Wonderful advice for TB Coaches

[BT3100]

It's a good story and a good sentiment, but let's be fair.

Jordon didn't ride the bench much in high school or in her travel ball days. She was a scholarship athlete at her dream school, playing for a championship coach in a corrupt, evil program (sorry, my inner Gator slipped out there) championship program. That doesn't happen unless you're a stud. Maybe there are bigger studs, but she wasn't being a good teammate for the years leading up to her enrollment at Alabama. She was playing enough to impress recruiters and coaches, and given the unfortunate amount of success Alabama has had over the years, she probably was considered one of the best players in her class. Once arriving on campus, she wasn't the best one there, but the key point is she arrived on campus. She accomplished the goal. There wasn't trying to advance her softball career any further because (besides Gainesville) there isn't anywhere further to go.

That's a different situation than the vast majority of TB girls will run into.

Maybe but let's also be fair and say there was no travel team she could have jumped too like many kids do. Some have so many different jerseys its embarrassing. Either bad decision making or being impatient. Not everyone and I get it every situation is different but many jump and see that the grass isn't greener and parents rob them of an opportunity to go to "the desert". Just my point of view.

 

[NBECoach]

High Schools should do themselves a favor and Add a frosh/soph team. Limit Varsity Team to 16 players tops. My DD 14u team has 14 players (looking to add 1 more pitcher to our current 3) There is plenty of competition for playing time. Anymore players would just be a money grab.

Many of our Frosh/soph athletes are now single sport girls and go out for soccer simply because they play TB in the summer, and don't want to be burned out on softball. So the school ends up with between 22-25 players. So it's not so easy to just add a team here.

This year 4 of the 7 Juniors are inexperienced softball players and 3 of the 5 sophomores are better. So if all the Sophomores that are better than most Juniors are put on varsity (and the varsity record is all that counts), and add the Juniors and Seniors we end up with 15 varsity players and 8 JV.

 

[Northball]

This year 4 of the 7 Juniors are inexperienced softball players and 3 of the 5 sophomores are better. So if all the Sophomores that are better than most Juniors are put on varsity (and the varsity record is all that counts), and add the Juniors and Seniors we end up with 15 varsity players and 8 JV.

Is your school completely against having juniors floating between varsity and JV? May be a better experience for them when they're not completely outmatched by experienced varsity opponents and they can get more playing time. Varsity roster of 12 or 13 and the rest JV.

 

[NBECoach]

Is your school completely against having juniors floating between varsity and JV? May be a better experience for them when they're not completely outmatched by experienced varsity opponents and they can get more playing time. Varsity roster of 12 or 13 and the rest JV.

Technically no the HC is not against them going between V and JV, but once told they likely won't stick around to actually play JV.

Just a side note, the HC prefers to carry 14.

 

[radness]

The task is bringing in more inexperienced or jv level players.
Varsity is a goal jv feeds.

How many freshman usually show up to tryout ( or play)?

 

[NBECoach]

Usually 5-7. A few are decent, but the rest are usually rec players who would require lots of 1 on 1 instruction. For example if 6 show up 3 are ok and 3 need varying levels of help.

 

[radness]

This year 4 of the 7 Juniors are inexperienced softball players and 3 of the 5 sophomores are better. So if all the Sophomores that are better than most Juniors are put on varsity (and the varsity record is all that counts), and add the Juniors and Seniors we end up with 15 varsity players and 8 JV.

Usually 5-7. A few are decent, but the rest are usually rec players who would require lots of 1 on 1 instruction. For example if 6 show up 3 are ok and 3 need varying levels of help.

If generally you get 6 freshman. And seems you should still have atleast 6~8 returning to jv. Theres your team.

JV is tasked with entry level coaching.
If your sophmores are better than juniors thats the way it is.
Juniors play down.

imo shuffling players to Varsity and back to j.v.
breaks up the team causing unneeded problems. Doesnt solve the issue.
When coaches should be focusing on longer term solutions from this year and the next, and the next....
Thats the one advantage h.s. has 'returning students/ players'.

Focus on skillsets not grade level.
Start your feeder system by focusing on the newbie's.

 

[NBECoach]

If generally you get 6 freshman. And seems you should still have atleast 6~8 returning to jv. Theres your team.

JV is tasked with entry level coaching.
If your sophmores are better than juniors thats the way it is.
Juniors play down.

imo shuffling players to Varsity and back to j.v.
breaks up the team causing unneeded problems. Doesnt solve the issue.
When coaches should be focusing on longer term solutions from this year and the next, and the next....
Thats the one advantage h.s. has 'returning students/ players'.

Focus on skillsets not grade level.
Start your feeder system by focusing on the newbie's.

Appreciate the feedback.

However these Juniors would rather walk away than play JV. They are not future college players and are able to play summer softball (on non-competitive teams) or work so It's no big deal (to them) to walk away. The sophomores that should be on JV will likely be playing varsity because they have a bit more talent than these Juniors. So the returning # for JV isn't what you think.

 

[radness]

Appreciate the feedback.

However these Juniors would rather walk away than play JV. They are not future college players and are able to play summer softball (on non-competitive teams) or work so It's no big deal (to them) to walk away. The sophomores that should be on JV will likely be playing varsity because they have a bit more talent than these Juniors. So the returning # for JV isn't what you think.

Tough dynamic's happen!
Like i commented earlier gotta start with newbies. If that is a fun experience the word will get out.

( i say that because i recall your other post about the varsity coach impression they have made)

just my .02
Good luck with it !!

 

[BT3100]

Pretty good thread on Facebook softball group about this topic.
The most truthful post was from a parent who said he didn't want to put his DD on a team where she had to compete for time with 17 other players.
She doesn't think she wants to play in college and he felt if she was on team with 17 others they would beat her out for playing time.