On occasion I hear stories that make me wonder what some coaches are doing and why they got into coaching in the first place. I understand that coaches are human and prone to mistakes. Trust me, I've made more than my share - whether it be getting called for a deserved technical and putting my team in a bad spot, chewing out the wrong kid, or breaking into a dance at a team dinner at Pizza Hut (I did apologize to my team and my family for embarrassing them after that). What I don't understand is the coach who quits on their kids, curses a blue streak at one of their players, or tells everyone around how much they hate coaching.
I have a unique perspective on what it means to work with kids. I grew up in a family who has been involved in the education process in nearly every way. My grandmothers both worked at Jackson (MI) Public Schools, while one grandfather drove a bus for the same district and another coached his kids and their friends when they were young. An uncle coached football and baseball while he taught at Birch Run (MI) High School. And my parents have been involved in a bit of everything. From my mom working as a teacher's assistant at Jackson Public and now as a teacher at a local pre-school, to my dad serving on the school board at East Jackson Schools and the Jackson County ISD, to hosting numerous foreign exchange students, it was always ingrained in us that education and doing what's right for others is the right thing to do. Now in my generation, I married a young lady with a teaching degree, my brother is a coach, my sister and her husband both work in special education and she has coached cross country.
With that background and my Christian faith, I've always believed that there is a greater purpose to coaching than the wins and losses. Don't get me wrong, I have an ego and want to win as bad as anyone (see the aforementioned technicals and yes there have been a number of them). I simply see my players as much more than a means to that end. When kids play for teams I'm involved with, they are part of the family and are treated with the same love and respect as I treat my own kids (I'm happy to say it has been the same with the head coaches I've worked for). See, I want to receive the texts like I received yesterday when one of my former players let me know she is going to compete in track nationals or be invited to the wedding of one of my players as she got married last fall. And at the end of the day, I want my players to be successful whatever direction life takes them.
So when I heard last weekend that a coach in her first year at a program left her team two hours before they tipped off for a game, I was absolutely stunned and saddened. I don't know all of the details and can sense that there were issues throughout the athletic program. For the life of me though, I can't understand why you can't stick with your players through the end of the season. Those young ladies practice every day, go to class, and bust their backsides for that program and the coach. To leave them before things are done, is essentially inexcusable. Frankly I'm sick of coaches talking about loyalty and toughness and then showing neither when push comes to shove.
Fortunately most coaches are in it for the kids, but I would beg those who don't have the passion anymore to think about doing something else after this season is over. There are plenty of other folks out there willing to step in and take your spot. I know, I'm one of them and have talked to many others as well.
I'm interested to know the thoughts of other coaches out there as well.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Saturday, January 18, 2014
The era of outsized expectations
Tomorrow at 3:00, two of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL will matchup in the AFC Championship Game. It may well be the last time we see Tom Brady and Peyton Manning play against each other, much less in a game of such importance. I have no idea who will win this game, though I personally prefer Manning. What I do know is that these two men will bring it. Yet someone has to win and the other has to lose. Unfortunately, many fans and talking heads will take the chance after the game to bemoan the fact that either Brady and Belichik have not won a Super Bowl since 2005 or that Manning only has one Super Bowl win to his credit. This is truly unfortunate because those folks will have passed up the opportunity to simply enjoy two great careers that are nearing their end.
My question - when did it come to this? At what point did we determine that in order to be considered truly great as a player or coach, you had to win championships or in this case, multiple championships? Don't get me wrong, the obvious reason you play the games is to win championships. Yet, I am always astounded by folks who don't understand that there are two teams going at it in any game and they both have the goal of winning. Especially at the professional level, where there is such parity, it is incredibly hard to win a championship and it requires not only great talent, not just at one position, but also most of the breaks to go your way.
Trust me when I say I can appreciate what greatness looks like, even in the face of constant defeat. I happen to be a Detroit Lions fan - Billy Sims, Barry Sanders, and Calvin Johnson anyone. No one can say that, at least in the case of Sanders and Johnson, they are not two of the greatest players at their positions of all times. Yet neither one of them has ever been close to winning a Super Bowl. And I can make a list of players in every sport, at both the college and pro levels, who never won a championship. I'll just pick one from the three major pro sports - Dan Marino, Charles Barkley, and Ted Williams. It seems to me that these men are rightfully appreciated for what they accomplished. So why not those who play in this day and age.
I guess, we are truly now in a what have you done for me today society. I will choose to live outside of that philosophy and enjoy what I see today. So for those of you who choose to watch tomorrow's game to determine which quarterback is an abject failure for not carrying his entire team to the Super Bowl, I truly feel bad for you. As for me, I will watch that game and appreciate that I may be watching the two best to ever play quarterback. While that is certainly open for debate, the elite level at which these two have played at for such a long time is not.
In closing this post, I did want to touch base on two things that are much more important than the games we watch, coach, and play. Great news came out this week, as we heard that North Carolina Women's Coach, Sylvia Hatchell's leukemia is in remission. We also heard that Nikki McCray, an Assistant for the South Carolina Women, has breast cancer. I hope everyone will say a prayer for Coach McCray. Knowing what it takes to coach at that level, I guarantee that Coach will battle and I believe pull through this. And I know that my God will listen to our prayers.
My question - when did it come to this? At what point did we determine that in order to be considered truly great as a player or coach, you had to win championships or in this case, multiple championships? Don't get me wrong, the obvious reason you play the games is to win championships. Yet, I am always astounded by folks who don't understand that there are two teams going at it in any game and they both have the goal of winning. Especially at the professional level, where there is such parity, it is incredibly hard to win a championship and it requires not only great talent, not just at one position, but also most of the breaks to go your way.
Trust me when I say I can appreciate what greatness looks like, even in the face of constant defeat. I happen to be a Detroit Lions fan - Billy Sims, Barry Sanders, and Calvin Johnson anyone. No one can say that, at least in the case of Sanders and Johnson, they are not two of the greatest players at their positions of all times. Yet neither one of them has ever been close to winning a Super Bowl. And I can make a list of players in every sport, at both the college and pro levels, who never won a championship. I'll just pick one from the three major pro sports - Dan Marino, Charles Barkley, and Ted Williams. It seems to me that these men are rightfully appreciated for what they accomplished. So why not those who play in this day and age.
I guess, we are truly now in a what have you done for me today society. I will choose to live outside of that philosophy and enjoy what I see today. So for those of you who choose to watch tomorrow's game to determine which quarterback is an abject failure for not carrying his entire team to the Super Bowl, I truly feel bad for you. As for me, I will watch that game and appreciate that I may be watching the two best to ever play quarterback. While that is certainly open for debate, the elite level at which these two have played at for such a long time is not.
In closing this post, I did want to touch base on two things that are much more important than the games we watch, coach, and play. Great news came out this week, as we heard that North Carolina Women's Coach, Sylvia Hatchell's leukemia is in remission. We also heard that Nikki McCray, an Assistant for the South Carolina Women, has breast cancer. I hope everyone will say a prayer for Coach McCray. Knowing what it takes to coach at that level, I guarantee that Coach will battle and I believe pull through this. And I know that my God will listen to our prayers.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Why Run-n-Gun makes sense for the Women's College Game
I had the opportunity to watch the Michigan State women play at Michigan today on the Big Ten Network. It was a tremendous game and was exactly what a rivalry game should be. I saw intensity on the faces of the players and coaches, physical play, tremendous athleticism, numerous ties and lead changes, and comebacks from both sides. This was the women's game at it's finest. The problem, there were only 4,510 people on hand (in an arena that seats over 12,000) to see a game between two teams undefeated in conference play whose schools are separated by 65 miles and enough dislike to last hundreds of lifetimes. Compare this to an exhibition hockey game between Michigan and Waterloo (who???) on October 6 that drew 4,360. This means that for one of the most important women's basketball games at Michigan in years, against an in-state rival no less, only 150 more people showed up than those who showed up to an exhibition hockey game against a team from Canada. Does anyone else see the problem here? Women's basketball is lagging significantly in fan support.
What can be done to deal with this issue? One idea is to make the game more uptempo. Personally, I am suggesting something drastic. The Grinnell System created by David Arsenault and used by Andy Hoaglin and me at Jackson (MI) Community College from 2010-13 could breathe new life into a number of programs across the country and put substantially more butts in seats. Think it can't work? Look at the success Bunky Harkleroad is having at Sacramento State in his first year (and he was hired in October). Though Coach Harkleroad is not running the full Grinnell System, he is running and gunning without a doubt.
If even 5-10 more schools start playing uptempo (Oregon and Paul Westhead are pushing the pace as well), there's a great chance most fans across the country would get the opportunity to see it played at some point during the season. But why does it make sense to do this in the women's game. Following are a couple of the reasons.
First, playing run-n-gun is low risk/high reward from a financial standpoint . 99% of the D1 women's programs are non-revenue producing. And by the attendance at that MSU-UM game, you can see why. Schools aren't about to cut out women's basketball. So, it makes sense to try to bring a few more folks through the turnstiles every game. Even if that is only a hundred more on average at say $5 bucks a pop, that is $150,000 over the course of a 15 game home schedule. I believe 100 more a game is an extremely conservative estimate, but even $150,000 would more than pay a head coach's salary at most schools. Now what if you add to that a few endorsement deals for averaging 100 points a game, additional apparel sales, etc. You may never see women's basketball be a significant revenue producer, but it could sure stop hemorrhaging as much cash and allow say football and men's hoops to keep a bit more of the cash those sports bring in or spread more to other sports.
Kids want to play where they can do special things and where they can, at the least, be a contributor. In the Grinnell System, nearly everyone sees the court every game - the system works best when wearing folks down with multiple players. Think about this, what athlete, when being recruited thinks - "gosh I'd love to go to a place where they play in front of 500 people/game and I will have to sit most of my freshman and sophomore years". I believe a coach who can sell playing uptempo in front of thousands of fans and have the chance to actually play, will attract progressively better recruits.
Honestly, I know run-n-gun can be successful in the win column as well and will get into that in future posts, but if players stick at an institution and that school is able to earn a few more dollars a year, I think we're already off to a great start.
What can be done to deal with this issue? One idea is to make the game more uptempo. Personally, I am suggesting something drastic. The Grinnell System created by David Arsenault and used by Andy Hoaglin and me at Jackson (MI) Community College from 2010-13 could breathe new life into a number of programs across the country and put substantially more butts in seats. Think it can't work? Look at the success Bunky Harkleroad is having at Sacramento State in his first year (and he was hired in October). Though Coach Harkleroad is not running the full Grinnell System, he is running and gunning without a doubt.
If even 5-10 more schools start playing uptempo (Oregon and Paul Westhead are pushing the pace as well), there's a great chance most fans across the country would get the opportunity to see it played at some point during the season. But why does it make sense to do this in the women's game. Following are a couple of the reasons.
First, playing run-n-gun is low risk/high reward from a financial standpoint . 99% of the D1 women's programs are non-revenue producing. And by the attendance at that MSU-UM game, you can see why. Schools aren't about to cut out women's basketball. So, it makes sense to try to bring a few more folks through the turnstiles every game. Even if that is only a hundred more on average at say $5 bucks a pop, that is $150,000 over the course of a 15 game home schedule. I believe 100 more a game is an extremely conservative estimate, but even $150,000 would more than pay a head coach's salary at most schools. Now what if you add to that a few endorsement deals for averaging 100 points a game, additional apparel sales, etc. You may never see women's basketball be a significant revenue producer, but it could sure stop hemorrhaging as much cash and allow say football and men's hoops to keep a bit more of the cash those sports bring in or spread more to other sports.
Kids want to play where they can do special things and where they can, at the least, be a contributor. In the Grinnell System, nearly everyone sees the court every game - the system works best when wearing folks down with multiple players. Think about this, what athlete, when being recruited thinks - "gosh I'd love to go to a place where they play in front of 500 people/game and I will have to sit most of my freshman and sophomore years". I believe a coach who can sell playing uptempo in front of thousands of fans and have the chance to actually play, will attract progressively better recruits.
Honestly, I know run-n-gun can be successful in the win column as well and will get into that in future posts, but if players stick at an institution and that school is able to earn a few more dollars a year, I think we're already off to a great start.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Christian, husband, father, son, brother, uncle, coach, professional. These are some of the titles that describe me. I am nothing special, but strive to be a difference maker every day. I am a sinner who by the grace of God and the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ is assured eternal life. Yet, it is not only eternal life that motivates me as a Christian. It is the joy of every day living as a child of the Most High.
I am blessed to be a husband of almost twenty years to the love of my life, Vicki. I am also a father to three of the most amazing kids in the world. I could not be more proud of them, as they have grown into fine teenagers (Nathan and Emily) and a tween (Allison).
My extended family, including my in-laws, are incredible people. I have been molded and shaped by watching the examples of so many.
As a coach (currently unemployed in that profession, but looking forward to getting back at it), I am motivated to make a difference in the lives of those I am fortunate enough to teach. I love coaching an uptempo brand of basketball that is exciting for my players and the fans. I have developed many lifelong relationships with those I've met in the game, including my best friend and the gentleman I've coached with more than any other, Andy Hoaglin. I've been fortunate enough to coach some awesome young women who are going to go on to great things in this world and I look forward to watching their success.
I hope you'll find this blog interesting moving forward. I'll delve into a bit of everything, basketball (significantly), my faith (I never force it on anyone, but won't shy away from it), sports in general (I'm a junkie), my family, politics, travel, and vacation. Who knows where this will go, but I'm looking forward to sharing with anyone whose interested in whatever ramblings I post:-)
Eric
I am blessed to be a husband of almost twenty years to the love of my life, Vicki. I am also a father to three of the most amazing kids in the world. I could not be more proud of them, as they have grown into fine teenagers (Nathan and Emily) and a tween (Allison).
My extended family, including my in-laws, are incredible people. I have been molded and shaped by watching the examples of so many.
As a coach (currently unemployed in that profession, but looking forward to getting back at it), I am motivated to make a difference in the lives of those I am fortunate enough to teach. I love coaching an uptempo brand of basketball that is exciting for my players and the fans. I have developed many lifelong relationships with those I've met in the game, including my best friend and the gentleman I've coached with more than any other, Andy Hoaglin. I've been fortunate enough to coach some awesome young women who are going to go on to great things in this world and I look forward to watching their success.
I hope you'll find this blog interesting moving forward. I'll delve into a bit of everything, basketball (significantly), my faith (I never force it on anyone, but won't shy away from it), sports in general (I'm a junkie), my family, politics, travel, and vacation. Who knows where this will go, but I'm looking forward to sharing with anyone whose interested in whatever ramblings I post:-)
Eric
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