One Man's Food is Another Man's Poison

[rbi]

Good stuff from the Allisters and so so true

One Man’s Food is Another Man’s Poison





How many times have you heard parents, friends, Travel ball coaches, or various others utter the infamous words, “I know you can play at the University of Imagination. You are just as good as those players.” As a Division 1 basketball coach, I heard that at every stop I made on the coaching trail – Washington State in the Pac 10 (at that point in time)? For sure. Cal, also in the Pac 10? Again, the answer is in the affirmative. The University of Nevada? Definitely. And finally, Stephen F. Austin? Without question. And then just yesterday I heard those words again, and as a result . . . well, you get to read my thoughts on that . . . if you so choose.

I know of a former basketball player at the University of Florida who played for one of the great coaches in the Men’s game, Coach Lon Kruger. This young man led his team to the Final Four as one of Florida’s leading scorers and leading rebounders. The young man was a beast in the paint. He could do it all. But I guarantee that he never could have played for Jim Boeheim at Syracuse. So how can I say that about a player who is one of the top 20 scorers and one of the greatest players in Florida Basketball history? Well . . . Demetri Hill was only about 6’7” and weighed right around 300 lbs.

Now if you follow Syracuse Basketball, you will know that Coach Boeheim plays with long armed athletes with wing spans that far exceed their height. He does this to make his zone defense, one of the toughest defenses in the country, more effective. His defensive scheme doesn’t really allow for “wide bodies” because it runs counter to his defensive philosophy. Extrapolate this further in the world of Men’s Basketball and Duke needs skilled athletes who have tremendous balance; Pitt needs tough, strong, hard-nosed defenders; Louisville needs long armed, quick athletes who can execute their press. One of the best basketball coaches you probably have never heard about was Sonny Allen. He led Old Dominion to a D-2 National Title and was the father of Paul Westhead’s famous run-and-gun offense utilized with the Los Angeles Lakers and the great Loyola Marymount teams in the 90s. If you couldn’t shoot it, you couldn’t play for Coach Allen. Coach Allen would only recruit point guards for his wing positions. So not every player could play for Jim Boeheim, Mike Krzyzewski, Jamie Dixon, Rick Pitino, Sonny Allen, or Paul Westhead. No matter how good a player was, if he didn’t fit a particular coach’s style and philosophy, that player simply could not play in that particular program.

Now let’s look at it through the softball lens. Some programs out there only recruit hitters. They are perfectly willing to sacrifice some defense for plenty of offense. Some programs have to have high velocity pitchers. A 2012 WCWS coach told us their program would not recruit a pitcher whose velocity was not at 65 MPH or higher. One of the greatest programs in softball history believes the SS has to be great defensively, regardless of the bat. One of the greatest coaches in the game’s history had to have legit and polished outfielders. Another Hall of Fame coach to this day simply recruits Shortstops and converts them into outfielders. Simply put, great players in one person’s eyes are not always viable prospects in another’s eyes.


In basketball, we used to say, “one man’s food is another man’s poison.” In the game of recruiting, no truer words have ever been spoken. So next time someone tells you that your daughter, or some other player, could certainly play at the University of Imagination, let it go in one ear and out the other. The only person . . . the one and only person . . . who can tell you that your daughter is “good enough” to play in any program is the head coach of that particular collegiate program. No other parent . . . no other coach . . . no travel ball coach . . . no well-meaning individual in the world . . . can utter those words and have them be even remotely true. The head softball coach at the University of Imagination is the only one who can decide that. Just some food for thought.

[Dugout Dad]

Yup....absolutely true

[Fredegar]

Thanks for sharing that, rbi. Good stuff.

[fastpitchdad05]

Wait...are you trying to say my DD may not be as good as I think she is?

[PDad]

In other words, "Talent is in the eye of the beholder."

[sharktank]

Very true stuff there! However, I think when said, it is to encourage the girls. This holds true in any sport.

[Sam]

Wow. I got censored for using the word "turd."

[Trophy Hunter]

Once upon a time threads would get hijacked and hilarity would ensue. Oh well.

[Battle]

Once upon a time threads would get hijacked and hilarity would ensue. Oh well.

But that was only on the Texas threads.

[softball_parent]

This is true in all of life. Most things are opinions and the beauty/talent/work skills are in the eye of the beholder.