We have started summer basketball and I was highly encouraged by the numbers that we had out that first day, but there were some guys missing, guys who I would never have guessed would miss. As a coach, you hear rumors about players...all...the....time. You get to where you don't believe anything you hear and it's not because we are naieve, it is to keep our sanity. This guy is playing, this guy isn't playing, that guy is out doing things he shouldn't, this guy is terrible in that class...you get the picture, but I never understand why someone would not play a sport that they have played their entire life. It could be that I am wrong and these people will show up at some point this summer and maybe not, but why not try the summer and then make the decision?
Maybe it's the coach, absolutely never a reason to not play. Maybe they want to focus on another sport and I can understand that, but to be honest I have heard that excuse quite often throughout my years and probably only one or two have actually done this. Maybe they feel they didn't get the opportunity to showcase what they could do. Maybe they understand they aren't as good as they thought they were.
I think in all the years I have coached I have actually gone to a kid and asked why they weren't playing one time. We had a really great kid, great role model who decided not to play to focus on another sport. I spoke with him and he was clear that he knew he wasn't very good at basketball and he did work on his other sport religiously all winter. Only once of a couple of times it has happened as far as I can remember.
But what is often misunderstood by young players is that many of them make decisions today not understanding that the decision will affect their future. I can't say 100% but close to it who choose not to play basketball regret it at some point. Some for a whole year, others for short periods of time. That time can't be gotten back. Worse yet, they may decide after making a decision six months earlier that they have changed their mind.
By changing their mind, they now decide that they did make a mistake and they want to play. It is an IHSAA violation to cut a player before actual tryouts in November, but not playing with the guys during the summer cannot help your situation. Playing in the summer is when most coaches get much of what they think they need to do done, with only 13 practices before your first game, it's the way it's become.
Really, as I have aged and gotten more experience, I think I rarely "punish" a kid for much of anything. I look at it more as rewarding the kids who have put the time in, those guys who have committed to the program and not committed to just themselves (which is very much human nature and we all do it).
There is nothing wrong with not playing basketball, it isn't for everybody, but I cannot comprehend giving it up; make the coaches decide on it if you love it. Maybe it is because I love it more than any of the players could possibly love it, maybe it is something bigger than that and maybe each individual situation is unique and maybe, just maybe, I will change my opinion as my own children age and participate in athletics.
