Baseball
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Nicholas, I think you've identified the problem. He's varsity material and so, why waste his time on the JV. The real solution would be for the Varsity coach to give him the ax from varsity because of his attitude. JMHO!
Nicholas,
IMO, as JV coach you are developing players for the V team and so, the V HC is sort of your boss (so to speak) and major decisions should be run through him. It is your job to keep V coach informed on everything happening at JV level and discuss best course of action for all players regarding make or cut, practice plans, playing time, discipline, how to best reach a player and get the most from them, etc. Some bosses allow more autonomy than others and some are more hands on than others but they still run the whole ship.
There is certainly nothing wrong with removing him from the JV lineup if he is not meeting your required efforts, attitude, etc (assuming you have this much autonomy). However, when it comes to releasing him from the program, I would think that the V coach would and should want to be involved in the decision making process. For you, the benefit of being involved with both programs is that you can collaborate on such issues fairly easily with the varsity HC because you are with him every day. Hopefully, the two of you are on the same page enough to where you can mutually agree upon best course of action. The players will benefit most from such a joint effort.
I have seen this go both ways with such players - sometimes the right message is sent and the player responds, sometimes he doesn't respond to anything and the team is better off without the negatives that come along with him.
Best of luck!
IMO, as JV coach you are developing players for the V team and so, the V HC is sort of your boss (so to speak) and major decisions should be run through him. It is your job to keep V coach informed on everything happening at JV level and discuss best course of action for all players regarding make or cut, practice plans, playing time, discipline, how to best reach a player and get the most from them, etc. Some bosses allow more autonomy than others and some are more hands on than others but they still run the whole ship.
There is certainly nothing wrong with removing him from the JV lineup if he is not meeting your required efforts, attitude, etc (assuming you have this much autonomy). However, when it comes to releasing him from the program, I would think that the V coach would and should want to be involved in the decision making process. For you, the benefit of being involved with both programs is that you can collaborate on such issues fairly easily with the varsity HC because you are with him every day. Hopefully, the two of you are on the same page enough to where you can mutually agree upon best course of action. The players will benefit most from such a joint effort.
I have seen this go both ways with such players - sometimes the right message is sent and the player responds, sometimes he doesn't respond to anything and the team is better off without the negatives that come along with him.
Best of luck!
Nicholas 25, I am curious. What is his attitude in the classroom? Is he a productive student in the classroom? Does he have other external issues that may contribute to your assessment of him?
I'm asking this because I have had a few players over the years that made me feel this way about them. As a matter of fact I was probably one of those type players.
Luckily for me I had a JV coach that I hated playing for but that turned into the utmost respect from me when I realized that he was not going to let me quit on myself. I cannot say that for a couple of players that I had on various squads. One in particular had so much God given ability but a miserable home environment that he could not come to grips with. Bottom line was he moved to San Diego after his sophomore year and then ran away from home and ended up back in the town I was in and made a poor decision about friend asociation and ended up in rehab shortly thereafter.The other one I will describe here was gifted as a pitcher but decided that he knew it all and wasted away shortly after his junior year. He left on his own accord and has been bitter about life in general ever since. That was over ten years ago. His problem began a few years before and also could be attributed to home issues.
In ending, I will just say that I discovered that old JV coach spent a lot of extra time getting to know each and every player he had every year on a personal level.In my case, I went from being an at risk statistic to a collegiate player. The impact the man had on me went way beyond the field and I still draw from his wisdom to this day.I'll leave you with this quote; "Baseball is life."
I'm asking this because I have had a few players over the years that made me feel this way about them. As a matter of fact I was probably one of those type players.
Luckily for me I had a JV coach that I hated playing for but that turned into the utmost respect from me when I realized that he was not going to let me quit on myself. I cannot say that for a couple of players that I had on various squads. One in particular had so much God given ability but a miserable home environment that he could not come to grips with. Bottom line was he moved to San Diego after his sophomore year and then ran away from home and ended up back in the town I was in and made a poor decision about friend asociation and ended up in rehab shortly thereafter.The other one I will describe here was gifted as a pitcher but decided that he knew it all and wasted away shortly after his junior year. He left on his own accord and has been bitter about life in general ever since. That was over ten years ago. His problem began a few years before and also could be attributed to home issues.
In ending, I will just say that I discovered that old JV coach spent a lot of extra time getting to know each and every player he had every year on a personal level.In my case, I went from being an at risk statistic to a collegiate player. The impact the man had on me went way beyond the field and I still draw from his wisdom to this day.I'll leave you with this quote; "Baseball is life."
Just a guess, but the kid would be thrilled to not "have to" play jv and just be on the varsity full-time regardless of playing time.
Coach, it will be a tough decision either way you go.Personally I usually have a talk with both the parent(s) and the player outlining what is expected of all involved. In addition I will also have them all sign a "contract" that holds everyone accountable indicating that they know what the team concept is and there will be disciplanary reprecussion for non compliance.
This will range from benching to suspension to dismisal from the team and it does not have to be in that order.
I don't agree with the term "lesser" personally but that is your view. About that player, if he has done everything that has been asked of him and always gives 100%, you're darned right I will find him some PT.
He may be a "lesser" talent individually but I would almost bet my bottom nickle that he will elevate the squad as a whole because that "ATTITUDE" is the contagious ingredient that I want.
Just a reminder that this is just an opinion and you will have to do what fits your own style.
This will range from benching to suspension to dismisal from the team and it does not have to be in that order.
I don't agree with the term "lesser" personally but that is your view. About that player, if he has done everything that has been asked of him and always gives 100%, you're darned right I will find him some PT.
He may be a "lesser" talent individually but I would almost bet my bottom nickle that he will elevate the squad as a whole because that "ATTITUDE" is the contagious ingredient that I want.
Just a reminder that this is just an opinion and you will have to do what fits your own style.
Nicholas 25...can you give some examples of behaviors that lead you to say he has a "bad attitude" and is "uncoachable?" I think this would give some greater insight into the type of player you are dealing with.
I ask for behaviors because "uncoachable" and "poor attitude" is very vague and general. It can mean different things to different coaches.
I think the sentence that is most telling about how you should handle the situation is
A player's attitude truly becomes a problem only when he brings down the talent around him. Can you give detailed examples of this happening to your team?
You also might want to communicate the specific behaviors that you want him to eliminate. This is a much more constructive way to criticize and correct a players attitude than just telling him he has a poor attitude and asking him to be more coachable. Focus on behaviors you want to see out of him and listen to his concerns or reasons he hasn't displayed those behaviors in the past.
I ask for behaviors because "uncoachable" and "poor attitude" is very vague and general. It can mean different things to different coaches.
I think the sentence that is most telling about how you should handle the situation is
quote:His attitude and behavior is frustrating his teammates as well.
A player's attitude truly becomes a problem only when he brings down the talent around him. Can you give detailed examples of this happening to your team?
You also might want to communicate the specific behaviors that you want him to eliminate. This is a much more constructive way to criticize and correct a players attitude than just telling him he has a poor attitude and asking him to be more coachable. Focus on behaviors you want to see out of him and listen to his concerns or reasons he hasn't displayed those behaviors in the past.
I still think you have to think about the program as a whole. If you were to cut him from JV but leave him on V, that seems like a very mixed message at best. It could make sense if it were the other way around but...
The bench is your best friend. If he's not meeting the stated expectations he doesn't need to play.
If he is playing varsity, why would he care about being cut from JV? How would that force him to change his behavior?
Nicholas the thing we need to know is what did you tell the varsity head coach and what did he say in response? Maybe it's different at your school and you have the freedom / power to get rid of someone but everywhere I've been or seen that power soley resides with the varsity head coach.
Also, don't get too big for your britches in running your JV team. It's nice to take ownership and will help you down the line when you become a varsity head coach but don't make decisions / tell the JV team things that contradict what the varsity head coach do or say. Maybe I'm reading the things you writing wrong but several times I've gotten the impression your leaving the varsity head coach out of the loop in what you're doing.
If you get rid of this kid from JV and he's still on varsity you're not seding anybody any kind of message. He doesn't want to be on JV and you're not helping him any by getting rid of him. You're also showing the other guys on JV "hey if I complain enough they might move me up once I start dressing for them". If you bench him on JV then he's going to become an even bigger cancer because now he will sit on the bench telling everyone how he's being done wrong.
My advice is CYA - go to the head coach and tell him how you feel. He has to listen to you because now it's his problem (rightfully so) and not your's. If the varsity HC moves him up to varsity only this kid is now his problem. If the varsity HC removes him from varsity to where he's JV it's still going to be his problem but now you can start the work on trying to make him understand. Regardless of what happens make sure the HC meets with the parents or allows you to meet with the parents. I understand they probably won't listen but this goes directly to CYA. If they know first hand from you or the HC of what Little Johnny's problem is they won't be caught off guard if he is dismissed from the team.
Also, keep the AD and principal aware of what's going on because if you do pull the trigger and dismiss him from one of the teams or altogether from the program they will be the ones hearing about it first. They hate getting calls from parents that blindside them. Give them all the information that way if a phone call is made they can continue to say the same things that you're saying.
I'm not saying don't kick kids off the team because sometimes things have to happen but give them enough rope to do something. They can either use the rope to get help to pull themselves out of the hole they dug or they can use it to hang themselves. I can honestly say I don't feel that I've ever kicked a kid off a team but I'm sure others will say differently. I laid out the expectations / requirements to be on the team and if a kid doesn't meet / follow them they are making the decision to leave the team due to the fact they don't want to follow the rules. I realize it's a semantic arguement but I feel comfortable in the way I handle it.
Also, don't get too big for your britches in running your JV team. It's nice to take ownership and will help you down the line when you become a varsity head coach but don't make decisions / tell the JV team things that contradict what the varsity head coach do or say. Maybe I'm reading the things you writing wrong but several times I've gotten the impression your leaving the varsity head coach out of the loop in what you're doing.
If you get rid of this kid from JV and he's still on varsity you're not seding anybody any kind of message. He doesn't want to be on JV and you're not helping him any by getting rid of him. You're also showing the other guys on JV "hey if I complain enough they might move me up once I start dressing for them". If you bench him on JV then he's going to become an even bigger cancer because now he will sit on the bench telling everyone how he's being done wrong.
My advice is CYA - go to the head coach and tell him how you feel. He has to listen to you because now it's his problem (rightfully so) and not your's. If the varsity HC moves him up to varsity only this kid is now his problem. If the varsity HC removes him from varsity to where he's JV it's still going to be his problem but now you can start the work on trying to make him understand. Regardless of what happens make sure the HC meets with the parents or allows you to meet with the parents. I understand they probably won't listen but this goes directly to CYA. If they know first hand from you or the HC of what Little Johnny's problem is they won't be caught off guard if he is dismissed from the team.
Also, keep the AD and principal aware of what's going on because if you do pull the trigger and dismiss him from one of the teams or altogether from the program they will be the ones hearing about it first. They hate getting calls from parents that blindside them. Give them all the information that way if a phone call is made they can continue to say the same things that you're saying.
I'm not saying don't kick kids off the team because sometimes things have to happen but give them enough rope to do something. They can either use the rope to get help to pull themselves out of the hole they dug or they can use it to hang themselves. I can honestly say I don't feel that I've ever kicked a kid off a team but I'm sure others will say differently. I laid out the expectations / requirements to be on the team and if a kid doesn't meet / follow them they are making the decision to leave the team due to the fact they don't want to follow the rules. I realize it's a semantic arguement but I feel comfortable in the way I handle it.
give the kid a ticket out of town
I predict you will get more out of the JV team if you cut this kid. He is undermining your authority and bringing the rest of the team down.
Plus, you are doing this kid a dis-service by putting up with sub-standard behavior.
Plus, you are doing this kid a dis-service by putting up with sub-standard behavior.
twotex I completely agree with what you said but I think the issue here is it's not Nicholas' decision. This has to come from the varsity HC.
