Should HS seniors EVER play JV?

[Otto]

This is a follow up on a thread I started a while back about improving a HS team.


Other coaches in the program: "Seniors are never on the JV team. That has always been the tradition."

Me: "In the history of the program there has never been a single winning season. THAT has been the tradition. We need to end stupid traditions."


There is probably room on jV for a couple of seniors who have zero chance for PT on Varsity. The tools aren't there and no amount of coaching will catch them up at this point.
These players are delightful young ladies with equally wonderful parents, and have been in the program throughout HS. Attitude is great, but skills are dog years behind the V level. The varsity team could and should be made up entirely of the multi-year TB players at the school. There will even be tb players on the bench if done correctly based on talent.

Should these couple of seniors be given the option to play jV or culled from the herd?

"Doing the right thing" was mentioned in my prior thread. Should emotion or 'having a heart' be involved in that right thing? Talent-wise the decision is black and white. What is the "right" thing to do with these seniors? FWIW, they would even be bottom-half-ers on the jV team.



I would like some guidance from school coaches. The answer is simple if you are 'just' a parent of a player, or if you are a tb coach who can drop/add at will, knowing a kid can go find another team next week.

Thanks for reading.
Otto

 

[quincy]

Just a parent.

You knew these kids were not going to play varsity last year, they were just taking up a spot then too. I am sure there are a few in every class.

I am not sure why it would be different for seniors.

I would rather a player that played for 3 years already take the spot.

 

[Otto]

Just a parent.

You knew these kids were not going to play varsity last year, they were just taking up a spot then too. I am sure there are a few in every class.

I am not sure why it would be different for seniors.

It was no problem putting their talent on jV as a frosh, soph, and Jr. Are you saying to go ahead and place them on jV as a senior too?

I would rather a player that played for 3 years already take the spot.

Three years of school ball after weak rec league growing up doesn't make a senior nearly the player that some of the underclassmen with 6-7 years of tb are. Not even close. If she were anywhere close, then yes I think we should grandfather her on due to being a senior. (Maybe. )

Going forward, I think after the soph season we should be cutting so that we don't get to this situation every year. It looks like year after year there will be good young kids coming in that are better than not-very-good older players.

 

[riseball]

In most places Seniors are not allowed to play JV regardless of their skills or lack thereof. If as a Senior they do not have any possibility of playing time, it may be time to make some tough decisions cut the players and provide others with the opportunity.

 

[JJS]

If the senior is on JV she may be taking up a spot that could be used to get a freshman/sophomore ready for varsity. The only way I would think it was ok would be if your school needed the player to make enough to have a varsity and JV team.

 

[FP26]

If the senior is on JV she may be taking up a spot that could be used to get a freshman/sophomore ready for varsity. The only way I would think it was ok would be if your school needed the player to make enough to have a varsity and JV team.

Our school had 17 players last season. 2 seniors played mostly on JV, while 3 freshman (including my DD) played more on V. Due to our numbers, we always had at least one Varsity player play JV so we could field a team. But we rotated that between the freshman and sophomore varsity players. The junior and senior varsity players never played JV. The two seniors that played mostly JV hardly ever saw the field in varsity games.

 

[Terror Coach]

We had a few seniors that played jv. We would ask the other coach before the game if they had a problem with them playing. They never did. If the kid has been a part of the program for 3 years I don't see how you can cut them now.

 

[Mike-Coach Q]

I'm a high school coach with 3 teams Frosh, JV, and Varsity. I've change my position over the years. I originally would not allow juniors on the JV team. My position now is a long as I have a spot open I will allow a junior on JV even if I have to cut a freshmen or sophomore that probably will never get up to their skill level. My reasoning being that the stronger the JV team is the better prepared the freshmen and sophomores will be to make the jump to varsity will be. I haven't had to think about seniors on JV but I guess that day will come. The ones that didn't make it to varsity as a junior would usually not come out their senior year.

 

[JAD]

We have had one or two seniors play JV in the past, they would rather play JV than sit on varsity. They also got to dress out for varsity after the JV season ended.

 

[coach james]

Seniors are "starting varsity" regardless of talent, skill, or experience in our little town.... after the first inning, the best players take their rightful spots, but it always makes an interesting first inning... It's complete BS in my opinion. The HC is stuck in his ways.