- Dec 11, 2010
- 4,721
- 113
First of all, I just want to say that if I lived closer to you, I would LOVE to volunteer to help! (Same as @CoachJD!). Not only would it be fun but I can’t tell you how much I enjoy being around coaches that know the game inside and out.While this is representative of your standard exceptional post, there is a lot of great info here. First, I'd love to have a parent like you. You put forth the effort BUT also got a sense of what the inner workings were of a poor program. It isn't always the coach. I know a school system that I was asked to take over a program at when I retired. In the conversation with the AD, he said that all he wanted was "no parent problems." That is a long way from I want to win. You are sooooooo correct in mentioning losing atmospheres at schools. When I came to the school I coach at now, and I am still coaching after retirement, they had decades of losing. The superintendent wanted change and he cleaned house. He set up the new guidelines of win or hit the road. I would guess that there were 7 or 8 coaching changes the year I started. It was a purge and the school took off. When that happened, the town exploded with new growth.
While some in administration recognize the need for winning programs, they simply do not know how to win.
With a dd in college, tb coaching is not really a realistic option but I would love to help an experienced hs head coach.
CB, you mention schools not knowing how to win- you are spot on with that comment. Most years, our little 2a program was loaded with talent and ranked in the top 20 at the beginning of the season yet we have NEVER won a regional championship. (For those that don’t know- I’m in the same state as CB and the regional tournament is our first tier of the state tournament.)
Interestingly you mention leadership from the superintendent. Our hs got a new superintendent from another region last year. He saw a lot of the same things I did. His dd was in jr high and won -0- jr high basketball or volleyball games in an entire year.
He tried to make changes- I thought his ideas were pretty good. It threatened the local hierarchy however. Including board members whose family members were school staff, including board members whose kids played sports, including the board president who volunteered to coach baseball so his kid would play ss and bat 4th.
Our school district is in an unusual situation. We are well funded. Our board could afford to dump him, pay his contract, hire one of those traveling gun interim types while a hometown guy can finish his degree/certifications to be superintendent.
I have decided the community gets what the community wants and I can’t help that.