Tuesday night we played a home game against Western Reserve Academy. We were lucky enough to get a win and the team was in high spirits in the locker room after the game. One of my junior varsity players walked in after the game and handed me his jersey. He said that he quit and ran out of there before i could say a word. I went out of locker room and found an upset father waiting for me. I took the father to my office and had a discussion with him. He was mad about what every dad gets mad about, playing time.
Now this particular player is not very talented and really doesn't belong on a high school team but he is a great kid and spent the prior year as our team manager. I knew how much it would mean to him so in his sophomore season, I gave him a jersey. I explained to him he needed to work hard to develop his skills and that playing time would be difficult for him to attain.
My preseason message obviously didn't resonate with Tommy and his father because they were irate about his lack of playing time. I again explained our philosophy to Tommy's father and assured him that in any game that we were winning or losing by a large margin we would make sure his son was in the game. He did not like that at all so I continued to explain that we play competitive basketball and our goal is to win. Tommy's dad snapped back, "but this is JV basketball, there is no championship, it's a learning experience and everyone should have the opportunity to play".
My JV coach who was sitting in on the meeting called me that night and said he felt really bad. He asked me if all kids should play an even amount of time. I certainly know some coaches who give equal playing time to the kids on the freshman and JV teams. My philosophy is a little different. While I will always put my players before the game, I will not put the individual basketball needs of my players before the good of the team. This is a controversial view but it's one I believe in. That doesn't mean I don't feel awful about the whole situation. I am very disappointed that Tommy is not on the team anymore. Any thoughts?
I think you did what was right for the team. In my league, I coach at the JV level as well, but we play for a championship. It isn't a state championship, but it gives my girls something to work towards. I am constantly getting complaints about playing time. One thing we do is before the season begins, we have a players and parents meeting where we explain exactly how playing time will be given out. We have the parents sign a sheet saying they were there. After the meeting, I will not speak to parents about their child's playing time until the child comes and asks me about it. I feel that they are all big boys and girls by the time they reach 9th grade, they can voice their own concerns. If the parents still have a question after talking to their child, I am more than willing to speak to them. Many parents do not see what goes on in school during the day, and I know for a fact they don't see what happens at practice(our practices are closed). Usually after talking to their child, they understand and support my decision on playing time. I do not agree with equal playing time, keep it the way you have it right now.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. We put in writing that playing time will be awarded on merit. Players are not entitled to playing time, it is something they earn. During our preseason meeting we hand this out and explain it to all the parents. It doesn't stop parents from complaining later in the season but we have a document to refer to when they problems arise.
DeleteThis is a very interesting subject and one that has caused many problems within high school sports. I believe that varsity teams definitely should not require equal playing time. I believe JV is a little more of a developmental team and therefore playing time should be split between players. I don't think it needs to be equal, but I believe each player should get a chance to play in each game (granted they work hard at practice and are doing well in school). As James stated earlier in his comment strong communication between parents, player, and coach are key. If this is your policy and it is known upfront by the parents and players then it will be more respected in the long run. It never hurts to get the Athletic Director there for the parents meeting as well so that everyone is well informed. But just so you know, I have never coached at the high school level, nor do I think I could handle the pressure. So take my opinion as coming from someone who has NOT walked in your shoes!
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