Tough or Good Coaching?
Here's an interesting news piece about a tough basketball practice emphasizing physical positioning and rebounding. Have you ever been through a similar type of practice? Please take the following poll and watch the coach as he says he doesn't think his actions were out of line but then says it was just an accident.
- Do you think the coach's action were justifiable as a means of "toughening" up his team?
- Do you think the coach should have been suspended?
- Would you go back to play for that coach if you were that player and he "apologized" in that manner?
- Do you have personal professional liability insurance when you volunteer coach, substitute teach, or coach (paid)? Do you need to have a policy to cover you?
- Is there a school liability insurance policy covering your actions?
Via Yahoo Sports Ugly altercation between coach, player leads to tense TV apology - The Dagger - NCAAB - Yahoo! Sports
As reported in the Yahoo piece:
Asked by Stephanopoulos earlier in the interview whether he realized his actions were out of line, O'Connor responded "not really," adding that he was only trying to make his players better. Furthermore he repeatedly referred to the incident as "an accident" and "unintentional."
Ultimately, the better PR approach might have been for O'Connor to admit he was wrong, to describe the behavior as out of character and to insist that it will not happen again.
2 comments:
Personally I've had a coach during football season grab me by the face mask and throw it down because I did something wrong like fumble or not get enough yards... during practice he'd grab me by the collar of my shirt. He was constantly screaming and literally foaming at the mouth. I played for him even after he did all this because if you quit or did something along those lines 1.) my friends would have made fun of me 2.) Sports, and more so football was a tradition at our school that everyone wanted to be apart of... that basketball coach was out of line by hitting the athlete and then kicking him! There was no need for that. The yelling is something that comes with the territory but there is no need to hit a kid when he's not looking and then kick him.
Wow. Of course there are plenty of variables that need to be considered when watching this video but the coach's actions are pretty much inexcusable. The drill itself is used by many coaches and well known. It is designed to work on boxing out and protecting the ball. This is a realistic drill that is influential because of its overall purpose. What isn't real is a coach coming onto the court and unexpectedly shoving over a player then kicking him while he's down. The coach could have very well had the defenders become more aggressive and except more fouling to compensate. The coaches decision making here were immature to say the least. A suspension should be given to the coach. Like many other situations I would give the coach a second chance and would continue to play. Playing a sport is not just about the coach but more for the team and love/fun of the game.
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