KnightTime--I cannot recall in any post stating that I am seeking a utopia or that there is any great coaching conspiracy. Quite the opposite on both points.
I reject any notion of a utopia and have accepted the realities of this world for what they are. You have to figure them out and work within that framework. It is far from perfect, but God makes it pretty clear that we all are far from perfect and that this world is far from perfect (as a result of Man's Original Sin and the subsequent sin of all people). Perfection is God's to grant us through His Grace and the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. . . but we will not enjoy it until the next life. So, no, I have no illusions about utopia on Earth and would never call for it. I am just stating my views on life's realities. I have found that they cannot be navigated unless they are first understood. And my view is that 75% of us are in that crunch and are scratching our way, as best we can, towards the top. I have never met anyone with any ambition who did not fit this mold, whether in the 5%, the 20%, or the 75%. We all want to do better. It's just that we have to figure out what we can succeed at and then find out how to negotiate the way up in that endeavor. I certainly do not pretend to have a monopoly on knowledge, wisdoem, or insight. I would happily respect any reasonable alternate view you wish to set forth.
As for the "coaching conspiracy," I reject that as well. No such thing exists. What does exist is the one character trait with which all coaches (i.e., all people) are endowed--fallibility. That does not mean that they all get together and figure out how to make mistakes together. It simply means that each of them, on his own, makes human mistakes. Accept that. It seems to me that your responses would indicate that you see them as infallible (are you, then, not the one seeking utopia?). It is nothing I would not say about anyone else--you, me, Coach Bob Knight, Coach John Wooden, Coach John Thompson, President Bush, Billy Graham, the Pope, the Queen, my son, my wife. Get the point. Each of us makes mistakes. Also, each of us acts, every split second of our lives, on our prejudices, our preferences, our tastes. . . Which leads us to make decisions about people. So, naturally, coaches make decisions on the 75% in the crunch, the bulk of any team, using these distinguishers. All I am saying is that a kid and dad and mom have to accept that reality, figure out how to work it to the kid's advantage, and get into the few who get the opportunity to play and fulfill the coach's genius and prophecy. If you don't do that, you sit the bench and Timmy gets that opportunity even if Timmy is no better than your kid. So, no, I do not see a conspiracy. Only what I perceive to the realities of life.