Coach Mac, thank you so much for your feedback. It is really good to hear your experience, it confirms my thoughts.I did get tougher by the end and stood my ground. Even in the last game he was not listening and took him out, the person I put in did the wining goal, it happened to be someone he didn't appreciate in the team. I told him that he didn't listen to my instructions and took him out. He then wrote me a long email with his objections to my judgement....can you believe it.
Well, the season has finished now and we are doing something different this season, and I will not be coaching as we have all agreed at club level that this age group needs a male coach. See, it is just a domestic team -but with many egos I guess-. We just run try outs for our number one team and engaged a paid coach to bring this team to a higher level so that it could go into a representative competition. Well this kid made it to the team, we'll see what happens. He is a ball carrier, which the team needed as there is only one extra. But unfortunately he cannot pass the ball well. Hopefully with a new coach he'll learn better, as he has been mostly coached by his mum.
Thank again
Flaiva

Flavia -

I'm sorry that this kid gave you such a hard time... but it goes with the territory... male or female coaches get grief from kids. Teenagers seem to think that they know more than adults. You were probably too nice.... I doubt that I could have been accused of that as a head coach. LOL I was a different person on the floor than I was off the floor.... they knew who the boss was.

I am laughing as I read Coach Macs post here.... I benched several kids that thought they knew more than me or were acting like jerks. Some I threw off the team, go play in the park. It took me 3 years to get one kid under control, 3 years! He was 5 foot nothng as a freshman and the 3 best guard in the program then. I wanted to bring him up as a Sophomore to the varsity ( and he knew the plans as a freshman ) he balked and threatened to quit. His mom called the AD and he came to me..... asked me if I was ready to lose him... I said, IF he is going to quit on me now, so be it, better now than when its really important when he is a senior. I talked to his mom and she understood, saying its between you and Brian. Well, he decided to play and the first year was good because I had some great kids and leaders on that team... as a junior... a real pain... benched him many games, as a senior I had to bench him and 2 other starters when we were playing for the conference championship. I didn't dress them and they had to take stats. The tail doesn't wag the dog. IF you love coahing... you can work with some younger kids and probably have more fun.
By the way, I will see Brian and his family over Christmas in Florida, he has 3 kids and one of them can really shoot it already at 10 years old. His wife asked me if I was always so soft spoken. Brian and I looked at each other and started laughing.... he said, only off the floor. So, don't let this kid ruin your love for the game.... there is an age group out there that would appreciate someone like you.

Good luck