helping your kid deal with the politics of school sports

[kunk75]

my son was cut from jv this week as a 9th grader. he's been starting for a high level aau program for years and has been like a 21/8 point guard with good defense for years. we live in a very political district on long island and the feedback i got from the coach doesn't jive and doesn't even jive with what other coaches at the school haver told me. said aau is different my son doesn't shoot mid range, too many 3s, slashes and FTs not enough mid range shots. he is devastated and many of the parents were surprised that others made it over him. he's not sure he wants to stay here, if anything will change or if he should go play at one of the catholic schools that wanted him. here, it seems the best kids rarely make the teams.

any advice? i played baseball and coach basketball but never played competitively.

[west_tip]

here, it seems the best kids rarely make the teams.

I sympathize with you but to give you a coaches perspective as a high school varsity soccer coach I deal with a lot of delusional parents who think little Timmy is all world, a future pro.

If kids are as good as parents think they are then why are they cut? Are you telling me that coaches cut good players in favor of lesser talents to undermine their chances of winning? Doesn't make sense.

[kunk75]

I sympathize with you but to give you a coaches perspective as a high school varsity soccer coach I deal with a lot of delusional parents who think little Timmy is all world, a future pro.

If kids are as good as parents think they are then why are they cut? Are you telling me that coaches cut good players in favor of lesser talents to undermine their chances of winning? Doesn't make sense.

i would not say that ordinarily, he's on varsity hurdles and high jump since 8th grade and believe me, he's not the next jordan but if d1 catholics showed interest why wouldn't a d3 public? also, this is apparently a well know issue in the district. a girl who was cut from jv transferred in season to a catholic school and went on to play d1 and in europe. the team hasn't won anything in about 10 years seems predicated on booster club participation sometimes here.

[west_tip]

i would not say that ordinarily, he's on varsity hurdles and high jump since 8th grade and believe me, he's not the next jordan but if d1 catholics showed interest why wouldn't a d3 public? also, this is apparently a well know issue in the district. a girl who was cut from jv transferred in season to a catholic school and went on to play d1 and in europe. the team hasn't won anything in about 10 years seems predicated on booster club participation sometimes here.

Fair enough kunk.

This could prove to be an interesting topic for debate and discussion, would you mind answering a few questions I have so I can better gauge the situation you and your son are in?

1. Did you get a chance to watch the kids on the JV squad so you could rate and gauge your sons abilities relative to theirs?
2. Was it that your son was not playing within the boundaries of what the coach wants from his PG's, ie was he selfish, does he shoot too much?
3. Is he undersized? I know sometimes coaches (in all sports) are leery of kids who look like they are too small for the competition.
4. What are the demographics of the school your son attends and the neighborhood where you live? Income, race, etc.
5. How feasible would it be for your son to attend the D1 Catholic schools that have in interest in your son?
6. How well connected are you and your family with the school, administration, coaching staff etc. Ie do you have an older son that went to the school?

[kunk75]

thanks good to hear from a coach please see below

Fair enough kunk.

This could prove to be an interesting topic for debate and discussion, would you mind answering a few questions I have so I can better gauge the situation you and your son are in?

1. Did you get a chance to watch the kids on the JV squad so you could rate and gauge your sons abilities relative to theirs? yes, the 10th graders are solid but they took 4 9th graders and even the girls varsity coach saw me on the street and said he could not imagine he wasn't 1 or 2 pick among 9th graders. at open gym and tryouts many of the varsity players asked him to run point for their scrimmages

2. Was it that your son was not playing within the boundaries of what the coach wants from his PG's, ie was he selfish, does he shoot too much? coach told me he was a very good passer with solid court vision. in all honesty he probably looks to drive first but creates and passes as well

3. Is he undersized? I know sometimes coaches (in all sports) are leery of kids who look like they are too small for the competition. he's 5'7, the 9th grader they took is 4'11.

4. What are the demographics of the school your son attends and the neighborhood where you live? Income, race, etc. it's one of the richest districts in the country, probably 5 latinos and 3 african americans in the high school. he plays aau out of brooklyn/queens for this reason

5. How feasible would it be for your son to attend the D1 Catholic schools that have in interest in your son? 2 of the better programs know him through aau and expressed interest he just wasn't sure he wanted to go with a catholic school and leave his friends.

6. How well connected are you and your family with the school, administration, coaching staff etc. Ie do you have an older son that went to the school? no all the kids selected had brothers who played and we aren't heavily involved in the school or school politics. there lies the rub. i am running for the school board this year.

[kunk75]

sorry and to clarify, we are white but he has mostly played with african american kids historically. someone made a comment his game is very "urban"

[west_tip]

1. Yes, the 10th graders are solid but they took 4 9th graders and even the girls varsity coach saw me on the street and said he could not imagine he wasn't 1 or 2 pick among 9th graders. at open gym and tryouts many of the varsity players asked him to run point for their scrimmages

3. Is he undersized? I know sometimes coaches (in all sports) are leery of kids who look like they are too small for the competition. he's 5'7, the 9th grader they took is 4'11.

6. How well connected are you and your family with the school, administration, coaching staff etc. Ie do you have an older son that went to the school? no all the kids selected had brothers who played and we aren't heavily involved in the school or school politics. there lies the rub. i am running for the school board this year.

As I kinda suspected it's the old "its not what you know, its who you know" bs.

I've never coached basketball but having only 4 freshman (ie. less than a starting 5) on the JV squad seems inappropriate. As a rule of thumb I would think you would want about 50% of the JV squad to be freshman so they get plenty of minutes before they are sophomores and the transition from one year to the next is seamless.

What I would suggest you do (I think you may have done already) is approach the coach and tell him your son is disappointed not to have made the squad but wants to know what specifically he needs to work on to make the team next year. Ask him straight up if his son is in his plans for next year, is he likely to get playing time, does he rate him etc? If he seems enthusiastic about your kid and wants to keep him in the fold then it will be reflected in your conversation with him. If he is lukewarm at best then you know its time to look into those Catholic schools you talked about because there's no sense in hanging around to go through the same crap in a years time.

[kunk75]

thanks, i think that's excellent advice. i spoke to the coach. it's interesting he told my son he needs to go to his left more and plays strong d while the coach told me that he is good with both hands but had trouble getting his own shot (he is not a catch and shoot player so i was confused by this) and he didn't play sound defense. he also spoke to my son without having any notes or anything prepared.
doesn't bode well for the future IMO.

[kunk75]

i also failed to mention one spot is reserved for an injured kid who will have made the team with no tryout.

[DeuceWallaces]

I'd probably be more concerned about the education my son is getting at these schools; not playing time.

[kunk75]

academically it is excellent, one of the 50 best in the US.

[west_tip]

I'd probably be more concerned about the education my son is getting at these schools; not playing time.

Well, yeah, goes without saying really and its not as if the two are mutually exclusive.

[DeuceWallaces]

Well, yeah, goes without saying really and its not as if the two are mutually exclusive.

Considering it wasn't brought up once, I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume it's going without being said.

[west_tip]

Considering it wasn't brought up once, I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume it's going without being said.

The conversation pertained specifically to kunk's kid being cut from his JV team. I'm sure if there were any specific academic concerns he would have raised them and asked for feedback.

[unbreakable]

i would say fukk the coach and transfer ASAP to a rival school so your son can kick their ass