Coaching an athletic team takes certain talents that most individuals in this world don’t possess and that’s a fact.
It takes someone passionate enough, articulate enough and powerful enough to bring the best out of their players, to push them to new heights and have a mutual understanding between the two parties that winning is the ultimate goal.
Rutgers’ men’s basketball coach [or should I say “ex” as of this morning], Mike Rice has none of those unique character traits and is, in matter of fact, a bully. Although, the word “bully” doesn’t hold the weight it used to when Scott Farkus roamed the streets bullying kids, so instead I’ll just call Rice a more appropriate name “coward.”
Those unaware with what I’m talking about, I’ll fill you in quickly: Mike Rice had been the head basketball coach of the Rutgers’ men’s basketball team since before the 2010-2011 season. He was suspended by the university for three games last season for an undisclosed reason. Rice has been known as a hot-head, who generally lets his emotions get the best of him on the court as he has been seen going on mini-tirades on the sideline throughout basketball games. The ESPN daily show “Outside The Lines” received a 30-minute video of Rice during his practices with the basketball team a few days ago where he was shown throwing basketballs at players, cursing them out and being physical with them during practice for no apparent reason. He was fired this morning, one day after the video leaked on Tuesday.
Ohhhhhhhhhh, so that was the “undisclosed reason” why he was suspended last season. Hmm, seems appropriate, but also does firing his ass for treating human beings like dogs. Although, I’m not even sure that dogs get treated like that.
The video, which surfaced, was hard to watch. A grown man throwing basketballs at player’s heads for doing…something wrong, maybe? There seems to be no reason for his madness, which is why I think he should get a call from the nearest psychiatric ward within the next 24 hours or rent an armored truck to protect himself from the millions of people who witnessed his “coaching style.”
Boy, that wasn’t a quick summary at all, but I digress, because anymore talk of him and I’ll throw a basketball through this computer screen in anger at such classlessness.
Here at the University of Hartford, our men’s and women’s basketball teams both have fiery coaches in John Gallagher and Jenn Rizzotti, who flaunt confidence and success. The difference between them and Rice is, well, a whole lot.
Gallagher and Rizzotti are some of the most vocal coaches in the America East basketball conference, but they know when enough is enough. Sitting down and talking with both of them over the years, it’s clear they have the utmost respect for their players and see them as a second family.
Both coaches could be yelling on the sideline at the officials or at their players to get a message across, but that’s where their boisterousness ends. They respect the officials and love their players. Never have I seen the coaches yell something inappropriate at their players or officials during games that would require censoring or reprimanding from the athletic director. That’s now what they represent.
Rizzotti has played enough college and professional basketball in her career to know that the game demands respect, and so do those who you play with and against. Gallagher radiates confidence and has a strong relationship with his players that comes with trust.
The University of Hartford hired them for a reason and are paying them what they are because they not only bring success on the court, but have pride off it. The day I were to see either coach put their hands on a player is the day hell freezes over. Granted, I don’t attend their practices and am not at every road game, but it just speaks to their class that I can make such claim to their incredible character.
Hartford may not bring in the revenue that Rutgers’ athletic department does, but it dominates in the most important value: class.
For the athletic director to continue to allow Rice to coach as long as he did, even after watching the videos of his practice antics is stunning and speaks to something much larger about what Rutgers’ values.
That will never happen at the University of Hartford, because although we have two coaches who aren’t afraid to give their all on the court, once the buzzer sounds, they remember that their players are human.
Stay classy Hartford.
Source:
http://hartfordinformer.com/2013/04/sports/passion-vs-pushing-it-at-hartford-basketball-coaches-know-which-buttons-to-push/
No comments:
Post a Comment