Public School District Parent Coach Policy

[Easton33]

As you know Cannonball very little that we discuss on this forum is an absolute. We can always find an exception to the rule. I'm going to bet that UMSL didn't find your daughter at a HS game, but rather at a camp and /or a TB tournament. Why do I think that? Well, that's where most coaches spend their time watching girls. You will see some coaches every great once in a while watching girls at a HS game, but it is usually because they are hard selling their commitment to one girl on the team. I'm willing to bet that your daughter would have also been asked to play at UMSL even if she didn't play school ball. The competition level in HS isn't anywhere close to what the girls will face in the summer. Most coaches want to see how the girls will play against the best competition, and will therefore watch them at a showcase or a big TB tournament.

I have heard it straight from a coaches mouth that they will never attend a HS game. That it is a waste of their time.

You are right about colleges posting the HS accolades on their websites when the girls commit. My personal theory is that it is easier to say that a player was a three time all state player in HS than it is to try to explain that a girl played 75 games for Jersey Intensity and all that it entails.

Or it could be that the public is so used to seeing those accolades in their big money sports(football) where there is no other league at the HS level that other sports follow suit.

I was just told the same thing yesterday. College coach doesn't go to HS games, doesn't even like speaking to HS coaches because they think they know everything. Just a few hours later I was told of girl at the local HS that the coach took to a college for tryout. The college coach told her they wanted to see her hit and was going to throw her front toss, the HS coach objects and says he will throw front toss and the college coach can watch the girl's mechanics. Still laughing at this one. Who would do that? Take a girl to a college and tell them how she was was going to try out!! Needless to say, scholarship was not offered.

 

[chinamigarden]

So imagine that you have the best HS football coach in America, and he's got a kid who is 10-years-old. Does the coach have to resign when his kid becomes a high school freshman?

This is an interesting point. Our HS literally had 2 of the best coaches in the State. Both were young men when when they were hired as teachers and both coached (still do) with the HS for over 25 years. Both of them coached multiple sports, but football was the passion. For the majority of that time they were the football team offensive and defensive coordinators. When the HC retired one took the top spot. Both of these coaches had sons who were born after they were hired. As time went on both of these boys became of age to play HS football, one made varsity as a freshman. Mind you this kid's father and Uncle both played Big 10 football and he eventually earned a D1 Scholarship to play football. But the town was buzzing with this. Even to the point that the only other kid in School history (up until them) to play Varsity as a Freshman was dragged through the mud. Why? Because these idiots started claiming that he was made varsity so that the coach could bring his own kid up later. Mind you the original Freshman player started and played for the HS when they won the schools first State Championship (as a freshman), and the 2 coaches kids eventually played (started as seniors) for the team that went to the Finals and finished 2nd. The head coach won the State Coach of the year award and stepped down as coach and retired from teaching so he could watch his kid play college ball. Wound up coaching the 8th grade team because it fit in his schedule and he couldn't completely walk away. Second coach whose son had graduated, became HC, wound up taking another group to the State final and winning. He too won the coach of the year award... The first guy his DS graduated college and he returned to the program as an assistant.

Yet some people still talk about these guys as Daddy Ball coaches.

 

[JAD]

This is an interesting point. Our HS literally had 2 of the best coaches in the State. Both were young men when when they were hired as teachers and both coached (still do) with the HS for over 25 years. Both of them coached multiple sports, but football was the passion. For the majority of that time they were the football team offensive and defensive coordinators. When the HC retired one took the top spot. Both of these coaches had sons who were born after they were hired. As time went on both of these boys became of age to play HS football, one made varsity as a freshman. Mind you this kid's father and Uncle both played Big 10 football and he eventually earned a D1 Scholarship to play football. But the town was buzzing with this. Even to the point that the only other kid in School history (up until them) to play Varsity as a Freshman was dragged through the mud. Why? Because these idiots started claiming that he was made varsity so that the coach could bring his own kid up later. Mind you the original Freshman player started and played for the HS when they won the schools first State Championship (as a freshman), and the 2 coaches kids eventually played (started as seniors) for the team that went to the Finals and finished 2nd. The head coach won the State Coach of the year award and stepped down as coach and retired from teaching so he could watch his kid play college ball. Wound up coaching the 8th grade team because it fit in his schedule and he couldn't completely walk away. Second coach whose son had graduated, became HC, wound up taking another group to the State final and winning. He too won the coach of the year award... The first guy his DS graduated college and he returned to the program as an assistant.

Yet some people still talk about these guys as Daddy Ball coaches.

Some people have nothing better to do than complain....and it has been my experience that these people are also the ones who never volunteer to do anything, but there is always an excuse on why their DD or DS is not the superstar.

 

[Cannonball]

As you know Cannonball very little that we discuss on this forum is an absolute. We can always find an exception to the rule. I'm going to bet that UMSL didn't find your daughter at a HS game, but rather at a camp and /or a TB tournament. Why do I think that? Well, that's where most coaches spend their time watching girls. You will see some coaches every great once in a while watching girls at a HS game, but it is usually because they are hard selling their commitment to one girl on the team. I'm willing to bet that your daughter would have also been asked to play at UMSL even if she didn't play school ball. The competition level in HS isn't anywhere close to what the girls will face in the summer. Most coaches want to see how the girls will play against the best competition, and will therefore watch them at a showcase or a big TB tournament.

I have heard it straight from a coaches mouth that they will never attend a HS game. That it is a waste of their time.

You are right about colleges posting the HS accolades on their websites when the girls commit. My personal theory is that it is easier to say that a player was a three time all state player in HS than it is to try to explain that a girl played 75 games for Jersey Intensity and all that it entails.

Or it could be that the public is so used to seeing those accolades in their big money sports(football) where there is no other league at the HS level that other sports follow suit.

That is a fair statement!

 

[Cannonball]

She still went to the D-I and the reason she decided not to play HS became apparent. She was going to get beaten out by some stud freshman because she wasn't all that. Sometimes college coaches make mistakes when they recruit. Thats as plain as it can be stated. BTW, at that time, I had not known/talked to that college softball coach but had a lot of dealings with the college baseball coach. That's how this coach got my phone number. She did not make it a semester in college.

BTW, and I forgot to mention this in the earlier posts, we have a couple of NAIA schools that do come to HS games with Missouri Baptist being one and one NCAA D-II school just down the road that makes it to some area HS games.

 

[djcarter1966]

Doug I remember your previous posts now given a little more context. Have your two students pitched varsity last year? If the one girl that is going to be a senior and can't find a place on the team as #2 pitcher or sub then the coach is really blind or maybe she is just not as good as you are suggesting (has she signed somewhere yet? have college prospects?). Another thing that gives me pause when you describe this new freshman pitcher you admit "yeah she is good" so assuming you are maybe just a little biased in favor of your students maybe the freshman is "really good?". Anyway I think the only thing any girl that wants to play softball at the school can do is go out there and try their hardest do their best and then let the chips fall where they may (can't tell you how much fun my DD had playing JV last year along with a couple TB girls that did not make varsity). Maybe your junior pitcher can't make varsity but if she has a small ceremony at school on signing day maybe with Dad and her JV coach or few favorite teachers and the principal maybe people will look at the HC and figure out he is pretty dumb or just playing favorites if he can't recognize college level talent at his own school. Unfortunately most of the time the talent gap is not that big and the HC is merely exercising is prerogative to chose the girls he thinks gives the team the best chance to win or just going with the girls he knows which as long as all other things are equal (or at least close) you should not complain about.

 

[JAD]

Or it could be that the public is so used to seeing those accolades in their big money sports(football) where there is no other league at the HS level that other sports follow suit.

I agree that all of the high school accolades are a result of football, where high school ball matters. I always get a kick out of softball players signing their NLI at the high school and the high school coaches posing in the pictures when 98.2% of recruiting is done in travel ball....

 

[JJS]

She still went to the D-I and the reason she decided not to play HS became apparent. She was going to get beaten out by some stud freshman because she wasn't all that. Sometimes college coaches make mistakes when they recruit. Thats as plain as it can be stated. BTW, at that time, I had not known/talked to that college softball coach but had a lot of dealings with the college baseball coach. That's how this coach got my phone number. She did not make it a semester in college.

BTW, and I forgot to mention this in the earlier posts, we have a couple of NAIA schools that do come to HS games with Missouri Baptist being one and one NCAA D-II school just down the road that makes it to some area HS games.

Something tells me that you may get more visits from colleges than the other HS programs because of your coaching. You spend enough time trying to better yourself as a coach on DFP, and that probably stands out to college coaches. Remember, not every HS coach is giving the effort that you are. Some are truly just there for the paycheck, or for the control factor. Based on the discussions we see here I'm guessing more of the latter than the former.