Greetings from Maine everyone! I hope you are all staying warm while I'm up here watching the snow fall and hoping the thermometer doesnt drop below -20 tonight... Hard to believe that practice is just a few short months away.
I would like to discuss our role in our players lives on the academic side of things. here is my situation:
In my school (as you might remember, very small rural school) most coaches are also teachers in the school. Also, the basketball program is a huge fixture in the community. For whatever reason, they really rally around basketball. the bball coach is a teacher as am I while coaching our baseball team.
Every time basketball season comes around, the coach sends out a big email to all staff about "these young men are students first and athletes second...yadda yadda...here is our full roster of players. If any of them are experiencing academic dufficulty and are in danger of getting kicked off the team, please let me know ASAP and i will work with them personally to get back up to snuff." The coach will personally check up on kids when they are in study hall, keep them for academic detentions. at the beginning of the season, he also gives them a chart to go around to all of their teachers and have them check off to make sure they are in good standing in each class. most of the time he is able to drag a couple kids across the finish line and uphold their academic eligibility throughout the season, but as soon as basketball is done, they are back to their old ways. and the kids get the mindset that they can get away with murder because this coach will be there to bail them out. also, the kids who are genuinely hard working good students, are not getting extra time with the coach. they start to resent the other kid and wonder why they themselves don't deserve more attention from coach.
My question is: is this normal? do you agree or disagree with it, and why or why not?
heres my .02.... I want hard working, motivated, intelligent kids on my team. Kids who know how to handle pressure and stress and hold high standards for themselves. Its my job to nurture these qualities. However, to a degree, the kid has to want it himself. If you know what its like to work your tail off in math class and strive for a good grade, that will translate to your ability to work hard and perform under pressure on the field. I don't want kids on my team that i have to coddle like this. More often than not, i think they are terrible clubhouse guys and can drag the whole team down to their level. Also, I don't have the time or energy to put into checking in on these kids just so they can play on my team and (most likely) not rise to the occasion. Im thinking about making this clear at my parent night when it comes around. Of course there is always exceptions: The kid who really genuinely is special ed, the star player whose girlfriend just dumped him, parents just split up and had to get a job to help make ends meet at home...These are kids who you take some extra time and invest in when they are down... they will get back up. But kids who have been down their whole lives just for the sake of being lazy...i don't have room for them on my team. I don't really care how small my school is.
So what does everyone think? is this practice common? Am i being harsh? has someone been through all of this and has found a nice middle ground? I would love to hear from people more experienced. I'm 26 and am just going into my 2nd season as coach here so I'm all ears. Thanks in advance.