Posted by Jim Charles on August 12, 2012, 8:12 pm, in reply to "Re: Padua head coach "
Board Administrator
All of your points have some (or a lot) of validity. And I thank you for sharing.
Let me, however, approach the AAU question, and other concepts, from a distinctly patriotic and American viewpoint. This country is supposed to be about freedom, right? Then how about this? How about allowing coaching out of season. Decriminalize it. Coaches are doing it anyway. It's like the 55 mph speed limit. 8 out of 10 drivers are breaking it. You can't pull them all over and ticket them. So, why not let coaches coach as many teams as they want? The only condition would be that no student-athlete would be compelled to play for any non-school team.
Additionally, I'd even allow recruiting. Same reasoning. It's going on now. It's here. And it's BEEN here. And really, what's wrong with it other than DIAA doesn't like it? If I'm an employee of Tatnall, for example, why should I be prohibited from politely and professionally approaching a student-athlete's family and trying to sell them on the school? I see nothing wrong with it. In fact, for every kid recruited into a private academy or a Catholic school who would've gone to a public school had they not been recruited, that's a tax savings for the state. That's one less student the state has to educate. You'd think DIAA would be all FOR recruiting! The only limitation I'd put on it would be that "no means no." If a family refuses a recruiting initiative, it is to totally and completely cease. Otherwise, it would be harassment.
With legalized recruiting and the elimination of coaching out of season, all these coaches who are double-dipping and recruiting in the shadows and on the down low could all come out of hiding and breathe a little easier.
A dozen years ago, I thought the coaching out of season rules (which then were ultra strict and extreme) were awesome. The deal was if you coached a high school team, you could not coach your kids on any other team, no matter the time of the year, including summer. Period. Organizers of summer leagues, like the Val Whiting League (which, over time, morphed into the NCCo Summer League) and the now defunct Stormin' Norman's, had to go out and find new coaches for these summer teams. (I, personally, benefited from that rule by getting my own Stormin's team in 2000, and by being an assistant on the 2000 or 2001 Padua {yes, PADUA} team in the Val Whiting League.) The neat thing was that the girls could play ball, but they'd get a break from their winter school coaches. And that's really a GOOD thing.
Where I came to change my thinking to where I now support free market coaching is solely due to all the exceptions DIAA has introduced to the out-of-season rules. Now, you almost need a lawyer to understand all the ifs ands and buts. So, to DIAA, I'd humbly say, "If you're going to open the door a little bit, why not just open it all the way, or close it tight like it used to be?" Either or.
I don't expect much support for these positions in the local community, but I throw them out there as something to at least ponder. In practical terms, here are the choices, and there are only two: 1, have a lot of coaches in violation, trying their best not to be caught, or 2, decriminalize all this and have no more violators. Either way, coaches are going to do what they want. They can either do it under the table or out in the sunlight. I'd prefer the latter.
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