In the United States of America our children have more access to better facilities than most countries in the world. Shiny, new, heated gymnasiums that they have access to just about any time they would like. In the foreign countries I recently visited, the children don't have that access, but seem more commited on a larger scale.
Why is that? Why is it that we have to lure varsity basketball players into the gym every fall, spring, and summer with trips to colleges and fun stuff? Why is that we rarely see the jr. high basketball players during the summer months? Don't get me wrong, there are some highly dedicated guys, but others have a "take it or leave it" attitude. We have a running joke that if the kids had to give up basketball or their cell phone, well, we could write the season off.
What has happened? Every single generation looks at the present generation and wonders why they aren't as dedicated or committed as they were, I know, because I remember hearing it. But what is going on?
It is a common theme with just about every coach that I talk to that they can't get kids out, they can't keep kids interested, they can't get them to compete. Is it the 'they have everything and basketball is a small part of their lives' thing? Even the poorest in this country have a car, cell phones, computers, video games, etc, etc.
What about parental support? We have had highly supportive parents in our program but what about those who don't put a high priority on committment until game night? I would bet that many times kids are lazy (I was) and need a boost out the door to improve themselves for the sake of the team. Thank goodness my mom did that for me every once in awhile.
If we want to compete at a higher level, you cannot blame the coaching staff from November to February for being at fault, even though that is what happens. We will take our fair share of the responsibility, but it's kind of like blaming teachers for bad grades when we have them an hour a half every other day....the other 22 hours are spent out of our influence.
This isn't just a community thing where I live, it is an issue everywhere. It seems to have gotten worse since the summer's opened up and there has to be more of a committment than before for our school to continue to compete. I don't know, but it is a problem and I would like for advice and insight on what to do to improve it.
Contrary to what some believe, I don't ask much of our players especially during the off season. I allow them to play any school sport they want and miss conditioning, but fully expect them to come to conditioning once that season is over. I trust school athletics because I see what they are doing conditioning wise and my boss, the Athletic Director, wouldn't allow me to have these guys double dip with sports. As for little league sports, or other non school related issues, we have to draw the line somewhere.
If I don't hold some accountability, then what we really are running is an intramural league. If every other school in the state were going to do that, we could afford to. But Borden, New Washington and every other school around does not do that. And I don't believe that the 1200 community members that hold me accountable every Friday night would want that either.
I am continually striving to improve our program, but I see a scary future. A future where high school sports don't exist anymore; a scary future where clubs rule the U.S. and not sports teams; a scary future where private and charter schools are recruiting the best players away from public schools; a scary future with less and less committment not just to basketball, but to really anything.
Finally, I want to thank the numerous athletes, students, parents, fans, administration, and teachers who do have great committment to our basketball program. Whether it is working, allowing your son to work with us, coming to the games, supporting us, giving us what we need or the positive words....that committed effort is greatly appreciated.
Being a high school coach has many downfalls, but some of the greatest perks are the college practices/workouts/and games we get to watch for free. With those and the coaching clinics we are offered at these higher level universities are some nice perks. There are so many opportunities that I could never take advantage of all of them. Mostly because of my own schedule, but I will try to hit up a Xavier workout, Butler practice, IU practice, and somewhere different every year.
My good friend Tane Spasev talked about what a coach is and he came up with the simple statement that is the title of this article. I try to make our team as much of a family as possible. Probably some of the parents and fans might disagree with that assessment, but I do the best I can...which is all I can do.
How do you wrap up a two week, life changing trip in a short blog? I have literally spent all day online, on the phone, and talking to the family trying to catch up with everything.
Haven't had too much access to the Internet the last few days and it has been kinda nice to not be in touch with the outer world, but I won't lie...can't wait to get home and see my family and be connected to the outside world again.