Monthly Archives: February 2011

Should a High School Coach Use the “N” Word Towards African American Athletes?

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There was a situation recently where a high school basketball coach used the “N” word towards African American athletes.  This coach’s lamed-brain excuse was to motivate the players to be better.  The players were extremely offended by this coach’s actions and refused to play anymore games until this coach was removed.

I know that this generation of high school athletes is a little bit on the softer side; they’re not as hardcore and tough mentally and physically like they used to be back in the day.

A lot of these new generation student athletes cannot take harsh or strong language from high school coaches and this is where conflict begins.  I don’t have a problem with the coach getting in the face of a student athlete if that’s what it’s going to take to make that athlete better or to motivate that player to do better.  Coaching is about teaching and about motivating players and coaches do have a tendency to yell at players.

African Americans are improving economically and are no longer interested in living in the inner cities where the school systems are bad, the crime is high and the housing situations are horrible.  African Americans who have improved economically deserve the right to move to a better neighborhood with better schools and with better housing. It only makes sense to do that.

Now African Americans are invading into white folk’s territory; going to their schools, living in their houses and shopping in their stores that used to be all white all night.  I think what’s happening now is white people are not use to being around black people and maybe they’re somewhat offended by the fact that blacks have moved into their neighborhoods and are in their schools and are improving academically and athletically.

There are some coaches who are white who may not be totally accustomed to the culture of African Americans and they may say things as a joke or make racial slurs or comments not thinking that they have caused some kind of harm and offense.  These coaches feel that they were just joking around and that it is OK to do or say certain things towards blacks.

These types of inappropriate comments towards African American athletes does not do anything but piss people off, get people fired and cause a whole bunch of unnecessary B.S.

African Americans are also guilty of using the “N” word towards each other and that’s totally inappropriate as well.  Using that kind of language is a racial slur and if white people hear enough black people using that word then they’re going to think it’s OK for whites to say it also.

It comes down to understanding of people of different ethnicities on the part of white high school coaches.  If white coaches are going to be coaching African American athletes (and other students of color) then I think it’s important for those coaches to understand all races.

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Keith Dambrot is an Idiot

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There’s an interesting story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer about the University of Akron’s head men’s basketball coach, Keith Dambrot, on the fact that he was fired back in 1993 when he was the head men’s basketball coach at Central Michigan for using a racial slur towards African American players.

His situation is just as stupid as anything I’ve ever heard! From what I understand, he actually asked the players first if he could use the “N” word. What I don’t understand is what gives these coaches the right to humiliate African American student athletes?

There are countless stories and situations where white coaches are making totally inappropriate comments and racial slurs towards African American athletes.  These coaches don’t even care what they say, who they say it to and how it can have a devastating affect on people. Keith Dambrot is an idiot and anyone who is a head coach, who is responsible for young men and women and who uses language like that is also an idiot and should be fired.

Dambrot has been quoted as saying that he used the racial slur as motivation for his players, that’s why he got fired from Central Michigan. It took him an extremely long time to get back into coaching.

I thought the days of slavery and segregation were long over with; next these coaches will make the players ride in the back of the bus on road trips.  There will be another coach out there who believes that it’s OK to humiliate African American athletes by using racial slurs thinking it’s a great way to motivate these kids.

I think a great way to motivate student athletes is by communicating to them as young men and women and not talk to them like they are animals or something inhuman. Student athletes have been conditioned to respect the head coach without question so don’t you think the players deserve a coach who will respect them ,guide them and mold them into being better athletes and better people?

When I was in college at West Virginia State back in the 1980’s, my head coach made a racially insensitive remark towards me with another coach standing right there. My coach said to me, “ Al, how come you do not talk like the other black guys on the team?”  Basically he was trying to say how come I did not sound like a black guy and why was I talking white.  This same coach went on to get a big time assistant coaching job at a major university and after about seven years was fired for his racial comments and slurs about African American athletes at that university.

Over the last 25 years more African Americans are becoming head coaches and are getting into major college programs.  I believe more African Americans need to be head coaches at major college programs because most of the players are African American and an African American coach I would think could better relate to African American student athletes.

I believe you would not have racial slurs and inappropriate comments made towards African American athletes if there were more African American head coaches.

The numbers of African American coaches is improving but is still not enough; there’s still much more work that needs to be done.

I understand that African Americans can play the game or become assistant coaches then why not give them more opportunities to be head coaches at major college programs?

Soon, another white coach in this country will make inappropriate comments and use racial slurs.  This kind of thing has happened before, it’s happening now and it will continue to happen.  The good thing about all of this is that the coaches are punished for their behavior and the African American student athletes are standing up for what’s right.

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3 Ways to Recharge the College Recruiting Process

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There are a lot of student athletes who are in their senior year of high school and are finding it challenging to get college programs interested in them.  Some of the student athletes may have received a letter or phone call or two from a college program but not much else.  This could mean that your college recruiting strategy may be a little off and could use some recharging.  I thought I would come up with a list of some things you could do to improve the college recruiting process for you:

1.  Start calling college coaches now. If you’re in your senior year of high school and the recruiting process has slowed down, now’s the time to take a more aggressive approach.  There may be schools that contacted you by phone or letter and maybe email. I would take a hard core approach and call each and every one of those coaches.  Your goal is to see if they have an interest in you and if they don’t then move on.

2.  If you’ve established yourself with college coaches and they know who you are then I would start emailing these coaches every day until you get a response from them to find out exactly what their intentions are.  If these college programs are interested in you, you can ask them how to move forward. If they’re not interested in you, you must move on.

3.  The handwritten letter approach is a powerful and personal approach for student athletes. Student athletes who are in their senior year should be writing a personal letter to college coaches. This could help recharge the college recruiting process.  A one page handwritten letter may not get lost in all of the other junk mail that college coaches receive each day.  If there’s a particular coach that you are writing to, of course address that letter directly to that coach.  In your letter get right to the point and ask that coach what their intentions are with you.  If they write you back with their answer then go forward from there. If there’s no interest then move on.

Final thoughts: Sometimes the college recruiting process can change for seniors.  College programs can be very interested in you but for some unknown reason, they change their minds.  I believe it’s important to have a long list of college programs to start the college recruiting process because anything can change.  If the college recruiting process has slowed down for high school seniors, you must move into attack mode and aggressively start contacting as many college programs in the remaining months and weeks as you can before you graduate from high school.

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Is Being a High School Coach Really Worth It?

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I was just thinking about the pressure that has to be on high school coaches who have to deal with this generation of high school student athletes.

Today’s high school athletes seem to have a much softer side to them. These players cannot take criticism from their coaches or harsh and strong language to motivate them to do better.  Today’s high school athletes have to be treated a special way, like you would handle a newborn baby.

Why would any high school coach want to deal with high school athletes and their issues?

I think the pressure on high school coaches these days is ridiculous. Not only do they have to deal with cry baby high school athletes, they also have to deal with outside distractions from parents.

It used to be that the high school coach had more power and control over the team he coached and the players he developed. Now everything has changed.

If the high school coach does not win enough games right away they will be fired.  It seems that building an athletic program for the long term would be more important.  I would want to win for a longer period of time in terms of years than try and rush to win games right away in order to please the parents and the public.

If a high school coach yells at this generation of high school athletes they would be fired.  It used to be that a coach would yell at the players as a form of motivation; as a way to get the attention of these athletes. It was also a way of motivation.  The coach’s job is to teach players how to play the game and I would think sometimes you’re going to have to use strong language.

This generation of high school athletes is not willing to accept constructive criticism from their coach who is trying to make them better.  Instead, they will go complaining to their parents about how mean the coach was when that’s not really the truth.

High school coaches have a lot of B.S. that they have to deal with and I think it’s ridiculous that coaches have so much outside distraction.

When I read the local paper, there’s a listing of job openings for high school coaches after the football season. A dozen or more high school coaches have decided to get out of coaching altogether and focus more time on family and other things.  It’s the same with all other sports at the high school level-that a large number of high school coaches are leaving the game.

You have high school coaches who want to do a good job but are tied down with so many rules, regulations and restrictions that are getting in the way of real coaching.  Whose fault is it?  Is it the athletic director’s fault? They’re responsible for the entire athletic apartment along with the hiring of a new coach.  Is it the Principles involvement with hiring or firing a coach that may be getting in the way of good coaching?

When hiring a new coach, the administrators listen very carefully to that coach’s intentions for the program but it seems that outside pressures can persuade the administrator’s decision on whether or not to keep or fire the coach.

Maybe high school coaches are fed up with all of the unnecessary responsibilities that have nothing to do with coaching whatsoever.  This is why I believe there is a huge turnover of very good high school coaches who decide to get out of the game.

Final thoughts: The high school coach sometimes is treated unfairly because of the amount of responsibilities placed upon a coach and the low pay they receive.  The high school coach is required to do so many things such as developing the players, producing a winning program and getting these athletes recruited and placed in college.  That is the job of a high school coach but I think there’s just so many outside distractions that slows down good high school coaches from really doing their jobs.

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Caelen Robinson High School Basketball Recruit

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Caelen Roberson 6’1 170lbs. Point Guard

Corona Del Sol High School Phoenix, Arizona

Class: Junior

College Programs Recruiting Him:

None at this time.

Is this high school basketball player the real deal out there on the basketball court or is he just another player looking to fit in?

Do you think Caelen Robinson is a major college recruit? Do you think this young man has the skills, the talent and the ability to compete at the major college level?

What are your thoughts on   Caelen Roberson Has he proven to be a legitimate college recruit or is he all hype and no action?

Is Caelen Roberson being recruited by the right college programs or is he slipping through the cracks of the college recruiting process?

There are many extremely talented high school basketball players out there, is Caelen Roberson one of them?

In terms of skill and talent level, do you think Caelen Roberson is one of the best players in his state?

There is much information all over the Internet about talented high school basketball players. Do you think Caelen Roberson is receiving his fair share of high school basketball recruiting coverage or do you think more can be done in terms of his getting the right exposure on the Internet and exposure to college programs on his behalf?

What are your thoughts on this basketball player?

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You’re not going to get an athletic scholarship because you suck

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Reality is extremely hard to deal with if you’re a high school student athlete and all you’ve ever wanted was a college scholarship.  The truth is you’re not gonna get one because you suck.  College coaches are only interested in players who can help their program win games.  If you do not have talent to play at the college level it is nobody’s fault but your own.

It would be like trying to get a recording contract; I can’t sing a song no matter how hard I try and no matter how much practice I put into it I will always suck so, there’s goes my recording contract.

There are student athletes who work extremely hard but still suck at playing their sport. I know it’s the dream for many student athletes to play college ball but if you’re on a team that sucks you have no chance, if your coach sucks you really have no chance and if you suck then what’s the point of even trying.

Many years ago when I was getting started as a college recruiter I use to go to a lot of basketball summer camps. This one camp in particular had about 1,000 basketball players there.  I would say 99.9% of those ballplayers there had absolutely no chance of playing basketball in college.  There were only a handful of players that had a chance of playing Division 2 basketball but the rest of those players really sucked at basketball. Maybe they played other sports like baseball or football and there were some players who had some height but no talent to play anywhere.

College coaches only want student athletes who have talent, who can help their programs win. We already know this but it does not stop all the student athletes who suck at sports from trying to reach college coaches.

One thing is true; there are a lot of high school players who are extremely talented but are invisible to college recruiters.  Those players who have the talent and are very good students still slip through the cracks of the recruiting process every year.  There’s always a story or two about ballplayers who end up not being recruited for college.  Being under-recruited for college has been going on with players for a very long time.

There’ll be a small town high school star athlete who is very good but because he plays ball for a very small school nobody’s paying attention to him.

I do believe you can make yourself into a better athlete if you have something to work with.  You have to have some level of athletic ability somewhere in your body, that would be the starting point to developing your athletic skills and talent.

There are athletes out there who do not possess any level of athletic talent but they still believe that college athletics is in their future because they work extremely hard.  Even though they put in hours on top of hours of practice at the end of the week, the results are still the same; they still suck.

I see those parents who are out there investing big dollars into their children’s athletic future and that’s great.

A sport is an excellent extra curricular activity. The problem happens when it’s time to play on a team. The problem after that is when there are expectations for your children.

The problem becomes bigger when your child does not develop athletically.

The problem gets worse when parents keep putting money in it thinking it will help improve their child’s athletic ability.

It becomes a deeper problem for parents when they believe it is somebody else’s fault as to why their child has not developed athletically.

The blame game begins when the parents start to point fingers at some youth league coach for not coaching up their child.

The parents become crazy when another child shows a little bit more athletic ability than their child.

Major issues begin to take place between parents, coaches and anyone else who just happens to be there.  I’ve seen this scenario played out for years and parents become extremely pissed off because of the amount of money they have invested with very little return on the child’s athletic improvements.

It is extremely hard sometimes for parents to accept the fact that their child, whom they love so much, sucks at sports.

Final thoughts: There is a large list of high school student athletes who suck at playing their sport.  These athletes do try to give their best every day but the reality is, they suck.  These kids will have their parents spend money believing it will improve their athletic standing but it will not help them. Today’s generation of student athletes are a little bit softer; they’re not hardcore like they used to be.  The bottom line is, there are a lot of ballplayers who really suck and they need to get out the way of the players who can play.

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Your Senior Year and the College Recruiting Process

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Generally speaking, the senior year is suppose to be the where you find out where you’re going to play college sports.  I can tell you from experience there will be a huge number of student athletes who are very talented but are not going to be recruited.

There are student athletes in their senior year who have very little to choose from when it comes to being recruited or have totally weak prospects for their college recruiting future.

Oftentimes, student athletes believe that if they are good enough college coaches will somehow find them.  That particular thought is ridiculous because names of student athletes just don’t appear out of thin air and end up on the desk of a college coach.

There are many student athletes whose high school careers could more than likely end at the high school level because something went wrong with the college recruiting process.

Think about this and see if it applies to you: student athletes who are seniors did not go to enough exposure events, combines or tournaments and did not perform at a high level athletically during your senior year.  You did not score high enough on one of the two standardized tests and therefore you are invisible to college coaches.  Maybe you have a high school coach who could care less about the college recruiting process and did not lift a finger to help you.  Maybe you did not network with enough college programs during your high school career. These are just a few examples of things that some student athletes and their parents do not focus on when it comes to college recruiting.

If you’re a high school senior and you’re being under-recruited or not recruited at all, I don’t think there’s any hope to correct the problem.  The reason I say that is because scholarships are disappearing so that means there’s one less scholarship for you.  If it’s a division two program, they have very few scholarships to give and the rest is a financial package so the money that would go to you is slowly disappearing.  Some student athletes who were outstanding ball players could be forced to go the junior college route.

There are some issues with the junior colleges, one of which is that they’re only going to recruit a player who can play division one sports and if you’re not one of those players then those junior college coaches will have no interest in you.

Another option would be to go to an NAIA college program or a division three program. The problem with that is there is very little money to offer to pay for your education.  And if you take out a student loan you could be paying that back for a long time.

If you’re a high school student athlete and you did not take strong and serious action early in your high school athletic career, more than likely your career will be over.

Now there will be some student athletes who believe that their athletic career will not end at the high school level.  Those athletes will continue to chase the college athletic dreams by going to prep school or junior college all with the hope that their athletic careers will continue.  All these athletes are doing is wasting time and setting themselves up for years of frustration.  If college programs are not recruiting then it’s all over; go somewhere and be a student, get an education and somehow, someway once you’ve gotten over the bitterness of losing your athletic career give back some kind of way to athletics.

Final thoughts: The college recruiting process does not always work out for each and every high school student athlete.  Some athletes are going to end up extremely disappointed on how it all turns out for them. For those who are reading this and are freshmen, sophomores or juniors in high school you still have time to develop a strategy to gain exposure to college coaches and get recruited.

If you waste one day by not contacting a college program, that’s a day wasted and can never be made up; that’s a day that was lost.  The student athletes who are working early in the recruiting process, just look at what is happening to the seniors you may know at your high school and other high schools in your area. How did it all work out for them?

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