What kind of team (HS/Travel) would you rather coach?

[chinamigarden]

The team out of the orphanage would be my first choice.

 

[Me_and_my_big_mouth]

If given these choices, I'd take #1 for sure.

I'd only take #2 if #1 were somehow unavailable.

I want no part of #3.

I'm definitely not judging, because I have never nor will I ever coach, but can you elaborate on your choices? I'm only asking because your response is quite different from the others, and I'm always curious what drives coaches to choose the teams and what the thought processes are behind the tryouts.

 

[Momo'sDad]

I'd likely go #2, because a team long on talent with no work ethic would drive me insane. If you give me a group of young athletes who can play and who will often play above their talent level simply because they have the WANT to do so, then we're going to have a great season and probably have a lot of success vs teams that are talented on paper, but lazy in the field.

As for #3, I love coaching rec, but would not coach a rec team in TB.

 

[Pdiddy]

If given these choices, I'd take #1 for sure.

I'd only take #2 if #1 were somehow unavailable.

I want no part of #3.

your answers are what everyone probably wants to say....didn't some famous basketball coach say "if I had the choice between 5 guys with talent and 5 guys with heart.....I'd take the 5 guys with talent every time"....?

 

[Little Angels Softball]

I'm definitely not judging, because I have never nor will I ever coach, but can you elaborate on your choices? I'm only asking because your response is quite different from the others, and I'm always curious what drives coaches to choose the teams and what the thought processes are behind the tryouts.

It is quite simple, really. I work for an organization with an overarching goal of putting girls in college on a softball scholarship, preferably a D1 scholarship. There are many organizations with that goal. However, our organization really likes to make an emphasis on home grown talent, meaning we like to have girls in the organization who are ready to be a part of our 16U Gold showcase program the moment they finish up at 14U. We have a big name so it is easy to attract talent and we will have plenty of girls for the program, we just like to raise our own, too.

My job is to bring 12 girls to our 16U Gold program after having them for four years. I know from over 15 years of experience doing this that no matter how hard a girl works, if she doesn't have the inherent talent to be a D1 player, it isn't going to happen. As a coach, it is my responsibility to identify those with the talent at a very young age (usually 10) and to develop the talent into college prospects. It would be up to me to figure out how to motivate the talented girls in scenario #1 and I have confidence in my ability to do so far more than I do in my ability to get girls with little talent to perform anywhere near at the same level that I could talented girls to perform.

Could I get the girls in scenario #3 to be a fairly decent team? Absolutely. Could I get them to be as good as the girls in scenario #1? Never. My success in my current situation depends entirely on my getting talented girls to the highest level possible. Therefore, I choose #1 without hesitation.

 

[MNDad]

The team out of the orphanage would be my first choice.

One of DD's coaches always said that would be his perfect team

 

[Me_and_my_big_mouth]

It is quite simple, really. I work for an organization with an overarching goal of putting girls in college on a softball scholarship, preferably a D1 scholarship. There are many organizations with that goal. However, our organization really likes to make an emphasis on home grown talent, meaning we like to have girls in the organization who are ready to be a part of our 16U Gold showcase program the moment they finish up at 14U. We have a big name so it is easy to attract talent and we will have plenty of girls for the program, we just like to raise our own, too.

My job is to bring 12 girls to our 16U Gold program after having them for four years. I know from over 15 years of experience doing this that no matter how hard a girl works, if she doesn't have the inherent talent to be a D1 player, it isn't going to happen. As a coach, it is my responsibility to identify those with the talent at a very young age (usually 10) and to develop the talent into college prospects. It would be up to me to figure out how to motivate the talented girls in scenario #1 and I have confidence in my ability to do so far more than I do in my ability to get girls with little talent to perform anywhere near at the same level that I could talented girls to perform.

Could I get the girls in scenario #3 to be a fairly decent team? Absolutely. Could I get them to be as good as the girls in scenario #1? Never. My success in my current situation depends entirely on my getting talented girls to the highest level possible. Therefore, I choose #1 without hesitation.

Thank you for this honest, insightful answer. I always wonder what coaches look for and what they base their team mix on.

 

[JJS]

I would like #1. I believe in myself as both a motivator, and a good fundamentals coach. With that much talent at least 1/2-3/4 of them would get on board.

 

[BuckeyeGuy]

I'm at the complete opposite end of the game from LAS. I coach and am commish for a large-ish rec league (around 700 girls from pre-K to 14U). Our goal is to #1 help the girls to learn to love the game, and #2 make sure they have fun doing it. Skill development is #3, and even the idea of playing in HS is beyond 99% of them.

I'd take #3 all day, every day.

 

[Mocoso]

I'll take a #3 over either 1 or 2 any day... A team with talent and no work ethic doesn't deserve to play.
You also didn't specify age group or why they don't have talent....

I bet you a 10u team that starts as a #3 will beat the crap out of a 10u team that starts as a #1 in 2 yrs tops.... I can't see volunteering my time and serving as an enabler to 12 shmucks with talent that have no work ethic.... I rather lose every game .... Natural ability alone isn't going to get you to D1 ....