I think it’s about time to put something to rest upon further review. You know that 3-ton elephant that’s constantly laying on your couch eating all your food and using your hot water also known as the “Illegal transfer-recruiting-double-secret-probation-we’re-keeping-our-eyes-on-you-buddy…-phant?” It’s not a rare or protected species either. In fact, as soon as that sucker finally packs up his stuff and leaves your school he’s showing up somewhere else smelling like some woo-woo asking if he can borrow your toothbrush. He’s a trifling elephant OOPS Illegal…-phant.
These creatures exist everywhere and it’s time we started to accept them. I know, I know. I know exactly what you’re thinking before you even get it out: “STOP THE MADNESS! MY EARS ARE BLEEDING! WE WERE HAVING FUN PASSIVELY AGGRESSIVELY (and openly at times) CALLING EACH OTHER BIGOTS AND RACISTS ON THE MESSAGE BOARD PUGH! WE DON’T NEED NOR WANT YOUR RECRUITING TALK RIGHT NOW….that’s until we realize we need a QB or DT and there isn’t a single one to be found within 3,000 miles of our hallways; but that’s different.“
And your point is what Pugh? My point is that after much hemming, hawing, flipping, flopping, yelling and jawing (with folks on staffs and parents) I’m ready to move on and so should the rest of us. I think it’s time to accept the fact that “it is what it is” and no one is without blame. We are kidding ourselves like LeBron James kids himself about his headband to hairline ratio in front of millions of fans each night. (Pause)
Seriously though, I think we’ve simply run out of ammo on this issue of crying foul regarding recruiting on behalf of coaching staffs and administrations. One of the reasons why it’s starting to sink in for me is that I can now see that athletes get held to the higher standards when it comes to the transfer from one school to the next because of the preconceived notion that EVERYONE is dirty in their “motivation” for leaving one school for another. I’m not THAT big of an idiot to believe that it doesn’t exist either, I just happen to think that if you can prove to me that we’ve reached full-blown epidemic status (like 5th, 6th and 7th graders being influenced) then we now have a failure to communicate.
Just the conversations I’ve had with players and coaches alone in the last two weeks regarding staff turnover and consistent influence has brought me nearly completely to the side of the folks that argue for the current systems to remain in place. If I type in my address on the HCPS Website, I immediately see that I have access to Jefferson (Zoned School literally next door), Robinson (IB Magnet), more magnets than a dorm room refrigerator at Blake and my choice schools (within a 20 minute drive even at peak hours well within reason for my needs) are Armwood, Brandon, Chamberlain, King, Sickles and Steinbrenner. There isn’t a single program on that list I wouldn’t want my kid in all honesty being a part of out of that bunch; academic or athletic.
On the Pinellas side St. Petersburg and Palm Harbor University are your Public IB Programs, while some schools (like Pinellas Park) have specialized magnet programs like the First Responders Academy (which by all means is a pretty important program when you think about it and P-Park is starting to make some noise due to its own consistency starting to develop on staff.) My point is that you don’t have to be an athlete to want to be a part of those programs in the first place; couple that with the fact they are in fact programs on the rise and you’ve got a demand.
So is this concept of crying foul if a player decides to pack up and leave for greener pastures really a legitimate reason for discontent and distrust? Or is this really just an attempt by a coach to deflect from the shortcomings that caused the entire process to take place to begin with? I don’t think it’s as bad as we’re making it out to be. I really believe that more and more these days that these decisions are being made above board by parents, players and coaches and that it doesn’t take Perry Mason to figure out if you’re not doing it right. We just want to make sure that things stay within reason; unlike our reactions to this.