ISO advice regarding ball-hog on 7th grade girls rec b-ball team

[Anonymous]

My daughter plays on a 7th grade rec b-ball team. Nearly all of the kids play multiple sports are are decent athletes. None are travel-level b-ball players, but they have a basic skillset.

There is one kid on the team who averages about 20 shots a game (and the games are just 24 minutes!). The entire rest of the team takes maybe 10 shots. The other kids simply don't have an opportunity to shoot because this one trigger-happy kid shoots the ball every time it is in her hands -- even if she is 18 feet from the hoop with an opponent right in her face. Tonight, she made 2-of-22 shots, which is a typical performance. Even if she had a decent shooting percentage, she is ruining the opportunity for other kids to get involved. She short-circuits the team every time they head down the court on offense.

Were I the coach, I would minimize her playing time until she can learn how to share the ball with her teammates. But I'm not the coach and, consequently, I've kept my opinion to myself.

Over the years, I've coached various youth teams (but not b-ball teams), and my view has always been that the coach should be allowed to coach, and the parents should stay out of the way. But I'm wondering if I should break my own rule and have a word with this coach. I'm surprised he has said nothing and allows this insanely selfish play to continue. This was the same situation last year when we had the same set of kids on a 6G team. It is hard to watch, and I wish I had had the foresight to switch my daughter to another team.

Curious for your thoughts. What would you do in this situation?

[Anonymous]

Let the coaches coach.

[Anonymous]

Most coaches want a child that age to begin advocating for themselves.
I'd have her approach it to the coach as other team members (and the team as a whole) are not being successful because all players are not getting opportunities.
Additionally, she can argue that a lack of a balanced offense means opponents can quickly collapse and stop the one player.

Make it a team argument vs. your daughter getting more shots.
By the way, this is very common and I have seen a team's own players try to get the ball out of a ball hog's hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let the coaches coach.

Good coaches encourage player feedback.

[Anonymous]

OP did not ask what DD should do.

[Anonymous]

It’s rec. let the coach coach. If it were club level sport with thousands invested every year I’d leave the club. But it’s rec.

Your kid can say something or the team can collectively decide to cut the player out if they don’t start passing, but you’ve got no standing here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most coaches want a child that age to begin advocating for themselves.
I'd have her approach it to the coach as other team members (and the team as a whole) are not being successful because all players are not getting opportunities.
Additionally, she can argue that a lack of a balanced offense means opponents can quickly collapse and stop the one player.

Make it a team argument vs. your daughter getting more shots.
By the way, this is very common and I have seen a team's own players try to get the ball out of a ball hog's hands.

OP here. This is good advice. No need for me to get involved; rather, my daughter can speak up. I just suggested to my daughter that she talk to the coach, and make a request to play point guard for one quarter a game. She likes the idea and hopefully will take the initiative.

[Anonymous]

If they are 7th grade with basic basketball skill sets why does anyone pass the ball to her? On every team I've seen the kids pass to the players who can pass and score. The coach should have her inbound the ball so she doesn't have it to start with (or is it the coaches kid?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP did not ask what DD should do.

Get lost

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most coaches want a child that age to begin advocating for themselves.
I'd have her approach it to the coach as other team members (and the team as a whole) are not being successful because all players are not getting opportunities.
Additionally, she can argue that a lack of a balanced offense means opponents can quickly collapse and stop the one player.

Make it a team argument vs. your daughter getting more shots.
By the way, this is very common and I have seen a team's own players try to get the ball out of a ball hog's hands.

OP here. This is good advice. No need for me to get involved; rather, my daughter can speak up. I just suggested to my daughter that she talk to the coach, and make a request to play point guard for one quarter a game. She likes the idea and hopefully will take the initiative.

Wishing her goid luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they are 7th grade with basic basketball skill sets why does anyone pass the ball to her? On every team I've seen the kids pass to the players who can pass and score. The coach should have her inbound the ball so she doesn't have it to start with (or is it the coaches kid?)

I'd start here. Is this kid the point guard? Because if not, that means she's getting rebounds or balls passed to her. Why not tell your DD to shoot more?

[Anonymous]

It's hard to get up 20 shots a game unless this person is getting lots of rebounds, steals, or getting open for passes - so good for her. Also, getting lots of shots up is a skill in and of itself, it means she is getting open looks by beating the defense. She may be missing alot, but good for her for actually being able to get that many shots up.

Your daughter and her teammates need to do something about it through their play. Get the rebound or steals, get open. Don't pass to her if she isn't open for a good shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they are 7th grade with basic basketball skill sets why does anyone pass the ball to her? On every team I've seen the kids pass to the players who can pass and score. The coach should have her inbound the ball so she doesn't have it to start with (or is it the coaches kid?)

I'd start here. Is this kid the point guard? Because if not, that means she's getting rebounds or balls passed to her. Why not tell your DD to shoot more?

The trigger-happy kid is, unfortunately, the point guard. The other kids on the team have enough skill to handle the position, but they are all quiet and polite kids, and they seem to just passively accept the situation, my daughter included. However, my daughter complains to me about the situation after every game. It is time for her to take her complaints to the coach. Most kids on the team are probably thinking the same thoughts.

[Anonymous]

Why can't coaches just . . . . coach. And do the right thing? This coach clearly knows the kid is a ball hog and not a good teammate. So she or he should be dealing with it. PERIOD.

And if you are a coach and recognize yourself in my criticism, you suck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's hard to get up 20 shots a game unless this person is getting lots of rebounds, steals, or getting open for passes - so good for her. Also, getting lots of shots up is a skill in and of itself, it means she is getting open looks by beating the defense. She may be missing alot, but good for her for actually being able to get that many shots up.

Your daughter and her teammates need to do something about it through their play. Get the rebound or steals, get open. Don't pass to her if she isn't open for a good shot.

OP here. Nope. She isn't getting that many rebounds. She simply takes most of the team's shots. Because she is point guard, she brings the ball down the court almost every time. I'm not sure how this pattern was initially established -- probably because this kid has an absolutely massive ego, while the other kids are a bit on the quiet side. Typically, she dribbles with her eyes pointed down, not seeing any other players, dribbles into a corner where she comes under heavy pressure, and then puts up an awful shot from 15 feet away. It is maddening to watch the same scenario unfold again and again and again.

My daughter will go ahead and ask to play point guard for a quarter a game, and hopefully the coach will accept this sensible suggestion, allowing the team to make a small step forward.