HS coach alck of involvement; thoughts please!!

Originally Posted by FredLynnRS:

Just trying to get some different perspectives and advise on this issue. Our Varsity/JV coaches have no program for our kids. By no program I mean no program. They don't follow them outside of what the HS team does. There is no reaching out to Colleges to promote the players that are deserving of some help. Last fall ball season I e-mailed the coach with our schedule and he never showed up once even though our field approx. 1/4 mile from his house. This lack of attention showed when he kept 3 JR's on JV and now they are sitting the bench bc the freshmen are much better; could have brought in more freshman to develope!!! What can a parent do in this situation or is doing nothing just the way it should be?

 

1^st of all, the “PROGRAM” is run by the HVC. If the other coaches want to look at players outside of the HS team, that’s ok, but the final decisions about the “PROGRAM” rest with the HVC.

 

And you have to keep in mind that the guy might have some other things to do. FI, our HVC has a spring, summer, and fall program for the HS players, plus he coaches his young son’s travel team, and assists the LL coach his boy plays for. On top of that, you’re not talking about a ML team where everyone gets paid to scout players. I think you’d find the majority of HS coaches spend far more than their coach’s salary on the players, and now you want them to spend more!

In short, I think you need to step back a bit. If you really can’t keep from bursting at the seams, the very least you should do is schedule a 1 on 1 with the VHC to raise your concerns and ask your questions, but mostly to get his perspective.

There are three things you can do here:

 

1. Voice your opinion with the coach directly

 

2. Grind it out for the time being and make the best of whatever the situation is

 

3. Change schools

Sure is interesting...

 

Open up one post and it's a parent complaining about an overbearing high school coach. Open another and it's a parent complaining about a high school coach who "doesn't do anything."

You should hear what they say about trainers....

FredLynn,

There are lot's of threads running currently regarding HS coach involvement and lots more that you can search.  I coach HS and I have coached quite a bit of summer/travel.  Things have shifted quite a bit over the last 10-20 years.  More and more of the recruiting scene is handled via better travel/club programs and the better-known camps.  There are certainly still some HS coaches that are connected to the college scene and/or can be helpful to his kids in other ways in the recruiting process.  In many cases the HS coach is certainly likely to get the "character reference" calls from colleges but most colleges are getting good looks at these kids via those other avenues.

 

Some High Schools run summer or fall programs as part of their overall program and some do not.  Some don't because their kids have access to other options that they may prefer or they don't have enough kids that will participate due to Spring football or other commits.  There are so many different situations.  Not having a summer or fall program doesn't necessarily make the HS coach bad or mean that they don't have a program.  Also, in many instances, a HS coach has to be careful about attending other summer or fall programs as there are recruiting no-no's he must be wary of.

 

A HS coach is supposed to run a HS program, not necessarily a summer or fall or travel team.  Believe me, they have plenty to keep track of with just the HS team/s and all of the logistics, field, administrative and other BS they have to deal with for negative pay.  To say that they have "no program" because they don't promote their kids to colleges or attend your son's non-related fall games might not be a fair assessment.  You are equating the nice extra things that so many coaches do with what you expect to be standard requirements.  I would encourage you to reconsider.  I would also encourage you to read more of the posts here including the link I provided in the first thread you participated in.  I can't understate how much impact there is to a young man in seeing how his parent/s show good example in coach/parent and other parent/parent relationships during the HS sports years.

 

BTW, we kept some juniors on JV this year.  They may or may not come back to contribute at V next year.  They may or may not get beat out by younger players.  But, they are currently loving playing baseball as opposed to other alternatives that may not be so good.  And, they know exactly where they stand and what they need to do if they hope to come back next year and contribute.  I know that many coaches won't do this but, again, each situation is different and in this case, there is no doubt it is a good thing, regardless of what happens next year.

Best wishes

Thanks for all the replies. I will keep things in perspective.

I've seen it go many ways. Kind of interesting. Several kids played together on travel team. After middle school they all go to their separate high schools but everyone remains friendly.

 

School 1. At this school, the coach is overbearing, constantly focuses on negatives and rarely focuses on the positives, puts players in the doghouse, chew players out in public, etc... In short, all the players hate him and the parents think even less of him.

 

School 2. At another school, the coach has a top winning program. Works the kids hard, drill after drill, lots of running and working out. Football mentality. Has lots of talent to work with. Better not have more than a one game slump at the plate or in the field or you'll be riding pine. Too many players and not enough positions. So, you can guess how half the parents feel. Even those who are playing are not always playing where they want. But these are the types of things that come with a team that has too many good players. Someone is going to sit or not play in their chosen position. Other issues are that you better not play a winter sport that might interfere with spring conditioning. You'll be penalized for that. Also, players who play showcase have been penalized for not playing for the local legion team at this school. And while many may not like him, no one dares to say anything out loud that might get back to him.

 

School 3. Finally, one coach is described as not caring. Doesn't run much of a practice. Maybe they hit in the cage and that's it. Maybe one round in the cage and one round of infield, outfield.Hardly ever take bp on the field. No discussions or practice with pitchers, catchers, and middle infielders about situations with base runners on. Basically, makes a line up and walks out to coach 3rd.

 

Here's the interesting situation with School 3. The coach and his assistants are over the local jr. legion program. This summer, he kept 0 kids from his own high school and made his team up mainly from kids at School 1. Team was successful and the players and parents from School 1 really like him as a coach while his own players and parents don't.

 

So the grass is never greener regardless of the situation.

 

 

 

 

I saw a list a while back on a coach's forum titled :the top 100 reasons why coaches get fired. It went something like this......

1. Pitchers do not throw enough.

2. Pitchers throw too much.

3. Players run/condition too much at practice.

4. Players do not run/condition enough at practice.

5. Team does not bunt enough.

6. Team bunts too much.

 

etc, etc, etc

 

 

It's not coaches responsibility to go look at players. He should be coaching his current players. It's not coaches job to find your son a college program or promote him to college coaches. It's his job to coach the players he has.

Yes it's great when the coach works for his players that deserve it. But are you really going to just sit back and rely solely on the HS coach? I got paid about 10 cent for every hour I put into our program. To do it the way I felt it should it basically consumed my life. And guess what? I still had parents that thought their kid didn't get that full ride to LSU because of me. Relax and tell your son to go get what he wants.

This!!

 

I know our younger son's HS coach, who does all of that too, says he could keep an administrative assistant busy full time just dealing with the business of running the baseball team.

Coach May is correct. $.10 per hour for his time and experience. Parents have a three year "span" with the HS coach. The coach is responsible for a decade or more.

 

When I operated the 1st "showcase" Area Code Baseball, I estimate my time at $1.70 per hour. Because we did not charge a fee for the tryouts or the games, a few parents

believe they had "entitlement" for their son.

 

Naturally, they did not receive an offer to tryout or to play in Long Beach. The pro scouts have a file on the majority of HS players and work on the principle of "disqualifying" the player and go to the next player.

 

Scouts talk to HS Coaches and to College Coaches. Please read the new book by Tony La Russo - "The Last Strike". The observation by a Manager or a Coach is unbelievable. This is a book for the player, parent and coach.

 

Today, I told a parent [each year I talk with over 2,000 parents] when the player did not play up to HIS expectations. In the 1st inning he quickly caught a fly ball in CF

and without a second thought doubled the runner at 1b. This is baseball intelligence.

 

Question: can parent teach this reaction? The player needs a positive opinion of what it takes to succeed in baseball. Critical statements regarding the coach or his program does nothing but loses your son's and your focus to negative thinking.

"It is so easy to sit in the stands and complain". In Santa Rosa, I sit with the HS and College parents and have not experience any critical remarks. However if this happens, I notice other parents separate themselves.

 

Bob Williams

International Baseball - 30 years

<www.goodwillseries.org>

 

I certainly would not rely on the HS coach to find my players a school and I do not expect him to put in a lot of time promoting them but I do expect him to answer the phone and tell recruiters when they can come and see them pitch. I have a 2013 and a 2014 and they are responsible for some of the teams success due to their hard work. So yes I feel he has an obligation to communicate . 

 

I the biggest problem I see with parents is that they They do not understand how difficult it is to get into any college to play baseball.  They feel is you are good for your HS you must be ready for the next level. 

Originally Posted by bacdorslider:

I certainly would not rely on the HS coach to find my players a school and I do not expect him to put in a lot of time promoting them but I do expect him to answer the phone and tell recruiters when they can come and see them pitch. I have a 2013 and a 2014 and they are responsible for some of the teams success due to their hard work. So yes I feel he has an obligation to communicate . 

 

Answering the phone when it rings and telling a coach or scout when they can see a player pitch, is not the same thing as what he OP indicates he expects. In fact, there was no indication in the OP that that coach doesn’t do that.

 

What do you feel is communication? Is the coach supposed to call you and keep you updated, or is he supposed to answer reasonable questions you ask as a parent?

recruiter calls head coach, head coach answers questions says he's playing April 19th or whatever. That's it.. if they are interested they will get with player, if they are offering then I will get involed.... that simple

My son's high school coach was not involved in the recruitment effort as far as I know. In fact, I don't believe the college coach where my son is going spoke to the high school coach at all. And honestly, I didn't think anything about it.  

Too much involvement/not enough involvement. Here is what EVERYONE has to remember: Coaches have lives out side of baseball. They have wife's, kids and family's of their own. I am currently a high school varsity coach. I have played and coached at the college level. In my years of coaching high school baseball, there is honestly maybe 1-2% of players that have the capability to move on to the college level. That is 1-2 out of every 100 kids that come through the high school ranks. I, as a coach, have personally got a couple kids signed to colleges. Some honestly went into the college ranks in over their head. Some excelled nicely. With that being said, if I see a kid who shows promise and could potentially help out a D3 juco up to a D1 school, I will do whatever is in my power to get that kid the looks he deserves. 

 

What I have to say to parents is be honest with yourself and with your kids. Most shouldn't even be a varsity level player, much less playing in college. 

Your son should be in charge of his college baseball search with your help. It's no one else's responsibility. My son's summer coach asked the players for their lists. The list will expand drawing interest at showcases. The only unsolicited help was promoting my son to the coach's son's college program. Your son would be better served playing in a strong summer travel program with coaches whose job it is to help players get to college ball. High school ball is hit or miss. 

My son's coach (similar to BD slider above) provides game info to scouts and generally discusses leadership my son shows as a team captain. He's in a non-competative HS league and frustrations abound.

 

I generally do not speak with HS coach, other than "good game" and "Thanks"

 

It's easier on both me and the boy ( young man)

 

My 2 pennies,