Having been an athletic director and head coach, I've done a lot of parent meetings over the years and I do my best to be honest with them, get through the information I need to cover, and get them out of there as fast as possible. Let's be honest, you like going to meetings about as much as I like hosting them, but sometimes they're a necessary evil. So, here's a few things I'll cover early for you before this coming winter's season gets underway. Hopefully you'll find them helpful....or at least humorous.
First and foremost, there is no foul in the game of basketball called "over the back". Seriously, I'm not making that up. There's pushing. Block. Charge. But no "over the back". Come on, you've seen it, or even participated in it. Or worse yet seen a coach yell for it. Heated game, big crowd, tight game situation. The rebound comes off, and the big girl from your rival reaches over top of your defender who has inside position, snatches the rebound, and puts it back in, with the foul. As the official comes to the table to signal the hack on your player, your whole crowd looks as if they're imitating a scene from Night of the Living Dead, hands extended over their heads as they berate the official for not calling the obvious "over the back" call. All the while the official has to remain professional and bite his tongue, fully knowing that his "blown call" isn't even a call at all. So please, tell a friend, spread the word. "Over the back" doesn't exist.
I've also seen some really good officials, and some really bad ones. But I can honestly say we've never, ever lost a game because of the officials. Were there calls in tough situations that I disagreed with? Absolutely. But were there also countless turnovers and missed opportunities that would've given us the win? You bet. I just read a book a few weeks ago from a guy who no longer coaches but used to, tracing his steps through a season with a team he coaches. One story he told was about a game where they lost, and he entered the officials dressing room, berated the officials, and claims to this day that they "cheated" his team that night. Gimme a break. And trust me, I mention this concept of officiating at every parent meeting I ever have, but I can't remember too many games that afterwards at least one fan hasn't looked me up, win or lose, to tell me how horrible the officials were and how we were getting the short end of the stick. I assure you, those officials who barely make enough money sometimes to pay for their gas to and from your school, are there for the same reason you are....the kids.
Here's another one, and it's sometimes a sensitive subject, so I'll shy away from saying 100% of the time and go with 99% to allow for a margin of error. And I'm speaking about the varsity level, or at least the way I see it or expect it to be. Varsity coaches, boys or girls, on any given night, are going to put the best players on the floor the majority of the time that give them the best chance to win. Regardless of last name, parents take home income, etc etc etc, they're playing to win. Now you certainly have the right to disagree with the coach's evaluation of who the best players are, but at least understand that he/she is playing who they think are the best players and they are the ones who see the players in practice night in, night out.
And here's the last one. In most cases (there I go again eliminating 100%) there's a rhyme and reason for why coaches do what they do when it comes to strategy. And there's different kinds of players...some are shooters, some are ballhandlers, some are defenders, some have all around games. You get the picture. Usually kids are either plainly told what their roles are on the team or they figure it out. So here's what I'm getting to. You're watching a game and your team is on offense. A player, whether it be your daughter or someone else's, is relatively unguarded, but they don't shoot the basketball. You let it slide, until a few possessions later, again this player seems wide open, but still no shot. So your reaction, naturally, is to yell "Shoot the ball!", along with a handful of other fans who are as outraged by this as you are. Here's the thing. If this player is seemingly passing up open shots, but the coach isn't reacting like you are, there's a reason why they're passing up those shots. And understand, if you're playing against any kind of decent opponent, a good shooter won't be finding herself unguarded very often. Long story short, if a player is finding herself WIDE open on the perimeter, there's a reason she's that open. And if she's not shooting it, chances are she knows why she's that open too.
So have a great season, albeit it's a few months away. And have a laugh when you see these things at your games, because you know you will. But it won't be you, because you would never say those things, right? But you'll remember I told you this when you're at the game and the home stands do their zombie impersonations asking for the over the back call. You just wait. And, if you ever see one of my games, feel free to remind me too when I'm being not so nice to the official.
Chad Little is the varsity girls head coach and athletic director at Bloom Carrol High School. Chad also coaches the Ohio Express 14U team.
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