Tired of the bad news, gimme the good! I don't read the paper or watch the news because it drags you down, and there have been too many negative threads on here lately.
Please only post the GOOD stuff in here, we could all use some good, positive energy. :00hour
About a month ago, my summer basketball team was playing in our 1st tournament. I have some kids on the team I coached for 6 months previous, and a mix of some new kids. Only having had 4 practices, I didn't know these newer kids all that well at this point. 1 kid in particular had been absolutely dominating practice. I was warned from some other coaches that he is a bit of a problem child, with a bad attitude. Well I rode his ass from the start (and pretty much everyone else's too!). No problems and he was reallly intense about anything I told him. I could tell he was a typical rich, spoiled kid that has had everything handed to him. It was time for him to earn his way. Anyway, in the 3 games on Saturday, he goes 0-20 with 19 air-balls! :scared But to make it worse, every mistake he made, he would stop in the middle of the court and pout, and bang himself in the head kinda like Rainman. I had not met his Parents at this point because he always rode with someone else to practice, and they were in Europe this tourney weekend, and he was staying with a Nanny.
Well I tried everything, I tried yelling, encouraging, etc. and nothing seemed to help him. Here's a kid who beat everyone in practice and can't even draw rim in the game....and then let's his team down by pouting in the middle of play.
I find out that that night he goes out skateboarding with 2 other teammates. No big deal, but after 3 games and not being in playing shape yet, plus having an elimination game Sunday morning at 9, I am a little pissed, but WTF they are 14-15 years old, they can go forever. Well Sunday morning I am getting dressed and he texts me...*Coach, I can't come to the games today, I have a high fever*. Of course, I respond BS, you were healthy enough to skateboard last night, you are healthy enough to come play basketball today, I said I think you're a chicken and don't want to come because you're embarrassed about how you played yesterday, and I'm not going to let you give up on yourself, or your team, so you will be there, PERIOD. Well I never thought much more of it, he came Sunday and played, and played better but still had "episodes". As usual, he came and went with one of the other kids.
Monday morning I get a text from him and he's in the hospital after attempting suicide. HUH? Luckily the cops got there before he was able to finish popping pills, and arrested him for being a danger to himself. He goes on through texts that he wants me to know he is getting help and he has manic depression, and all this stuff. I am shocked, and feeling like a real phuckin ASSHOLE for going off on him on Sunday like I did. Here is a kid contemplating suicide, and I am riding him? I spent 3 days suffering, thinking how it could have been the last thing I said to him, etc. He asked me to speak to the team about it which includes his 3 best friends. He said he couldn't tell them himself. So at practice that night, I had to tell the team, and speak to a group of 14-15 year old boys about suicide. To say the least I did not feel qualified! I bought a huge card and we all signed it, and sat around for an hour talking.
Soooo, I'm in the dumps for 3 days. They took the kids phone, and he was at a mental facility where no one can reach or contact him. I couldn't even get him the card we all signed. Then, I get a call from his Dad on Thursday...and he is bawling. He thanks me for saving his son's life. HUH? As it turns out he tells, Sebastian had planned to kill himself on Sunday, while everyone was gone, including the nanny. That is why he tried to skip out on the game. But some asshole coach insisted he come play, and support his team. Then a kid from the team talked him into spending the night at their house, and sometime between then and Monday morning he told another kid his plan. That kid went to school on Monday and told a counselor, who called the cops, who got to his house in time.
The only person he requested to see was me according to his Father. He was most interested in getting back to the team. I got him a couple books and he is back at practice this week. He is taking one day at a time but doing well. I'm doing all I can to teach him discipline and coping skills. We finished 3rd in the tourney he missed, and we were the 25th seed out of 27. The kids had a real chip on their shoulder.
Our first tourney with him back starts with 2 games tonight. You just never know, do ya?
Please only post the GOOD stuff in here, we could all use some good, positive energy. :00hour
About a month ago, my summer basketball team was playing in our 1st tournament. I have some kids on the team I coached for 6 months previous, and a mix of some new kids. Only having had 4 practices, I didn't know these newer kids all that well at this point. 1 kid in particular had been absolutely dominating practice. I was warned from some other coaches that he is a bit of a problem child, with a bad attitude. Well I rode his ass from the start (and pretty much everyone else's too!). No problems and he was reallly intense about anything I told him. I could tell he was a typical rich, spoiled kid that has had everything handed to him. It was time for him to earn his way. Anyway, in the 3 games on Saturday, he goes 0-20 with 19 air-balls! :scared But to make it worse, every mistake he made, he would stop in the middle of the court and pout, and bang himself in the head kinda like Rainman. I had not met his Parents at this point because he always rode with someone else to practice, and they were in Europe this tourney weekend, and he was staying with a Nanny.
Well I tried everything, I tried yelling, encouraging, etc. and nothing seemed to help him. Here's a kid who beat everyone in practice and can't even draw rim in the game....and then let's his team down by pouting in the middle of play.
I find out that that night he goes out skateboarding with 2 other teammates. No big deal, but after 3 games and not being in playing shape yet, plus having an elimination game Sunday morning at 9, I am a little pissed, but WTF they are 14-15 years old, they can go forever. Well Sunday morning I am getting dressed and he texts me...*Coach, I can't come to the games today, I have a high fever*. Of course, I respond BS, you were healthy enough to skateboard last night, you are healthy enough to come play basketball today, I said I think you're a chicken and don't want to come because you're embarrassed about how you played yesterday, and I'm not going to let you give up on yourself, or your team, so you will be there, PERIOD. Well I never thought much more of it, he came Sunday and played, and played better but still had "episodes". As usual, he came and went with one of the other kids.
Monday morning I get a text from him and he's in the hospital after attempting suicide. HUH? Luckily the cops got there before he was able to finish popping pills, and arrested him for being a danger to himself. He goes on through texts that he wants me to know he is getting help and he has manic depression, and all this stuff. I am shocked, and feeling like a real phuckin ASSHOLE for going off on him on Sunday like I did. Here is a kid contemplating suicide, and I am riding him? I spent 3 days suffering, thinking how it could have been the last thing I said to him, etc. He asked me to speak to the team about it which includes his 3 best friends. He said he couldn't tell them himself. So at practice that night, I had to tell the team, and speak to a group of 14-15 year old boys about suicide. To say the least I did not feel qualified! I bought a huge card and we all signed it, and sat around for an hour talking.
Soooo, I'm in the dumps for 3 days. They took the kids phone, and he was at a mental facility where no one can reach or contact him. I couldn't even get him the card we all signed. Then, I get a call from his Dad on Thursday...and he is bawling. He thanks me for saving his son's life. HUH? As it turns out he tells, Sebastian had planned to kill himself on Sunday, while everyone was gone, including the nanny. That is why he tried to skip out on the game. But some asshole coach insisted he come play, and support his team. Then a kid from the team talked him into spending the night at their house, and sometime between then and Monday morning he told another kid his plan. That kid went to school on Monday and told a counselor, who called the cops, who got to his house in time.
The only person he requested to see was me according to his Father. He was most interested in getting back to the team. I got him a couple books and he is back at practice this week. He is taking one day at a time but doing well. I'm doing all I can to teach him discipline and coping skills. We finished 3rd in the tourney he missed, and we were the 25th seed out of 27. The kids had a real chip on their shoulder.
Our first tourney with him back starts with 2 games tonight. You just never know, do ya?
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