Youth Basketball: Coach Spanks Team Into Shape

Crazy Youth Sports Coach Series

This blog chronicles the good, the bad and the ugly of youth sports. Today, I guess is ugly day with my last post about sports hazing and this story about coach from Jackson, Mississippi. The coach of Murrah High School, Marlon Dorsey whipped his players with a heavy weightlifting belt for not executing plays correctly. Get this! The coach was brazen enough to spank his players while parents were in the gym watching.

The dad featured on the video below was in the gym when this incident happened. He was supposedly outraged but did nothing. I guess he didn't do anything immediately because it was not his kid who was getting abused. This dad would later find out that his kid had once been a victim too. According to the story, most of the kids were victims of this abuse over the course of the season and nobody said a word to their parents or school officials. They all feared losing playing time or getting kicked off the team.

Well, now there is video of the abuse and everyone is talking and wanting their slice of the litigation pie.



The Main Point

A coach physically abusing young athletes is sad. A black coach in Mississippi whipping black kids is even sadder. To me, however, the saddest part of the story is the dad who watched and said nothing and did nothing for several days. I can only guess that playing time for his kid was more important than respect for his kid.

This is especially sad to me because I can blame myself for the same thing. I know that I have hesitated approaching a coach who I thought was being disrespectful to my son (verbally not physically). Instead, I basically told my son, "you will encounter other A-hole coaches throughout your career and when you do you will be prepared.... You cannot quit, you just have to persevere....we will find you a better team and coach next year." I eventually had enough with my son's coach and confronted him, but only after bitting my lip for way too long. I finally realized that there was a difference between a tough a-hole coach and a disrespectful a-hole coach. I do not need my kids to be coddled, but I need the coach to respect them. It would be great if they respected them as players and people, but at the very least they need to respect them as people.

Youth Sports: Hazing Needs to Stop

One of the uglier sides of youth sports is hazing. Many think that hazing is nothing more than harmless pranks perpetrated by upperclassmen / women college students against pledges at fraternities and sororities. If you do some research you will easily discover that hazing is a very prevalent ritual around sports teams. It happens in the pros, college and middle and high schools sports too. Sometimes these rituals are condoned by the coaches. Some are funny and seemingly and sometimes these acts lead to serious injuries (physical and mental) and death. So this is a very topic.


We were reminded of the seriousness of this topic again yesterday. In the wealthy suburb of Carmel, Indiana, a former high school basketball player took a plea deal in a hazing incident that happened about a year ago. Four former members of Carmel High's varsity basketball team were indicted by a grand jury for hazing and/or sodomizing school mates. 


The details of the story can be found following these links and watching the video below:


Indiana High School Students Indicted for Hazing
Indiana Hazing Scandal Proves High School Students are Still Obnoxious





Additional information on Hazing


Hazing is not just a college problem anymore
StopHazing.org


The Main Point


I do not care if a lot of hazing is easily dismissed as good old fashion fun, I am totally against making people do anything against their will no manner how silly or seemingly harmless the act or prank is. All to often hazing crosses the line with excessive drinking, nudity or sexual abuse. If you do not believe me, check out this list of worldwide hazing incidences. Pure and simple, hazing violates human dignity. 


It is crucial that parents know how prevalent it is and advocate for anti-hazing education, laws and enforcement of laws especially middle and high schools when kids have enough to worry about.

Youth Sports: I'm Done with Fundraising

Are you tired of fundraising for sports, schools, bands or other youth activities?

Fall baseball just ended and spring training is months away, but I just went to a kick off meeting for the 2011 Baseball season. The coaching staff talked to the parents about their coaching philosophy, the anticipated game schedule, winter training, team fees and possible fundraising options.

Select baseball fees are typically well over $1,000 and this year was no different. This sum covers league fees, field fees, insurance, uniforms, baseballs, umpires, tournament entry fees, etc. Some teams also charge for professional coaches too. This can easily double the cost.

Needless to say this is a large amount of money especially in this economy. With fees this high, teams often turn to fundraisers to offset the price to parents. I'm tired of fundraising. And thankfully, most of parents on our team didn't want anything to do with fundraising. Our kids have been playing baseball for 7 years now and we have all been there and done that.  I would rather just pay the fee directly to the team or school. It is just more efficient.

Here's why? My son calls my sister and sells her $15 worth of magazines. My sister then puts her daughter on the phone and sells me a $15 dollar raffle ticket to win a car. My sister will get the magazines in the mail. She will remove them from the mail box, put on them on the coffee table and eventually put in them recycle bin without ever reading a single word in them. I, of course, will not win a car in the raffle. My son's team gets $3 from the magazine sale and my niece's team gets $5. My sister and I will spend $30 and only $8 of it will help the teams. This process wastes time and money in my opinion. And I am done with it.

The baseball coaching staff gave parents the option to secure sponsorship money to offset their own personal fees. This is great because those who do the work will reap the rewards.

The Main Point

I am tired of buying and selling wrapping paper, magazines, mulch, raffle tickets, cookie dough, cookies, candles, candy, popcorn and car wash gift certificates, etc. I know how much youth activities are so I’ll provide financial support but I do not want to be a sales rep. I do not have time to help my child promote a fundraiser. I’m too reluctant to asked my friends and relatives for more money especially when I know that the school or team only gets a small portion of the money while the fundraising company gets the rest. And finally, I do not want my kids going door to door it's just too dangerous. I'm done with fundraising.

Youth Sports: Do You Think Obama Played Competitive Youth Sports?

I have several posts throughout Statsdad.com declaring that participating in competitive youth sports prepares children for life. Notice, I didn't say mere participation in sports prepares kids for life. It's competition that inspires one to overcome and achieve. Competition is vital for growth and development. 


Notice too, I did not say anything about winning. Life lessons are learned through winning and losing. Preparing to win is what is important.


Finally, I do concede that there are many benefits to playing sport just for fun. And even in competitive sports "fun" is a key element for success. You have to like what you are doing to succeed.


This same principle applies to young artists and musicians and actors and writers and students. The world is a competitive place for everyone not just athletes. It's a fact, the world typically rewards those who are better or work harder or both. This is a good thing. This dynamic pushes people to work harder to achieve goals. The opposite is communism and we all know how successful that was. 


There's a great post that echoes these thoughts on PajamasMedia called It's how you play the game: The Fate of Western Civilization and Grade School Soccer. A shout out to the always interesting blog Your Kid's Not Going Pro for the link. The article made me wonder if Obama ever played competitive sports growing up?


The Main Point

Save

No Save - Goal

Don't stress winning, stress preparing to win, stress hard work and hustle. Winning will likely follow. Your kids are going to win and they are going to lose. They are going to make saves and give up goals. They will get hits and strike out. They will make teams and they will to get cut from teams. They will start and they will sit the bench. Regardless, if they work hard then they are going to grow during the process and they will be prepared for life.

Youth Soccer: Must Win Game

Are there really any must win, do or die games in youth sports? Must win or what? Of course in the grand scheme of life no game is really that important. Save for the 1980 USA Hockey team win over the USSR that lifted a nation and other games in history that garnered a higher importance for reasons beyond the game itself.

My daughter, CC, played in what was deemed a must win game by the coaches and the way too serious parents (like me).

My 10 year old daughter's team plays in the Elite Division (highest division) of the metro area soccer league. Their league record before Sunday's pivotal game stood at 2-2-3. They won or tied 5 of the 7 games, yet they were in danger of being dropped from the Elite division.

After each season is complete, the bottom two teams an upper division move down and the top two teams from the next lower division move up. This fall, the Elite division featured the best nine teams in the tri-state region. After the season, the Elite division is being reduced to eight teams. So for this year only, the bottom 3 teams of the Elite division will move down to the Premier division and the top two teams from the Premier division will move up.

My daughter's team needed to win to guarantee a spot in the Elite division. Staying in the highest division will guarantee that they will play against the best talent in league play. The top division teams are also the teams that garner limited spots in the top divisions of soccer tournaments. So a drop in division can significantly reduce the level of competition for an entire season. This is important because the girls on this soccer team are serious about soccer and they want to play against the best so that they can continue to advance as players.

Game 160

Rough Game

The coaching staff found out right before the game that they did not have to win to stay in. Apparently, the team that could have jumped over our team in the standings with a win, lost the day before. The coaching staff did not inform our kids of this and used the threat of moving down a division as motivation.

Our team ended up winning the rough game 1-0 to end up the season tied for 4th place and a mere two points out of second place. CC's foot is finally healed and she played very well. She had a terrific shot on goal that the goalie made an outstanding split second reaction save on.

The Main Point

In youth sports at the end of the day the result of the game really does not matter, but we all know that it feels like it does. This feeling weighs on the minds of young kids who only think about the present. This feeling weighs on the minds of the crazy youth sports parents who only think of the future, future positions on a competitive high school team or perhaps a future scholarship to college. So in a sense, there are must win games in youth sports. And I think that that is a good thing. These games prepare our kids for the future. Not so much for future games, but for life. The world is a very competitive place.

Youth Football: Trick Play

The Driscoll Middle School football team of Corpus Christi, TX became a YouTube sensation when they pulled a trick play in a league title game.

The play has raised lots of questions. Was the play legal and if it was legal was it ethical? Let's debate.

Was it legal? I am not sure what rules govern middle school football in Texas, but I know that Texas High Schools follow NCAA Football rules. The relevant rules of snapping a ball are listed below.

NCAA Football Rules 2010

Rule 2-23 / Definitions FR-55 SECTION 23. 

Snapping the Ball ARTICLE 1. 

a. Legally snapping the ball (a snap) is handing or passing it backward from its position on the ground with a quick and continuous motion of the hand or hands, the ball actually leaving the hand or hands in this motion (Rule 4-1-4). 

b.The snap starts when the ball is moved legally and ends when the ball leaves the snapper’s hands (A.R. 7-1-5-I-II). 

d.While resting on the ground and before the snap, the long axis of the ball must be at right angles to the scrimmage line (Rule 7-1-3-a-1). 

e.Unless moved in a backward direction, the movement of the ball does not start a legal snap. It is not a legal snap if the ball is first moved forward or lifted. 

g.The snap need not be between the snapper’s legs; but to be legal, it must be a quick and continuous backward motion. 

Notice that in clause (g), the snap does NOT need to go between the legs. There were many uninformed people commenting on YouTube and blogs that not snapping the ball between the legs made the play illegal. I would contest that clause (e) was violated and should have resulted in a 5 yard penalty against the offensive team. The ball is clearly lifted upward before it is moved backward. An initial backwards motion would have caused the defensive line to react.

Was it ethical?

Cindy Boren of the Washington Post equated the play to the famed fumblerooski play. In that play the ball was legally snapped and the quarterback fumbled the ball on purpose for a lineman to pick up. They did this play at great risk of losing the fumble. She also equates the play to Statue of Liberty play which is no more than a play action pass play. These plays were deceptive, but did not cross the line of fair sportsmanship.

I think that the Driscoll play crossed the line of fair and decent play. 

The Main Point

Pull this play on the college or Pro level and I say great, but on the middle school level this was a bit bush league.

My son's baseball team used to practice a fake pick off play where the pitcher would spin and then fake a throw to second base. The two infielders and the centerfielder would act as if that the ball was errantly thrown into outfield. This deception would confuse the runner who would sometimes run to third only to be thrown out rather easily by the pitcher who still had the ball. One day, my son's team pull this play off in a game and fooled a 10 year old runner. I heard a parent from the other team say something very poignant to our coach, "Hey coach, I thought you and your organization played with class...until today. Are you proud you tricked a 10 year old kid?"

I agree, these plays are legal but when conducted against young kids they are a bit classless.

The Driscoll play may have been legal if the refs deemed that the ball moved backwards before it moved upwards and the fake pick off play is legal, but coaches do you really want to win that way? I guess so.

Youth Basketball: You Play Like A Girl

From time to time and all to often, I hear dads tell their sons that they play like a girl. I assume that these dads have never watched woman play sports, but I can tell you there are some really tough girls in the youth sports world.

Last night, I watched one of the most exciting and physical youth basketball games I have ever seen. And believe it or not it was between two 4th grade girls teams vying for a win in a quarter-final game of the city championship. Both teams wanted to win badly and they went full speed at each other for the entire 20 minutes of playing time. I was keeping score and the ref came up to me during a time-out. He said, 'This is intense. I thought that this was going to be an easy game to ref.... I never would have guessed that I would be berated by the fans of 10 year old girls..... These girls are playing some good basketball,  I could call a foul on every play."

'

Game 161

My daughter's team fell behind early and limped into half-time down 17-6. The opponent had a very athletic and tall center who dominated the boards. The opponent also played a 2-2-1 trapping defense on a really small court which gave our point guards fits. My daughter, CC, was one of those two point guards who struggled to find passing lanes the way our offense typically runs.


The coaching staff made some half-time adjustments on offense and defense. Remarkably, the defense was able to hold the historically high scoring opponent to 1 point in the second half. The coaching staff also moved a player up to the high post and CC started passing over the 2 front defenders.

This opened up the offense which generated 13 points in the second half. CC's team won 19-18 on a steal and a layup with 4 seconds left. CC hit a critical 15 foot jumper late in the game to put her team in position to win. I was never so proud as a parent. The basket was great, but it was the will to win and the tough play that I was so proud of.

The Main Point

Girls are tough and that toughness starts when they are young.

Youth Soccer: Winter Training

This is a note from my daughter's soccer coach regarding winter training. 

Dear Team,

 I am sending this out to clear up some questions.  I have been getting notes from confused parents on what to do over the winter months if anything.

In this day and age we cannot stress enough how important it is to continue to train as much as possible at these younger ages. (The kids are 10 years old). These younger ages are when the kids develop the necessary skills (technical skills ) needed to play at a high level when they are older.

Right now with our age groups the girls are focusing on ball control and individual ball skills (Basically the proper techniques needed to play the game at the next level) which includes High school.  

As you have all seen this year the U10 age group has already started to be introduced to the tactical side of the game, which is includes roles and positioning on the field , how to make runs , etc . We only train 3 hours per week, so as we start to focus on the team (tactical) there is not much time to spend on the individual player (tecnhical).

The foundation must be built at these younger ages or your kid will only go so far before they hit a wall. All of our players are very talented and capable of playing at a high level as they get older.

I know for some, this is all new and are not sure what direction to go. I have been in this for a long time now. I can tell you that players are made! They just don’t wake up one day as a great soccer player. It takes a long term investment and you will see the rewards.

So hopefully that helps everyone understand how they can help their children be better at this sport , it is the training that will get them there.

Coach

The Main Point

The best players play the game year round. If your kid wants to play soccer in high school then they will need to play year round. Why because that's what all the other players vying for those few high school roster spots are doing.

One caveat. I think that kids should play multiple sports at a young age. Lessons learned on a basketball court can help on a soccer field. Endurance gained on a soccer court will help a volleyball player. Muscles developed playing volleyball can help on a basketball court.

Youth Football: Undefeated Team Banned from Playoffs

Fox News reported that a Seladia, Missouri 5th grade football team was banned from the playoffs for being too good.

Crazy Youth Sports Parents Series

The Outlaws, 6-0 team, dominated the recreational league and were looking forward to winning a championship. The other teams in the recreational league decided that they could not compete with the Outlaws, so convinced the league officials to give the Outlaws an honorary championship and ban them from the playoffs.

I am scratching my head trying to figure out who wins in this situation.

Let's say that the Outlaws followed the rules of the recreational league and recruited players in a manner that was ethical, (Some are questioning the make-up of the team.) who wins?

The innocent Outlaw 10 year old players lose out on a memorable experience. The Outlaw players learned that no matter how hard you work some regulator can take it away. They could be demotivated from working hard in the future. The players on the eventual championship team lose because they received a tainted trophy they did not earn. These players learned that they do not need to work hard to reap rewards. They could be demotivated from working hard in the future. The league officials lose too. They lost credibility because they handled the situation so poorly.

Let's say that the Outlaws did not follow the rules of the recreational league and stacked the team, who wins and loses here. Again, nobody wins and everyone loses. The coaching staff loses credibility for breaking the rules. The league officials lose credibility for not policing the situation from the very beginning. The innocent 10 year old Outlaw players lose because they are looked upon by other teams as cheaters. The other league players lose because they did not get a chance to compete on an even playing field for a chance to experience a memorable achievement.

The Main Point

When coaches do not follow the rules everyone loses. When league officials make up rules so that little Johnny does not get his feeling hurt when he loses, everyone loses.

Parents, your kids are going to lose sometimes get over it. Your kids will actually grow from the experience. Coaches you will be always be a loser if you cheat to win. League officials be proactive and try to mitigate bad situations and don't be influenced by over sensitive parents.

Youth Basketball: AAU A Whole New Level

Do you think that your young athlete is one of the best players in his or her age group? She or he might be, but you need to find the best competition to really know. 


We experienced a dose of reality yesterday. 

My daughter, CC, had her first AAU basketball game. CC's new team was invited to play in a pre-season game against another local AAU team. Although, CC's team has not yet started practice, the coach thought it would be a good idea to get a sneak-peek at the kind of team she has this year. Last year, the team dominated the 3rd grade level, so they decided to play up in the 5th grade division this year. In 3rd grade, my daughter was leading her recreational basketball team to the town championship. That was last March and that seems so long ago.

My daughter was nervous in the morning. She did not really want to go. This is not unusual for her as she enters a new situation with teammates she does not yet know, but we knew once she stepped on the court she would be fine. 

We got to the facility early because my daughter wanted to watch the B team play. We agreed because we thought it would help her understand that she is good enough to play AAU ball. 

We watched and noticed that the game was being played at a much higher level than the games my daughter typically plays. The level was higher because all the players on the court could play as opposed to just two or three on any given team. We realized that CC could compete. My daughter relaxed and enjoyed the game.

As we watched the B team game, the A team girls from both teams started showing up. We noticed that they were much taller than the B team. My daughter stands as at 4 foot 7 inches tall (slightly above the 50th percentile for a 10 year old girl). There were 4 girls on the two A teams who were off the charts tall. My daughter plays at the highest level of soccer in the area and while she is not the biggest girl on the field, she is far from the smallest, so this was not expected.

The visual evidence

Normal Sized Competitor

Off the Charts Tall Competitors

My daughter admitted to being a bit intimidated while she sat on the bench and awaited her time to play. I was proud of her. She did not back down even though she was getting knocked around. She did not play with her normal confidence. She was more than willing to immediately give up the ball to a teammate when she got it. On her school team, she typcially controls the ball and shoots or distributes with confidence. 


The Main Point


My daughter wanted to tryout for this top AAU team. She made it. During this first game, she looked over-matched. This can go two ways; 1) She can get better and better by playing with and against the best competition in the area or 2) she can lose her confidence and never want to play again. My wife and I will manage this very carefully.


Game 159


CC's AAU team lost big. 36-6. CC had a rebound and a nice jump shot. She also got knocked around and had two turnovers.

Youth Sports: How Do Single Parents Do It? (Two)

Several weeks ago, my wife was away on a women's religious retreat so I was solo and managed a very hectic schedule that included

Friday - Golf match and basketball tryout for my son and soccer practice for my daughter.

Saturday - Basketball game, soccer game and select basketball tryouts for my daughter and basketball tryouts and baseball game for my son.

Sunday - Basketball game and soccer game for my daughter. My son, thankfully, had the day off.

Ten athletic events.

Crazy Youth Parents Series

It was pay back time this past weekend because I was away. Here is the schedule that my wife had to manage.

Friday - Soccer practice for my daughter

Saturday - Two soccer tournament games in Dayton and one basketball game in Cincinnati for my daughter, a basketball practice for my son. My wife and daughter also went to a parent meeting for my daughter's new AAU basketball team. 

Sunday - Two soccer tournament games in Dayton and one basketball game and volleyball tryouts in Cincinnati for my daughter. My daughter did not go to the volleyball tryouts due to the soccer tournament, but my wife is the volleyball coach so she needed to go to evaluate players. 

Ten athletic events.

The Main Point

My wife now agrees that being a single parent of athletes is nearly impossible. 

Games 153 - 157

My wife had a great weekend. She saw a four wins in soccer as my daughter's team won the Haunted Classic. She saw a unexpected loss in a basketball tournament semi-final. This actually worked out well, because my daughter would have missed the championship game of the basketball tournament to play in the soccer tournament. My wife scrambled to get to a regular season basketball game after my daughter's team on the soccer tournament and had to do the trophy ceremony and championship team picture. My daughter, CC, missed the first quarter, but jumped right in when she arrived and had a good game. 

Youth Football: Special Moment for a Kid with Cerebral Palsy

This blog is dedicated to the good, the bad and the ugly of youth sports. There are also special moments that you see on rare occasions. I guess that's what makes them special.

I recently wrote a post about the ref who put a down syndrome 4^th grade girl on the free throw line for a non-shooting foul that she herself committed against her opponent. It was a bad call for a good reason. She did not make either of the two shots, but it was certainly a special moment for her and all who witnessed it.

Another special moment happened recently on a football field in Manila, Arkansas. Dylan Galloway, a senior who is confined to a wheelchair with cerebral palsy, scored a touchdown.

The Manila coach devised a play for Dylan. He then called the coach of his opponent, the top ranked Rivercrest Colts, and shared his plan. The Rivercrest coach agreed to the play if they could find a perfect time to run it.

With time running out in the lopsided game, Dylan Galloway put on a helmet, took his position as tailback, received the hand-off, rolled left behind his offensive line and cut across the goal line for the team’s only score of the night.

The Main Point

In youth sports, fans see triumph and tears, phenomenal plays and fear. The also see domination and doubt. Sometimes the action is exciting and other times boring. They will see coaches compliment, cheer and chide players. They will see refs make good calls and bad calls while they are getting called names from one side or the other or both. They will see good sportsmanship and bad. And sometimes, just sometimes fans see something, feel something, experience something special. 

Youth Golf: City Championship

It takes lots of skill and a little luck to win a golf match. It takes passion to win a championship. Passion is what motivates an athlete to work hard between matches. Some kids have the dedication to succeed in sports and others don't.

Game 149

The nine golfers on my son's golf team have the passion and drive to succeed at golf. As a result, they won the Cincinnati City Championship by 33 strokes.

To make this very talented team, my son played 37 straight days. He then competed in a two day tournament tryout and qualified 3rd overall. He took one day off. Then he played 14 straight days before the first matches and the beginning of school. In total he played 52 of 53 days. I am sure that he has played or practiced 75 of the past 105 days. He certainly has the passion and work ethic needed to succeed. During this time, his ranking in Call of Duty plummeted from among the world's best. He lost his passion for video games, thankfully.

My son, Nic, played football for his school team and won two Cincinnati City championships (3rd grade and 4th grade). After his second year of football he decided that he did not have the passion to play the sport anymore so he did not sign up for football as a 5th grader. He went back to soccer and had a good time but did not have the passion for soccer. He contemplated going back to football, but his school established its first ever golf team when he was in 6th grade. He decided to tryout for golf. He made the inaugural team and has never looked back.

The Main Point

Kid needs self motivation, passion, to succeed at a sport. In other words, they need to love what they are doing to do it to their highest potential. Are your kids playing a sport they love or are they playing a sport you love?

Youth Basketball: 10-10-10

Before the game last night, I told my daughter that it was 10-10-10 (Oct. 10th, 2010) and it would be great if she scored 10 points in her basketball game.

Game 146

She scored 8 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and had 8 steals, 2 days, 2 months and 2 years too late. Ironically enough, her team won 22-2.

The Main Point

None really. I like numbers.

Youth Baseball: Confidence is Everything

Some coaches are masters at building confidence. Some coaches are not. Nic now has a coach who builds confidence.

Games 147 and 148

Last night, Nic went 5 for 6 during a doubleheader with 2 doubles, 3 singles, 3 RBIs and 3 Runs scored. One of his best games of a long baseball year. Nic seems to be regaining his old form with his new team. Two teammates from Nic's former team have joined him on his current team. The three of them combined for 11 hits in 13 ABs with 2 walks and a hit-by-pitch. I could tell that all three were having fun and playing free and easy.

The Main Point

Thanks to his old coach he knows what to do, but his confidence was so low he couldn't do what he had to do well with any consistency. When you combine a high baseball IQ, with skills and confidence success will follow. At the end of the regular season, I could not wait for the season to end. Now I cannot wait for the new spring season to start.