Whats wrong with Highlands basketball

[imsays]

The basketball program is broken and needs to be fixed. The FTJFL does a great job of producing players for the football team but there is no such device for basketball. Coach Flynn is very nice guy but does he get the student body excited about playing basketball for Highlands? Moyer league might be a starting point but that is still a question mark. The MS teams do not involve as many players as possible like football, there needs to be multiple teams at the 6,7,8th levels. I'm sure enough coaches would step forward and the fort can be used for practices. When my son was in the eighth grade there are two players from that team (JR's) that now play basketball!! The program attracts players and coaches and right now the HHS basketball is not very appealing.

[sportsmaniac]

The fact that Highlands is a football school makes the job a little more difficult. However, i think that the job would be an excellent job to have if you have the right attitude as a coach. First off, you have an administration and a community that wants success! That is one of the hardest things to find. You also have a school district that expects winning, that is not easy to find either. It is proven in that district that players will come from all around to be a part of a winning program. The coach needs to focus on the elementary and middle school levels, really probably should spend all of the fall doing work with those programs. The coach should support the football program, not start preseason activities until about October 15th focus on conditioning and skill development and not play any games until late December. The coach needs to accept the fact that Football is king and work off it to the basketball programs benefit. Just don't play the first 3 weeks of December, that will only cost you about 6 games on the schedule and then you might get more football players to play and they will be healthier when they do. I think it would be a great job to have with the right coach.

[Jack of all Trades]

These are not new problems, they are the same problems that have always been in Ft. Thomas. There is no youth league for kids to get an introduction to the game of basketball at a young age. Moyer boosters are trying, but as you say this is a question mark. If kids want to play a more competitive brand of basketball they either have to tryout for an AAU team or hopefully a parent and/or parents step up to give them this opportunity. Problem here is that it occurs at one grade level and then may skip a grade level or two so there is always a gap in the talent pool. Impossible for the middle school teams to involve more kids than they already do. This is because of school finances, practice space and lack of quality coaches. Comparing to the FTJFL is like comparing apples to oranges. In 6th, 7th and 8th you are now representing your school and should be playing to win IMO. The real problem is that most of the successful middle school basketball teams are comprised of boys that play basketball, football, baseball and/or soccer. As they get older, the other 3 sports sadly take a backseat to football. Heck look at this years upperclassmen, Alex Dean's number one sport is soccer, Carter New and Patrick Towles is football and Samson Lewis' is soccer as well. Thankfully each of these kids has decided to play another sport at the high school level. My question to you is what does Coach Flynn need to do to spur the interest of the student body to first tryout for his team and second to attend the games like they used to in the past.

[imsays]

While coach Flynn is a good guy, IMO he is not the charismatic leader who walks the hallways like a Mueller or Code that could talk to the kids daily and not only get players to tryout but the fans to show up for the games. I do think if you start out with ten boys in the 6th grade and half either quit or play football only at the 9th grade then you are in trouble as a program. There has to be a way to increase the numbers at the MS level. These AAU teams that play together three or four years together and then are preordained the next 6, 7, 8th grade team hurt because those players not in the group are left to catchup and then just give up. Then the favorite AAU team players either play football only or quit playing all together and then your numbers really fall off.

[malachicrunch]

As I have said before. HHS has always been a football school. HHS has had sustained success in the past on the hardwood. Why can the past success in basketball not be repeated?

[2 Humped Camel]

All they need to do is work harder! Right? :sssh:

[Jack of all Trades]

While coach Flynn is a good guy, IMO he is not the charismatic leader who walks the hallways like a Mueller or Code that could talk to the kids daily and not only get players to tryout but the fans to show up for the games. I do think if you start out with ten boys in the 6th grade and half either quit or play football only at the 9th grade then you are in trouble as a program. There has to be a way to increase the numbers at the MS level. These AAU teams that play together three or four years together and then are preordained the next 6, 7, 8th grade team hurt because those players not in the group are left to catchup and then just give up. Then the favorite AAU team players either play football only or quit playing all together and then your numbers really fall off.

 

One big problem that I see is that Coach Flynn is not in the building on a daily basis to interact with the kids that he may be able to entice to tryout. Mike Code did not want the job for the very reasons that are being pointed out in this thread. As for the AAU teams comment, a parent and/or group of parents can put together a team and play in whatever leagues they so choose. The problem is as I said earlier, one school may get a group of kids to play together and the other two schools do nothing. That is not a fault of the parent or parents that did in fact get a team together. For years, the superintendent was against having the elementary schools participate against each other in competitive sports. I am in Malachi's corner in that this school has had success on the hardwood in the past with the school climate being exactly the same as it is now except there is a reluctance for kids that play football to play multiple sports.

[afi100guy]

One key difference between football and basketball is the number of players to be successful. In football, you need 30+, in basketball, you need 8-9. This levels the playing field between other schools.

[Theoldguy]

The question was asked and I am giving a honest answer so... he it goes!

 

It would almost be too easy to rag on HHS when it comes to Basketball from the facilities to the lack of making it to Rupp for years, however unlike some of the HHS fans who talked about CovCath being down in football since they haven't won a state title since 2006, I won't do that!

 

To get HHS back to the level of other 9th Region teams, HHS first must make a commitment to building a new gym! Honestly the gym has to be the oldest gym that any school in the 9th plays in and for a school such as HHS that has such a tradition of excellence it is a shame! Indeed it's pretty easy to see what the administration thinks of any sport at HHS by just looking at the football field compared to the baseball, soccer or gym facilities at HHS.

 

I must say. it surprises me that more HHS parents of kids who play basketball, baseball or soccer haven't risen and complained bitterly about the lack of money spent on their kids sports venues!

[katbird]

The baseball field at Highland Park has come a long way in the last few years. You will keep seeing improvements there as long as coach Baioni has anything to do with it. I have heard the the soccer facility might be getting an upgrade soon. OG you are right about the HHS gym. It is by far the worst gym in the 9th region. It is like playing in a grade school gym/sauna..It is down right embarassing!!! :eek:

[Theoldguy]

The baseball field at Highland Park has come a long way in the last few years. You will keep seeing improvements there as long as coach Baioni has anything to do with it. I have heard the the soccer facility might be getting an upgrade soon. OG you are right about the HHS gym. It is by far the worst gym in the 9th region. It is like playing in a grade school gym/sauna..It is down right embarassing!!! :eek:

 

RaiderBird, I know that Coach Baioni will try his best to make that field work (he is a great guy), but it isn't even his field! Heck they still play Rec soccer on that field! How many of the big schools use a public park to play their baseball game at?

 

Could you image Dale playing football on a site as poor as the Baseball, Soccer or Basketball gym are?

[leatherneck]

The question was asked and I am giving a honest answer so... he it goes!

 

It would almost be too easy to rag on HHS when it comes to Basketball from the facilities to the lack of making it to Rupp for years, however unlike some of the HHS fans who talked about CovCath being down in football since they haven't won a state title since 2006, I won't do that!

 

To get HHS back to the level of other 9th Region teams, HHS first must make a commitment to building a new gym! Honestly the gym has to be the oldest gym that any school in the 9th plays in and for a school such as HHS that has such a tradition of excellence it is a shame! Indeed it's pretty easy to see what the administration thinks of any sport at HHS by just looking at the football field compared to the baseball, soccer or gym facilities at HHS.

 

I must say. it surprises me that more HHS parents of kids who play basketball, baseball or soccer haven't risen and complained bitterly about the lack of money spent on their kids sports venues!

 

 

You'd have a great point if....the administration had put a bunch of money into the football field. It hasn't. The school didn't put a penny into the turf or the new lights either. Heck, I don't think it paid to upgrade the PA system either.

 

I'm sure the administration puts more money into the football program in general; then again, there are more students playing football so it's only logical that more money would go into football.

 

A new gym is planned. I believe it's in phase 3 of the renovation project. All those people complaining about the need for a new gym should quit going on Spring Break and donate the savings to the cost of the new gym. Heck, that'd help the baseball program too if their sons are baseball players. Form a committee to raise money for the new gym. Don't go home at night and plop down on the couch and grab a cold one. Find the phone numbers of former basketball players and supporters and call them up and ask for money. See if the NBA or corporations with an interest in high school basketball becoming more popular have grants. Hit up the local Wal Mart to see if the home office can make a gift. Seems like every football stadium I go to has Wal Mart as a sponsor. Approach some banks. Is there a basketball oriented fundraising club like the Sideline Club or the Dugout Club (or whatever Jeremy calls it)? If so, join. If not approach Coach Flynn about starting one.

 

 

By the way, I am a little surprised people are crying that the sky is falling. It's only Flynn's second year and they played, what 4 games so far this year.

[uk#1fan]

They are all stuffed from eating all that cake!!!

[Theoldguy]

So when is phase III going to happen?

[Bird Bath]

IMO it's been awful. Go out and watch a middle school game. A faculty member that was successful opts out; coaches in the 6th and 7th are not qualified. Kids just looking forward to AAU on weekends. Many of these boys play multiple sports and what is happening is awful. Kids are being rewarded for selfish behavior; and are actually told who cares about AAU. These kids work hard and I don't blame them one bit. The middle school experience should be better. How about a high school website. Not on campus, not involved = not impressed.