Dual sport pressure

Seems like they really want your son to play basketball.

I think kids should do what they want when it comes to sports.

Also think some over play the benefit of playing multiple sports.  I do think it can be beneficial, if it is something they really enjoy doing, but the facts tell us it isn't necessary.  The Big Leagues have both multi sport HS players and those that only played baseball.  

Lets face it, whether scouts like multi sport players or not,  their decisions are based on baseball ability. Nobody says we don't like Zack Greinke because he just played baseball.

Anyway, either way, I wish your son the best.  He must be athletic if they want him that badly.

Agree with PGStaff. Kids should do what they want when it comes to sports. If you look at the high school kids drafted in the first round in the last three or four years, about 70% of them only played baseball after 9th grade -- clearly, the MLB teams don't value multi-sport athletes that much!

If he loved basketball, it would be different. But think of it this way -- your son has terrific, prototypical size and a real future as a RHP. I suspect he has no future as a post player in basketball -- unless he grows another 4 or 5 inches!

I'm with PG. Son starts soccer next week and its season overlaps baseball for the enitre month of February.  Son REALLY wants to do both, so we parents are staying out of it, and hoping it doesn't hurt his college baseball chances. (Coaches have been okay, too.  Not thrilled, but okay.)  We've known he was going to play so have avoided your dilemma of scheduled camps/PG events. That's a really tough call for you, given your school size and team's situation.  I feel your pain there.

I know the kind of pressure on an athlete that can come with a small school.  I feel your pain. To me, the key thing you said is "He doesn't really like basketball all that much".  I don't think anyone would think badly of your son if he followed his love/heart/passion/dream (whatever word fits) and chooses to focus on baseball.  They will be disappointed, but don't confuse this with disagreement or disrespect.

I'd do both.  Be up front humble and honest with the coach.  Once all the cards are on the table, the coach can decide what's acceptable and any of the apprehension about the what ifs will be gone.  This by itself will take the pressure off and tell your son not to worry about what anyone else thinks.  He's there to compete and help the team when he is there.  We ran into this with baseball and swimming.  Baseball was our priority and we were upfront with the swimming coach.  We did both and swam when available (we still made all of the daily swim practices, just could not make all swim events due to baseball game conflicts).  There was no pressure after the initial meeting.

It's HIS life!!

I understand the pressure you feel, my boys go to a small school and have pressure to play multi sports as well.  Thankfully they ended up loving football, their 2nd sport, so lack of desire isn't our issue. Staying healthy is the issue.  Last year, my 2018 ended up with a broken collar bone and this year my 2016 ended up with a knee injury...same as Big Ben, a strained ACL.  I think he will be back to 100% by the time they start the spring season but we were very lucky.   

As far as being a multi sport athlete helping in the recruiting process, I am not sure about that, it hasn't helped my son. Maybe it would sway a coach if other things were equal.  I think its more useful in keeping them from burning out from one sport. Good luck with your decision, I know its not easy to say no when your small school needs athletes.

We have a smallish HS as well and many athletes are multi-sport.  There is a lot of begging from most of the coaches for the limited amount of good athletes available.  It makes the kids feel good/wanted but at the same time pressured.  They should be informed that it is the nature of being at a small school and should play the sports they want to play.  The key to your situation to me clearly is "he doesn't really like basketball that much".  No-brainer.  That's all he really has to say and the noise will go quiet sooner than later.  As a coach, I would not want a player out there who doesn't really like the sport, I don't care how talented.

Today is the first day for basketball practice here. I just got a text from my son telling me he agreed to go observe practice today (he can't actually practice because he hasn't gotten a physical - didn't plan on playing). At this point I believe it's likely he'll get talked into playing. That's his business. At this point he's 15 - time for him to learn how to deal with this sort of thing. His mother wants to just tell him he can't play. However, I must admit there's a very selfish part of me that hopes he plays.

Sound thinking. Just help him think through the consequences of his decision. Your avatar is RHP. Is he going to be able to properly train and prepare for those baseball events while playing basketball? Would he even go to the baseball events if he plays basketball?

I agree that him not loving basketball factors in to the decision, but I also would not fault him for playing just because his school needs him. Nothing wrong with being unselfish.

Good luck.

roothog,

No matter what, I hope it all works out well. He might really enjoy this year in basketball. Plus it will keep you busy this winter.

You mentioned those PG Showcases.  If you run into a scheduling problem or fell like he isn't ready. feel free to contact us.  We will work with you whether it is transferring to other events or refunding your payment.

One of the best parts of growing to our size is we can afford to be honest with people. Not that we weren't to begin with!

One of the worst parts is we have become a magnet for frivilous law suits. 

Only thing I worry about is injury, but nobody would do anything if all they did was worry about that. Best of luck

My son dealt with the reverse problem. He wanted to play three sports. While he knew baseball would be the future he loves ball just as much. His best sport was soccer.

The baseball coach didn't mind him playing other sports as long as he got in his off season baseball work. Freshman year my son attended the two 5:15am baseball workouts  played basketball in the winter. 

Despite being the starting point guard on the freshman team he was cut the next year. The reason was not playing summer league basketball and missing all the "optional" fall workouts. There were parents of returning varsity players who told me he should have made varsity soph year. In the fall he was busy with soccer and travel fall ball. He spent free individual time practicing dribbling and shooting.

The soccer coach had a reputation of cutting anyone who didn't play elite soccer in the summer. But he couldn't pass on my son. He had him pegged as the goalie back to when he was ten years old. He would piss of the coach by smiling and saying, "It's no problem not playing travel soccer. Outside the 18 is like playing short. Inside the 18 is like playing third."

My son went through high school playing soccer, baseball, intramural basketball and travel baseball. Getting cut from basketball allowed him to focus in the winter on baseball. Instead of running off weight on the basketball court he added 25 with a protein diet and lifting. The next winter a hitting and pitching coach elevated his game another level. This wouldn't have been possible playing basketball. 

My advice is if a kid focused on baseball is going to play two sports make it fall and spring. It leaves the winter to prepare for the upcoming baseball season.

PG ... I can picture someone might sue for injury. His anyone sued that their PG evaluation hindered their college prospects?

Son was not going to play football this year. Told the coach and team in the summer that he was concentrating on baseball for senior year. Lots of pressure from teammates to play. Long story short - he played. Team went 7-2 with him as starting tailback. 5 days before the WWBA in Jupiter, he stiff arms a kid while running for about a 30 yard gain and gets his right thumb caught in kid's helmet. Bad Ulnar Collateral Ligament strain (bad but thank goodness not torn or severed). Doctor says 6-8 weeks recovery. We go down to Jupiter anyway and hope for the best. Told travel coach down there about it and coach has to shuffle lineup a little so son plays 1st vs outfield. Plays for a couple of innings Thursday night, one inning Friday, sits out the Saturday game and plays half of Sunday's game. Went 1-3 with a single and 2 rbi's also got hit in the back with a 90+ FB and worked a 9 pitch 3-2 count walk.

We spoke a lot that weekend about personal choices and accepting responsibility for your decisions. He knows that he may have hurt his chances of playing at the next level by not being able to show what he can do down there. But it is his life - and I know that he would've felt terrible watching his HS teammates out there on the football field without him. Sometimes you just have to let them go and know that there is a plan for everyone.

For most kids they should live in the moment sports wise. Who knows what college ball will bring? A kid shouldn't end up regretting missing out on a season to remember. I believe soccer was my son's best sport. Yet he said the best thing about playing was hanging with a bunch of guys he had always considered best friends since he was a little kid. Winning the conference every year was fun too.

Agreed - son calls his football teammates "brothers for life."

RJM,

That has been threatened.  Probably the worst case is a kid that got hit by a pitch and suffered an eye socket injury.  Insurance covered everything, but we got sued for 3 million. Reasoning was we allowed a wild pitcher that threw too hard, to pitch in a tournament game.  They basically blamed the umpires who are employed by us.

Facts were that was the only hitter that pitcher hit in 6 innings pitched. He walked three and threw well over 60% strikes.  Thanks gamechanger!  also we had video of the pitch and the recorded velocity was 80 mph. 

The kid is alright, vision is fine.  Everything covered by insurance even had we lost the case. But the time consumption on our part was miserable. And had they won the case I don't know what would have happened to amateur baseball.

I don't think their lawyer had ever been to a baseball game.

dadof2016player,

It is important that we know about these type injuries.  Without knowing, our scouts write their notes based on seeing a healthy player.  I am very impressed by what your son did.  It shows me qualities that I very much admire in a player.

Can you send me a private message telling me about this and who your son is. If nothing else, I want to make sure his notes include the entire situation. Football and all! Maybe I already know him and just don't remember right now.

Thank you

Sent you a PM. Thanks. 

I asked due to a local situation back when my daughter was in high school. The parents of a softball player sued a high school softball coach for 700k. The amount was for the cost of a college education plus emotional damages. By the time the case was over it was determined the girl was a marginal D3 prospect. She lost the case.

I agree with you to let your son make the final choice.  I don't think there is anything wrong with your son playing to help out the team even if doesn't like it a whole lot.  

Personally I love basketball and have been playing 2-3/week with a bunch of other guys. I tried to get my 17 y.o interested in it but he doesn't like it.  

If he plays make sure to have his ankles wrapped in tape before a game. 

Well, he's going to play. Apparently 45 minutes on the phone with Doug Brocail convinced him to play. It is a change moving to a small school. We moved here from Denver during his 8th grade year. At that time, the high school he was going to already had both the baseball and basketball coaches trying to convince him to only play one sport. Here, the baseball coach is the one that made it happen.

Personally I wouldn't like the pressure they r putting on him. He doesn't have a passion for it and didn't want to play, should be end of story. This is not same as players who love more than one sport and WANT to play both.

The injury issues should be concerning. Sounds like your son is playing basketball, just hope we don't see u back on here in early Spring w son sitting out for awhile to rehab an injury. 

My son whose a P used Nov/Dec/Jan to work w P coach. he would occas play as a sub on church bball league to stay fit. Any HS sport is time consuming, even takes away time from academics. IMO, u need to love it to give it your all. 

Good luck

Believe me, I share your sentiment. Strangely, I was a basketball player. Baseball came third in high school for me. At some point, though, I can't protect him from the pressure. Now is the time where he has to step up and handle recruiting, pressure, etc. Last year, for example, he was able to play varsity as a freshman full of seniors. he was the third option on the mound. This year, he'll be in the spotlight and a lot will be expected. I can be there to support him, and I can even give my input, but, ultimately, it's time to be a man. However, he will be a man playing basketball with braces on both ankles and a lot of tape.

Have fun!  I love basketball, played in high school. The games are a blast, the getting into shape not so much fun. I still see a couple old teammates occasionally, it's amazing how we can remember certain games and plays, that happened over 50 years ago, but forgot that we weren't really that good. That damn beer has a way of doing that.

 Let's be honest, he's 6'4" at a small school, that's why they want him. He may very well be athletic, or maybe not. It's hard for a 15 yr old to man up w coaches pressuring him to play a sport he's no longer interested in. You've also said u have pushed him to play in past, so he may be continuing as not to let u down.

I'm surprised that baseball coach is pushing basketball for one of his P who has weak ankles.  Why does he care? Is he teacher at this small school and bball coach asked him to get involved? Why would he contact former baseball player to get your son to play basketball? 

He's not a man but a 15 yr old whose trying to please dad, coaches. He's trying to look forward and wanted to concentrate on baseball ESP since he didn't like basketball all that much and didn't want to play. As a parent I would have supported that, but everyone's diff.

hopefully he makes it through injury free.

Root 

For what is worth, I'll tell you a short story about our 6'4" pitcher. He would play any and all sports his entire youth. We never stopped him, his choice. He transfers to a small HS end of freshman year because his current top 10 national ranked charter school didn't have baseball, his passion. Similar senario at new HS, but only 220 total student population. Presured to play football, basketball & baseball. Decides on his own that he's done with football. Open court workouts for basketball in early August, he gets pushed from behind on a breakaway steal from a teammate, lands poorly, and gets stepped on by the pusher and fractures his anlke. Surgery next day, misses showcases that fall but luckily rehabs in time for spring baseball. Very stressful!

Injuries happen, hard to avoid, but one of the things we talk about here is the luck to stay healthy. If your son needed to be pressured to play without the passion and joy, I would suggest using that time to get better at what seems to be the sport he has the best shot at moving on to play at the next level. JMO.