CaCO3Girl posted:3and2, it was an interesting JV year for sure.... There was some insanity going on...if it didn't work the first 5 times not sure why they are still trying it...and there was some inexperience in the coaching staff.
A great coach can turn a mediocre team into a winning team. A bad, but well meaning and confused, coach can have a lot of wonderful pieces but if he doesn't know how to use them the team doesn't do well.
Caco, I'll give you a different perspective on JV and JV coaches... I know you have heard some version of this before.
As a V coach, top priority in placing a JV coach is that he can develop (and allow development) as many players as possible. I set guidelines, depending on the year, like no P throws more than 4 IP in a week (so that we are developing at least 5-6 P's. I want every player to get a start and 3 AB's at least every 3rd game. Yes, the best players will get the most innings but I want it spread out.
The one thing that I can 100% count on with HS baseball is attrition between JV and V. I will lose players to transfers, grades, girls, other sports, cars, jobs, parents, behavior issues, peer pressure, unsatisfied with PT/role, etc., etc. Some will be the best players, the ones we envision as key contributors down the road. As 3and2 mentioned, JV is largely for development for V. If my JV coach is focused primarily on winning, which means he will likely focus on best 7-10 players, I could very well end up losing most of those by the time they can contribute to our V program. Not good for the program. I want the mentality to be development of every player and try to win with a set of PT parameters without feeling the need to alter those parameters when games are close. Parents won't understand this. But that's what the program needs him to do. Kid is throwing a no hitter thru 4 IP and is fresh? ... don't care, pull him and put in the next guy. 3 hitter is 3-3, due up next inning in a close game but it is his turn to take a seat in the rotation? ... don't care, pull him and put in the next guy. Win with the next guy. Develop all who show any degree of potential. Now, I do give some leeway but my experience is that if you give much leeway on this, the coach caves to the pressure to win that JV game and to not look stupid to the parents. I'm not saying play the kids who flat out don't care or don't work hard enough to earn opportunity but DEVELOP and DEVELOP as deep as possible.
Also, I may see something in a kid, some combination of work ethic, throwing action, athleticism, swing, game awareness, whatever... that I think will play out down the road. So, I ask JV coach to make sure he get's his share of innings even though his immediate results don't warrant. Parents won't see that at all. This will sound harsh, but I have a few kids this year that have shown me that they have the physical ability (a few of the "better jv players") but not the mental capacity to contribute for us later. So, I cap their innings at JV. Why take away PT from someone else that potentially may help us next year? No way parents see or understand that. And JV coach is not going to share this type of stuff with parents.
No idea of whether any of this applies at all to your situation but sometimes it's not always what it seems.