards youth sports, but the same applies to what you all are talking discussing.
It is a shame. Coach Sallin is a great dude and I felt he got a lot out of his team. They were picked I think 7th in the conference preseason and finished 2nd, including being the only team to knock off the champ Eugene. Sidenote: It was after the Eugene win that he was told he wouldn't be brought back.
Coach Sallin is a pretty resilient guy so I am sure he will end up being ok. All he wanted out of coaching was to help turn boys into young men and make Linn competitive like when he was in school. But if he had to decide between teaching life lessons and winning, he would take life lessons every time. He wanted to make an impact off the court more than on the court. Unfortunately parents only want their kid to succeed, they want that college scholarship and feel playing a lot of minutes early is the only way to get it.
Another side note: Linn beat Chamois by 17 (they went to a Class I Final Four) Lost 2 conference games by a total of like 10 points. Dude can coach and people within the area know that. So he could care less what some parents think in the long run.
Stuff like this has to stop. Good young coaches like this don't deserve this. Schools are going to wake up in a few years and not have any coaches at all. Admin needs to take the lead & have these coaches backs!
They won't. In fact, it'll only get worse. There was a time when admin would protect good people. That time is gone.
A wise coach once told me this when I had a conversation with him about buying a house and settling down, "You don't put all of your eggs in one basket as a coach, you're always 4 votes away from being fired."
This is really a big part of what happened with Sallin. Principal and Assistant Principal/AD said "took a bullet for him" by getting him a chance to resign at the end of the season. Anyone with a brain in their head that knows Sallin knows he would never choose to step down for no apparent reason. The parents that complained know they got their way as well. How did the admin take a bullet? He resigns, has said nothing but good things about the players, the school, and everyone around the program. He had been warned to be careful around a coach and then that coach gets the job. To the public, looks like Sallin simply did a bad job and was asked to resign because of winning or whatever they want to believe while the admin and school board look like they just hired a guy that has experience in the program.
He will be back into coaching I am sure if he wants to be. AGAIN. PARENTS is the number 1 reason for the shortage of referees and soon there will be a shortage of coaches! But hey, on the bright side, there are 10-12 coaches in the stands that can step in at any time.
Sidenote: Over 450,000 kids play hs basketball! ONLY 3.6% go on to play NCAA division 1,2 or 3!
He said he is going to take a few years off before getting back into it. He has 3 small kids so he is going to wait until they get older before he starts again. He did mention to me about becoming a ref to stay involved.
He was
the JV coach the past 2 seasons as well. Like I said in an earlier post, he wanted the varsity job so he wasn't much help for Coach Sallin when parents would complain to him. For example parents would say the JV team would beat the varsity in practice, but what didn't get put out their was that the Varsity would have extra limitations put on them or if it wasn't just perfect would have to try again. Examples in scrimmaging JV would get points for offensive rebounds forcing turnovers or get an extra possession even if they got a stop but it wasn't because of good defense it was because the JV guy missed a wide open shot. Therefore JV could compete at a higher level because it was easier for them to get points or get stops. Parents didn't get this info, and never asked Coach Sallin about it, they just took it at face value and thought their kids were better.
All I know is that the new coach may do as well because the graduation of other schools only. It is probably part of the same parents that pulled their kids out of the 7/8th grade fall league because they "didn't want to get beat". Seriously, they had 1 or 2 players show up and made other teams forfeit after paying hundreds of dollars to play! Way to teach the kids.
When do you get rid off a coach? To much losing? Not working the kids hard enough? I think its a tuff question to answer.
