HS Coach Ruined players Senior Season

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Aug 29, 2011
2,581
83
NorCal
pattar, when I talk to parents, I also make sure that the AD is at the meeting. As I illustrated here last spring, what is said in these meetings often tend to come out as something else when emotional parents are involved. The AD serves as a person who is a witness to exactly what is said. In this case, I am shocked that the AD didn't side with the parents. My AD would without reservation.

This makes a lot of sense and avoids a lot of "he said / she said" situations down the road.

And I agree with you in this case the AD should have backed the parents 100%.
 
Dec 2, 2013
3,410
113
Texas
I am on the Booster Club and the AD attends all the meetings. I will be talking to him to ask why he ran off one of our best players. I already had in my mind that pitching will be non existent, but our batting lineup is pretty salty with 6 kids that can hit bombs. BTW, the kid's pitching is no better than some of the other so called pitchers on the team. Now we just kicked to the curb our Ex starting SS and our number 4 batter.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
Not sure I have ever heard of a coach try to "force" a player into pitching by using an AD for leverage, but I can tell you that if it was my DD the meeting would not have ended well...
 
Nov 29, 2009
2,975
83
The parents should have asked for the demands in writing. That would make the Dumb and Dumber think hard about their conditions for the girl to play. It might even get them to stop using their butt cheeks for ear muffs. The team is still in the same position if the girl does not play, only minus the services of a strong hitter and fielder. This smacks of small school politics.

Unfortunately, the player is in a no-win situation. If they do go to the School Board with a complaint the "Coach" and "AD" can still retaliate by making her last year very difficult for her. So if she wins, she still loses. Some type of formal complaint needs to be lodged against those two.
 
Nov 18, 2013
2,255
113
I am on the Booster Club and the AD attends all the meetings. I will be talking to him to ask why he ran off one of our best players. I already had in my mind that pitching will be non existent, but our batting lineup is pretty salty with 6 kids that can hit bombs. BTW, the kid's pitching is no better than some of the other so called pitchers on the team. Now we just kicked to the curb our Ex starting SS and our number 4 batter.

It'll be interesting to hear the version of the story from the AD. I'm thinking it will be drastically different from what the parent told you and pitching had nothing to do with why they left.
 
Jan 31, 2011
453
43
I actually think that these parents need to go to the school board. This coach wants to put this player in jeapordy of further injury by pitching her. She has not pitched nor practiced and, while she can play a position, she isn't driving and landing on a repaired knee at any given position. This is the type of stuff the school board needs to hear.

Exactly. Every position is responsible to someone. In this case, the AD is responsible to the Superintendent or School Board. Great advice.
 
Feb 27, 2017
95
0
My thing is, what ever happen to being a team player? The Coach said he needs you to pitch? If your knee is not well, then the Dr or PT wouldn't release the player to play. So the knee must be good enough to play. Now the coach, should never give a kid an ultimatum about playing. I to would go to a school board member with a complaint. But as a coach, if my #1 pitcher went down and out, I would ask a girl to step up too. But no one knows exactly how that conversation went. Sucks for the young lady and for the other teammates.
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
My thing is, what ever happen to being a team player? The Coach said he needs you to pitch? If your knee is not well, then the Dr or PT wouldn't release the player to play. So the knee must be good enough to play. Now the coach, should never give a kid an ultimatum about playing. I to would go to a school board member with a complaint. But as a coach, if my #1 pitcher went down and out, I would ask a girl to step up too. But no one knows exactly how that conversation went. Sucks for the young lady and for the other teammates.

Pitching is the one position that I don't think you can ask a player to be a "team player" if they aren't practicing to do it. She could get killed. My dd was pretty good and yet, was hit in the face two times. After seeing her on the ground the second time not moving, made me a proponent of mask and that you can never ask a player to be a pitcher if they aren't already one. I would resign my coaching position before doing that.
 
Last edited:
Nov 29, 2009
2,975
83
My thing is, what ever happen to being a team player? The Coach said he needs you to pitch? If your knee is not well, then the Dr or PT wouldn't release the player to play. So the knee must be good enough to play. Now the coach, should never give a kid an ultimatum about playing. I to would go to a school board member with a complaint. But as a coach, if my #1 pitcher went down and out, I would ask a girl to step up too. But no one knows exactly how that conversation went. Sucks for the young lady and for the other teammates.

What you fail to realize is the pounding a pitchers knees take. EVERY pitch is like the start of a sprint race with a sudden stop. Repeating that over 100 times a game is a lot of abuse. Doing that on a recently repaired ACL is asking to re-injure the knee. The whole "Team Player" thing goes out the door when it comes to a player's health.

Had one of my pitchers dislocate a knee cap one her landing leg playing volleyball last winter. It took her to the end of June to be 100%. She was finally back to pre-injury form at the end of July. She lost 6 months of real developmental work.
 
Sep 17, 2009
1,637
83
What the coach and AD, both being dum-dums, failed to realize is that the fastest way for them both to lose their jobs would have been for that girl to pitch, get hurt, and lose her scholarship.

Sorry for the OP having a high school season ruined. I've been there myself. It sucks.
 

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