On Thursday morning my son lost one of those special people in his life that had such a positive influence and helped to make him the special person that he is. Being so unexpected, the questions of why do things like this happen to such great people, and the only answer is that he did all that he could here on earth, and he was badly needed upstairs to help straighten things out, even if for recruiting for the man upstairs.
That person, Coach Mike Roberts of Coral Springs, was the founder of the Pokers, the first travel program of it's kind in south florida which began in the 90's. This organization, still in existance, has no affiliation with the organization that posts here or you may see at 16 and up tournaments. Mike had essentially quit in 2004 but resumed the program when his grandson was old enough to begin playing.
Mike's program became a model for many of the travel teams of today that offer opportunities to be seen in front of the right people for players to obtain scholarships in programs that are specifically right for that particular player. Two years is the max that players ever played for him as the program was built for recruiting, specifically for junior or senior summer. It was at that time about 60 games (not counting regional playoffs) in 60 days, included travel to college campuses in the south and southeast, and a trip to the CWS. This trip to Omaha, I beleive, was the incentive for my son who got ot Omaha in 2006 with his own team, as well as embracing coaches philosophy of "be the best you can be, on and off the field, and great things will happen in your life".
There are probably not many people here that would remember him or even know him, but back in those days the teams that we played against were the top teams in the country, Ohio Warhawks, Bombers, Orlando Scorpions, Renegades, Dallas Mustangs, Memphis Tigers, just to name a few and all had Connie Mack affiliation. Our home field was FAU.
Coaches from all types of D1 programs and mlb scouts were at every game, and it was Mike who took care of all the arrangements between college coaches and players. Sometimes he didn't play you when a coach from a players dream school showed up, because he didn't feel that player would benefit from that program, he determined who played and in front of whom. Some people didn't like that, pulled their players out, but reality was that everyone ended up where they belonged, and there wasn't a whole bunch of transfering from his players(when it was easier that it was now) because coach helped to identify the best fit for each player. If not for this program, son most likely would not have been a Clemson Tiger. Sully told me once that they signed DK because of the recommendations of coach, not just his bb skills.
I am not quite sure, hard to tell but at his memorial service yesterday there were well over 600+ people attending and not a dry eye in the house. This was a testament to who Mike Roberts was and what he stood for. How many people do you know that have had that many attend a memorial service or on the early morning of New Year's Eve?
Mike Roberts had a passion for life, family and the game like no one my son or we had ever met. He was not by any means an easy man to play for, he was by far the most demanding coach in my son's life. If you didn't do what was expected of you, you were cut, got your money you invested and even if on the road handed a plane ticket home. The man worked year round with his staff and players to raise funds so players could, that couldn't afford, all of the expenses got the opportunity to be a Poker, in other words, it was NEVER was about the money but opportunities for young men to follow and pursue their dream. If the well ran dry end of season, he took money out of his own pocket.
So why am I writing this? Mike Roberts also instilled in me a sense of passion during sons recruiting phase, one of the reasons why I still post here today. Recruiting has changed but it hasn't if you understand what I am saying, there are still basic concepts that one needs to follow, whether you play for a team such such as the ones that have the same philosophy as Coach Roberts or you tackle the project on your own, there are always people here willing to help you with advice and many times because of people that have touched their lives or their players, and please understand that you DO NOT have to have been or be a coach, or run a recruiting business to understand how it works. In fact, as I always say, be very careful to whom you entrust your son/daughter to play for, it may not always be the best team or it may not always be the worst, but the people who you entrust your players future (and your money) is the most important factor. And keep in mind just because someone charges for advice, doesn't mean they have the ability to know the people you might need to in order to get signed.
I wish you all and your players a very happy and healthy New Year. Embrace them each day and tell you how much you love them, because you never know when the big man upstairs will call upon you or them.
Enjoy the game, but most of all enjoy life!
TPM
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