All times are UTC - 6 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 4 posts ] 
  Print view Previous topic | Next topic 
Author Message
PostPosted: 25 Feb 2016, 12:42 

Posts: 3
Please do me a favor and assess a situation that occurred at a game last Saturday. I was running the scorer's table. I was there from the program watching this team as part of our normal game viewing/coverage rotation. The program director is currently deciding the fate of this coach. All of the parents want this coach to continue coaching. The coach informed the program director right away of what happens and feels horrible. He feels he should be fired but does not want to resign because he cares for the girls. He doesn't want the team to feel he is quitting on them.

Please let me know what you think, details found below Summary:

Bottom line/Summary: Parent rides coach all game about game strategy. Extreme situation with only 4 players available and one girl on way to hospital causes coach to snap. He throws chair backwards (away from court) and yells "Hey shut up and let me coach my own f*ing team!". Parent yells back "play zone and put P****** (girl with concussion) back in the game". Coach yells " Hey ****** f*** you" as he holds up the double bird (flip off) Brian Cox style. Coach goes back to coaching. No technical foul called by refs (in fact one says thank you I wanted to do that). Team loses by 4 points playing with 4 players the last 16 minutes. Coach feels horrible and immediately approaches me to take responsibility and lets me know he is going to call the program director that night. He hold parent meeting next day and tells all parents what happened (including 4 that missed the game) taking full responsibility for his actions. He calls program meeting for parents to get a chance to talk to program director without him present. Parent that was involved chooses not to show up to either meeting, still has wife bring his daughter to the game. Mom lets program director know that she doesn't want coach fired because her husband was an "ass".

I am assistant director of the program. What would you do in this situation? Decision will be ultimately made by director, but I am torn due to circumstances and history. Although I will tell you my first instinct was that the coach needed to step down for at least the Spring/Summer session.


Background:

7th grade Girls Feeder Team (all girls attend same middle school)

Successful Team - 2nd place in state tournament (open to select teams), play up a grade against select teams, complimented/respected by opposing coaches and refs

Good coach - rarely if ever blows up at refs, tremendous patience with players, treats players with respect, has a waiting list of girls that want to play for him, has been heavily recruited by area select teams to leave the program and coach for them but he has always refused to leave every time and has been honest about someone trying to recruit him (informed the program)

Parents - Most parents love the coach and feel that he has developed their daughter as a player but most importantly has taught them life skills. One parent has been passive aggressive during games whenever the team loses. This team has a record of 114 - 31 since the middle of 5th grade. When losses do occur the passive aggressive parent makes comments from the stands loud enough for the coach to hear. Coach has always addressed those after the game outside of earshot of other parents. I have been there from the program during these talks and the coach is always firm but respectful to this parent.

Scenario:

Four players have to miss a Saturday night game leaving the team with only 6 that night
Unseasonably warm February day results in a gym that is probably 80-85 degrees with a ton of humidity according to parents
One of the top guards falls and hits her head hard. Coach correctly assesses likely concussion and holds her out of the game
At the 16 minute mark in 2nd half (20 min running clock) players start to cramp. Coach calls time out and has girls go outside. He informs ref and ref gives him 2 minutes with approval of opposing coach to cool off players.
Coach is now out of time outs and can't stop the clock to give players a rest.
This is a tournament game that the girls desperately want to win. They beat the opponent by 18 pts earlier in the year (at full strength)
Around the 14 minute mark a girl has bad cramps and goes down. The coach carries her off the court and decides she needs to sit the rest of the game.
Score at this point is 28 to 19 in favor of the opponent
Team down to 4 total players
No more time outs, the coach has to yell instruction from the bench
Coach instructs two best defenders to guard the two best scorers from the other team 1 on 1, he instructs the other two girls to guard the paint in a "T" formation and tells them to defend/treat it like their 3 on 2 drill, he has the team go man to man press with no inbounder coverage after a make
Parent hears coach and sees two girls playing man to man and yells "come on idiot have them play zone"
Game continues at 9 minute mark it is now 34 to 27, gap is closing so coach continues with plan on defence
Parent continues to yell about man to man but now starts yelling to other team "our coach is an idiot you deserve to win"
Frustration builds as parent continues to chirp
At 6 minute mark the 4 players are exhausted due to pressing. The 5th girl who was cramping is now on her way to the hospital to be checked out for heat stroke. The girl with the concussion wants to get back in the game but the coach won't let her. The opposing coach calls a time out to give our girls a rest (classy move and one of the coolest things I have seen this season when watching program games).
During time out team tells coach they want to win and will play till they drop. Coach is concerned about the heat and their health.
Coach instructs team during time out to fast break and look to drive to contact (rest on free throws). He also tells them to take turns fouling. Tells them to foul based on position number 1-4. They are at 5 team fouls for the half with only 2 girls having 2 fouls on them the rest 1 or 0. He has the two girls with 2 fouls play the 3 and 4 so that they would hopefully foul less.
Game continues to 2 minute mark. Parents going crazy and think a victory is possible. The 4 girls can hardly stand up. Game is now a 4 point game.
Game ends with 4 point margin. Coach helps players outside to get air and water. Coach immediately reports to me to let me know he takes full responsibility for the parent incident. Wants directors cell number to call him.


 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 25 Feb 2016, 15:15 

Posts: 18
Really hard to say what I'd for sure without being involved directly with the situation.

But based on what I read, if I were in charge I would...

- suspend the coach for at least a couple games. maybe the entire season. sounds like he's a good coach so I would let and encourage him to get back to coaching after the suspension. however, there must be implications for that behavior. if my best player did that, there WOULD be implications. you just can't set a precedence by allowing that behavior. coaches must know there will be consequences.

- that parent would be suspended from games. I'm sorry but it should never have gotten to that point. Sounds like the parent maybe has a history of this and should have been suspended from games a long time ago.
http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/haefner/why-coaching-from-stands-causes-confusion-and-how-to-stop-parents-from-doing-it/

- I would implement more strict rules about what parents can get away with in the stands. Set a precedence and follow through with parent rules.

Good luck. Too bad the coach lost his cool. Understandable, but unacceptable!


 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 26 Feb 2016, 07:41 

Posts: 56
I would go by the majority of the parents wishes. If they want him to stay, he stays. And it sounds like they do.

The parent who caused the situation is suspended from games indefinitely until he agrees to keep quiet during games and issue an apology to everyone.


 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 07 May 2016, 14:35 

Posts: 62
Its time for parents to remember to let the kids have a good time. Also, that life is not always fair but we have to make the most of what we have. Enjoy. Not all kids get to be on a team.


 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 4 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 6 hours


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: