Kellam Recruiting

A player transferred there from Great Bridge. I understand He was part of the Driller crew and played with a number of the kids there through travel ball.

**edited by redbird5**

does it really matter who the kids are?

Being from the central region, I'm sort of an outsider looking in on the topic.

But it already is starting to smell like some sort of which hunt.

I love this site for all of its knowledge sharing and positivity about baseball and baseball players.

Its topics like this however that make me wonder why anyone would actually take the time turn on their computer and type it.

Doverbird, please don't take offense to this. You may truly be interested. You may have some sort of ax to grind. You may be trying to stir the pot. I don't know, but there is really only 1 direction this thing can go.

Thats my 2 cents. Sorry, I have trouble seeing people about to get beat up on public forums.

Rich
www.playinschool.com

Yeah I guess I was trying to stir the pot. The point is people are saying Kellam recruits and i just wanted more information. Maybe people are saying that out of jealousy about Kellam or whatever else. Bottom line is if you're going to post that someone recruits then own up to it.

I didn't say there was any recruiting. That Driller bunch is pretty tight and I was speculating that might be a factor in the transfer. Playing ball with the kids you played travel ball with might matter. Then it again it might not.

doverbird said...Maybe people are saying that out of jealousy about Kellam or whatever else.

I'm not clear on why they would be jealous of Kellam. If memory serves me correctly, it came down to Great Bridge, South County, Battlefield and James River last year. Great Bridge walked away with the title. What am I missing?

I agree Fenway...I guess I didnt make my point very clear..Kellam isnt a powerhouse,,so what does it matter where a kid plays ball at. If one school is a better fit for that kid vs another then why not. For me it was just that I read several comments that people said kellam recruited their players and so I thought that those people had an axe to grind about Kellam

I read this forum from time to time and refrain commenting but this topic really rubs me the wrong way. First, my son is a Driller but goes to landstown. Just the insinuation that the Drillers actively "recruit" for kellam is ridiculous! Second, coach jones is a good coach and kellam has a abundance of talent! 2-3 deep at most positions so why would they need to recruit? Stir the pot? Ax to grind? Or just trying to slight 2 tremendous baseball program? Hopefully redbird deletes this thread.
Scott Faison

SFaison

We are in America not Russia so I don't agree with deleting threads.


Not to say this is going on at Kellam but I have 2 issues with recruiting/transferring.
1. It cheats the kid who lives in a district and his ceiling is high school baseball and may be #13 or #14 on the roster but instead gets cut because of a transfer/recruit.
2. Most district games will be very non competitive if 1 teams has brought in the best/better kids from other schools.
I have watched this for the last 5 or so years with PA girls basketball and it has made beach district girls basketball a 1 team race. Their only competive games are the last 3 of the year.

First and foremost:

If a student athlete follows the guidelines set by the school district to change schools it should be in the best interest of that student.

If the student athlete attends the scheduled try outs and each aspect is above board, so be it.

The problem occurs when the rules are bent or not followed appropriately.

I do not believe that Redbird could delete this "transfer" topic because it may create a conflict of interest for him.

Mr. Faison, with all due respect your son has never played for the coach at Kellam, so your opinion is not from first hand knowledge. Not saying he isn't a good coach, but how would you know?

Don't let this "recruiting" get you guys down. Years ago another beach school was "accused" of recruiting. I can name off the top of my head 4 very good baseball guys that did not attend Kellam and went to another school during the tenure of the current Kellam coach.

The grass is not always greener and there are still only 8 starting positions on any field. Is this any different than going from AAU team to AAU team? I understand that is a whole other topic, but is it?????

Follow the rules and nobody can argue. Now here is another scenerio.
Player transfers from a school, has to sit out for a year, never attends a tryout and starts immediately after they are eligible. Now that might be an ethical issue, but it still follows the rules set in place.

Remember, baseball is right around the corner, try to enjoy it!!!!!!

By the way,
I thought you were hellosir!

Lynn point taken about coach jones however I have been around long enough to know coach jones is well thought of by most. My point of contention is the insinuation that the Drillers are the "recruiting" tool for kellam 5 of 15 drillers go to kellam, 3 are Sinnens family members. I am extremely proud my son is a Driller, not a better organization to mold young men in my opinion. I also agree, my initial response of Redbird deleting this was wrong. I have no idea who hellosir is but it isn't me.
Scott Faison

quote:

Originally posted by PIS:
I'm sort of an outsider looking in on the topic.

But it already is starting to smell like some sort of which hunt.

I'm with Rich - I think the names of the players should be removed. Just my two cents.

Lynn,

This thread does not create any conflict of interest for me. I could delete it if I wanted to and would sleep very well at night.

For everyone else, you continue to say that Kellam recruits. Get over it. People transfer into an out of districts regularly. I personally moved into Kellam's district so that my son could play for Coach Jones. I wanted Saint to have a positive influence in his life because he is one of the finest people I have ever met. I could have moved anywhere and spoke to coaches in the SOutheastern and Beach districts about my son playing there. They all said the same thing: 1) We would love to have him and 2) Let me know when he lives in district. Every coach said the same thing.

Rob,
The point was not whether you had the power on this site to delete and edit as you feel necessary, the point was it would be a conflict to remove a total subject line when you moved for the same reasons as discussed in this debate.
I agree that no names should be published but it should also be no secret. I will still stick to my guns that a family should never be uprooted and moved for the sake of one child to play for one particular coach.
My question to you would be this:
Did you ever speak to one teacher or administrator about the schools that your baseball player would be recieving an education from? Please don't be defensive with this question. It brings up a great topic concerning parents that move only with the intention of moving to play for a particular coach. This is not meant as a shot to you but as a learning tool for those parents considering moving their child to a different city within the same region.
How did it turn out for those parents that did move? Are their children now in the major leagues or did they attend a better college because of that particular coach? Would they have made it anyway? I would be willing to bet a penny that some of those drillers were recruited and committed to a college that never even saw them on Kellam's field! And please keep in mind, you can't blame the Driller organization, there are other players on that team that moved into the Kellam zone and are not Drillers.

This is why, as I stated before, the move should be in the best interest of the student, for many reasons other than just baseball.

Now, everyone, baseball is right around the corner. Relax and Enjoy the season! Stay positive and don't try to relive your dreams through your child, enjoy your child making his own memories!

quote:

Originally posted by 1943 yankees:
I will still stick to my guns that a family should never be uprooted and moved for the sake of one child to play for one particular coach.
My question to you would be this:
Did you ever speak to one teacher or administrator about the schools that your baseball player would be recieving an education from? Please don't be defensive with this question. It brings up a great topic concerning parents that move only with the intention of moving to play for a particular coach. This is not meant as a shot to you but as a learning tool for those parents considering moving their child to a different city within the same region.
How did it turn out for those parents that did move? Are their children now in the major leagues or did they attend a better college because of that particular coach? Would they have made it anyway?

The decision to move is a personal one, and more importantly, nobody else's business. It doesn't take a village to decide what an individual believes is best for their son or daughter. So people should butt out, mind their own business, and focus on the game between the lines rather than engage in rumor and innuendo.

I am not defensive about the topic at all. Debating with you is enteraining to say the least. Last year, you told me that I couldn't comment on Coach Jones and the supposed "recruiting" because I didn't know the history of it. (you even threw in the same "with all due respect" that you gave Mr. Faison). Now, you are saying that I can't delete the topic because my son transferred into Kellam. So, according to your logic, there are only a handful of people who can comment on the subject (you being one one of them). With your son transferring away fom Kellam due to lack of playing time, doesn't that impair your judgement?

As for education, yes...I DID speak with educators about the school. Several as a matter of fact. I have a couple of friends who teach at Kellam and spoke to them several times. I also spoke with teachers at Great Bridge asking for their opinions of Kellam vs. GB. Redbirdjr was a straight A student so academics were an important part of the decision.

The part you DON'T know is that another big piece of the puzzle was my daughter. I heavily weighed her academic and social development in selecting which district to live in. I wanted her to be forced to meet new people and grow as a little girl. I am very happy with my decision.

Finally, Coach Jones...while you have an ax to grind with him given your history, I think the world of him. I wanted my son to play for him for the things he would teach him about life. I can teach him baseball, I think I am fairly intelligent in that area.

So, you see, Lynn...there are many reasons why someone transfers. When outsiders try to understand it, they only see baseball. I can honestly say baseball was 3rd or 4th on my list. With all due respect, of course.

I agree that parents have to make their own decision as to whether to move their child from one school to another within a region, whether it be to have a different baseball experience, to be on a particular Scholastic Bowl team or to experience being a student of a great math teacher or educational program. But there can be some instruction gained from hearing from those who did make such a move if one is contemplating it.

My issue is with those who make such a move without following the rules. The eligibility rules for participating in a VHSL activity or sport in a “new” school are not as easy to meet as some might think. I do take issue with folks who (1) use a relative’s address to cross into another district (or another city for that matter), (2) rent an apartment in the new school district while maintaining a residence in the old, or (3) enter a trumped up marital separation to try to meet the letter of the rules. There are also those who switch legal custody of a child, including to the athletic director at the target school, to get him to the school of their athletic choice. The latter may be within the letter of the rules but I question if it is within the spirit of the rules. I find the above situations bothersome and don't believe that the infractions are no body else's business. And don’t think that other students are oblivious to the infractions! I have heard them talk about the player who actually lives in another city but has a rented apartment in the target district or the one who uses the grandmother’s address and stays there once in a while to try to avoid being caught. Not a very good example to teenagers on the importance of following rules.

Yep,

Must be spring time in Tidewater! They haven't even stepped on the fields yet.

Redbird,

We moved 5 miles down the road a bunch of years ago that resulted in a different elementary, middle and high school boundary for my kids. Your thought process was very similiar to our thought process, and baseball as a consideration was not even in the top 2. If it had, my two oldest sons could have played high school baseball for one of the best high school coaches in the state at Cosby. Trust me, there were MANY days where I thought about it in baseball terms, and some people thought we were crazy not to go to Cosby because of baseball. Your decision like our decision is a family matter, and if it is playing by the VHSL rules then there should be no discussion or griping. The VHSL can't control when and if people move.

BTW...Coach Jones is awesome!

quote:

Originally posted by SFaison:
I read this forum from time to time and refrain commenting but this topic really rubs me the wrong way. First, my son is a Driller but goes to landstown. Just the insinuation that the Drillers actively "recruit" for kellam is ridiculous! Second, coach jones is a good coach and kellam has a abundance of talent! 2-3 deep at most positions so why would they need to recruit? Stir the pot? Ax to grind? Or just trying to slight 2 tremendous baseball program? Hopefully redbird deletes this thread.
Scott Faison

Easy does it. Didn't say anyone recruited anyone. All I said was the player transferred into Kellam and that maybe he wanted to play with the kids he played travel ball with that was a tight group. For this particular player playing time and a his baseball future are not issues.

As far as I know he is the only player that made a move this spring into Kellam and I have not a clue about the actual situation. It was a statement of a fact with a minor speculation attached to it. If that rubs the wrong way I think that is a little sensitive.

As an organization I know the Drillers hardly care about Kellam HS in particular over any other HS program. For example next season Western Branch will probably start 4-5 kids or more that were part of the Drillers. Hard to get further away from Kellam and stay in the southside. For whatever its worth that group WAS recruited by the Drillers because it was the best team at its age group.

BTW I shouldn't have named the player so I am sorry about that.

quote:

Originally posted by grasscutter:
Yep,

Must be spring time in Tidewater! They haven't even stepped on the fields yet.

Sounds like a perfect time to discuss all-district honors.

Dawgs, you do realize if everybody minded their own business there would be absolutely no blogs!

Redbird,

Interesting enough you are the one that stated you moved to Kellam so your kid could play for Jones.

If I had an ax to grind I would just come out and say it.
With that being said, your ignorance is blissful to me. If playing every inning of every game as a freshmen is "no playing time" you got me!
Another point taken is that in years to come, you can only hope that you made the right decision. As I can look back 8 years ago it was the best decision.
But give me a break, Norbie had left FC and it was Stubbe's first year. My kid came in behind the powerehouse of Frank Berry and all of those guys. I think there were 7 seniors starting and most had committments at the next level.

The debate I was hoping for was not to be personal, it was to help those younger parents that are considering transfers to see that there are many aspects to think about.

Let me also tell you, my son didn't open a book at Kellam and stayed on the honor roll. The academy at FC was by far the better educational choice. Do you know if your son has opened a book this year to study?

yo all make me laugh----are you kids or adults?

TRhit

yes!!!!

Excellent point on all posts 1943!

quote:

Originally posted by 1943 yankees:
Dawgs, you do realize if everybody minded their own business there would be absolutely no blogs!

Redbird,

Interesting enough you are the one that stated you moved to Kellam so your kid could play for Jones.

If I had an ax to grind I would just come out and say it.
With that being said, your ignorance is blissful to me. If playing every inning of every game as a freshmen is "no playing time" you got me!
Another point taken is that in years to come, you can only hope that you made the right decision. As I can look back 8 years ago it was the best decision.
But give me a break, Norbie had left FC and it was Stubbe's first year. My kid came in behind the powerehouse of Frank Berry and all of those guys. I think there were 7 seniors starting and most had committments at the next level.

The debate I was hoping for was not to be personal, it was to help those younger parents that are considering transfers to see that there are many aspects to think about.

Let me also tell you, my son didn't open a book at Kellam and stayed on the honor roll. The academy at FC was by far the better educational choice. Do you know if your son has opened a book this year to study?