'09 D-1 son picked school for Coach--now leaving--

bobby9, I'm so sorry about your son's predicament. I can only imagine what is going through your minds.

Hopefully, others with way more experience will chime in, but here are a few thoughts.

You say your son is "pretty sure he wants to stay." Is this because he loves the school in general? If so, that bodes well. If he doesn't like the school and was going there only for baseball, you may want to re-think things.

Where is the coach who is leaving headed? To another D1 or to a JUCO? Has he broached the topic of your son transferring to his school? (Of course, if your son signed an NLI, he will have to sit out for a year if he transfers to another D1 program.)

Do you know who the new coach will be? Has he contacted your son yet? It would be prudent to make a few discreet inquiries about this new coach and his assistants and find out about his reputation at his former school also what types of players he values. (Some like speed, some value height/weight, some attach more value to a good glove than others.) If you'd like tips on how to learn about this coach, PM me.

Best wishes to your son!

What are the circumstances for the coach leaving? Could be a good thing or a bad thing for you son.

It's not uncommon for the recruiting head coach, and the players head coach, to wind up being two wholly separate persons. Once the player is on campus, there can be quite the transformation from the doting, attentive, soft spoken, best friend coach, to the more normal everyday, grind it out, coach.

If your son chose the school, then the school is a good choice. If your son chose the coach, then perhaps you should go back to the drawing board and think about what school he'd like to attend rather than what coach he'd like to play for. JMHO

One thing that I have seen happen here in Florida is that when a new coach comes in to turn a program around, it is not uncommon for that coach to "clean house" and find his own recruits. At the University of Central Florida there is a new coach and he has not renewed many of the scholarships that were previously in place. As CPLZ suggests the recruiter and the head coach may have different responsibilities, but I would want to fully comprehend the ramifications of the head coach leaving, particularly with the new transfer rules in place. About a dozen players are looking for a home in Central Florida after the housecleaning there.

I feel your pain!

The problem now is, if you get a release you'll miss a year of baseball, won't you? Or does that not apply to incoming recruits who haven't matriculated just yet?

Also there are often restrictions on moving within your conference as well.

You might want to wait and see who gets hired, then meet with him and evaluate the whole package again.

Moral of the story is, make sure you like the school for the school, because while there is a reasonable expectation the coaches will still be there, in some % of cases, they won't be, or won't be for your entire time there. Assistant positions turn over even more frequently.

quote:

it is not uncommon for that coach to "clean house" and find his own recruits. At the University of Central Florida there is a new coach and he has not renewed many of the scholarships that were previously in place....About a dozen players are looking for a home in Central Florida after the housecleaning there.

The same thing happened a few years ago when Rob Childress became head coach at Texas A&M.

If your son cannot tranfer to another D1 without sitting out for a year and he doesn't want to stay where he is, he can always attend a JUCO first and then sign with another D1.

quote:

Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
The problem now is, if you get a release you'll miss a year of baseball, won't you? Or does that not apply to incoming recruits who haven't matriculated just yet?

The sit out applies to both NLI and students on campus. The difference is, that the school can release you from your NLI and then you are free to change without sitting a year. Once you take your first class at a school though, you are bound, and sitting out is mandatory without a release from the school and an NCAA waiver (this applies more to non scholarshipped players)

This happened to our son. He turned down numerous scholarships to go to one school with a particular outstanding coach. But the coach and the entire coaching staff left for a rival school. We pondered it, consulted local coaches, decided it was really about school, knew he was protected by a scholarship, and trusted they would get a good new coach. Meanwhile, the athletic director assured us everything would work out. They got a good coach but he didn't like our son like the last coach. Then conference rules prohibited transfer to another school within the conference and NLI rules required him to sit out a year if he transferred to another D1. In retrospect, it would have been better to enroll in a local JC and save the hassle. Within a year, most of the recruits from the former coach had left. We learned a lot about baseball being a business. Everything worked out in the end, as our son is at another D1 now. There is no bitterness, as it just was not a good fit. In my opinion, the school is never a good fit if the coach doesn't connect with your player.

Not sure this applies to you, as you may be in a different situation vis a vis the amount of the scholarship, position he plays, quality of the D1 program, distance to the school, availability of quality JC's, and academic situation. I have read numerous stories on this site where a new coach coming in worked out perfectly for a current player, but the problem is that a freshman has no track record.

In my opinion , coaching changes rarely turn out well. The new coaches inherit a team that is not THEIR TEAM. I have seen and heard horror stories.

Quotes:

"One thing that I have seen happen here in Florida is that when a new coach comes in to turn a program around, it is not uncommon for that coach to "clean house" and find his own recruits."

"The new coaches inherit a team that is not THEIR TEAM."

bobby9,

It might turn out fine for your son, but there are definitely some parents here who have sons that saw the negative side of a coaching change.

My son chose a college (D3) for a mix of good reasons - the school atmosphere, academics, location, baseball - but the #1 reason on the list was the head coach. He was that head coach's #1 recruit that year and was told some very encouraging things after Fall season of freshman year. Unfortunately, the night of their first pre-season game of spring season (a few weeks before regular season started), the coach resigned for personal/family reasons (unrelated to baseball - the players loved him and he was doing a great job). The assistant coach took over from that point on and eventually became the new head coach.

The new head coach was knowledgeable and a decent guy, but as noted above, he was eager to make his mark on HIS program, his first HC assignment. He brought in many JUCO transfers (mostly pitchers) for the next two years, and worked very hard to give HIS recruits chances to succeed. Basically at that point, the new coach's recruits have to prove they CANNOT play, and the previous coach's recruits better not have a bad inning.

Take all of the comments above with a grain of salt, and filter them through your own son's views of the school and all the other factors. Also factor in that becoming a starter in freshman year is not really the norm. Many talented college players don't get a lot of playing time until sophomore year or later.

Best wishes, and keep us updated!

Julie

If you kid really wants to play baseball, he needs to play for a program that really wants/values him as a player. All bets are off with a regime change, its important to talk to the new coach asap and evaluate the new coach's level of interest in your son as a player on his team.

fyi, my son liked the D1 school he was at but was not enjoying college due his lack of PT. He left for a JC and became much happier person/player.

I have seen so many different scenarios. I personally think if you ask the coach he is going to be diplomatic until he gets his chance to bring in his own people. Why wold he cut his own throat until he has a chance to recruit.
One player I know who played D1 in Arkansas had a new coach for his JR year. New coach pulled him aside and told him to look for 3 new roommates. He let all three go. The new coach lasted 2 years and he was let go.
I have been saying this for years that coaching changes can be devastating. It is a **** shoot.

I think you have to think about why a coach has left a program to try to figure out whether he (new coach) is going to make drastic changes.
As an example, UCF was one situation. The reason the new coach turned over the staff was because there wasn't a good job done in recruiting, obviously. It's very difficult if a coach has to come to a program and turn it around and he has the right to make changes if he feels it is necessary.

If Coach Fox at UNC decided to resign tomorrow, would a new coach have to go out searching for better players? Probably not.

If a coach leaves a winning program to move up to a larger program that already is successful, does he have to make changes. Probably not.

If a coach is fired, he's been because he wasn't getting the job done, and most likely the new coach has to make changes.

Do you have to worry if you are a highly recruited player, probably not, marginal player, maybe so.

Although I admit my son chose his school to work under his pitching coach, we discussed the possibilities that he could leave. He would have been disappointed but he also chose the school for other things as well. You have to make sure that the fit works for all considerations, location, degree, class size, athletics, friendships, exposure. etc., whatever you are looking for tio make yor college experience well rounded. If you put all of your eggs in one basket you are not gonna be happy.

Never make an early decision based upon the coaching staff, it can change.

I would suggest that your son remain with his commitment, as he made that to the school, not to the coaching staff. Players have to learn to adjust to all situations. This is a big part of baseball. If your son has any aspirations or ability of playing pro ball get used to it, you can have in one season several different managers and coaches every month.

Do players get along with new coaches, some yes some no. You might also find that after your son has been recruited for months, or a year, sets foot on campus, the honeymoon is over and he may not even end of liking the guy who recruited him in the first place. Most players get to know the recruiting coach very well and know nothing about the Head Coach until he arrives. The Head Coach is the guy you have to answer to everyday, whether you like him or not, whether he likes you or not, and this is a big part of growing up as well.


JMO.

Thank you everyone...we have a lot to think about.
I guess the one thing is the coach left for a promotion. The current program is indeed successful. What an uneasy feeling though!

Good News ALL! The college has hired the new head coach who actually played a significant role in recruiting him before he signed.He called my son a few days ago and is very excited about the incoming 09' recruits. My son is both relieved and enthusiastic about the new hire.

bobby9, that is wonderful news! It's great that your son will be coached by someone who is already aware and appreciative of his talents and abilities. Best wishes to your son this coming year!