Pearls of Wisdom

On Broadway, one-man shows are a rarity. In Fort Lee, in the world of youth sports, one-man shows appear to be the norm. The results are often not in the best interests of the children or the community. 

Last Friday night, the Fort Lee Community Center hosted the annual awards program for the Fort Lee Boys Junior Basketball League (FLBJBL). As usual, it was an unmitigated disaster. Beyond the fact that the sound system was inferior and the sound reverberated throughout the gym, the emcee’s performance was totally bizarre and embarrassing, to himself, to all the players and to the family members that attended.    

Jack Hausler, League Commissioner, accused the entire audience of being “rude” when he could not obtain complete silence, and stated vociferously that the reason for absolute silence is that in case there is an emergency, you can hear me. Because if you can’t hear me, we are all going to die. (The quote is inexact, but extremely close).

Earlier this season, at the annual tryouts, Jack erupted in a similar fashion. The coaches were in the stands, each with a few roster players assisting in the evaluation of the talent. As each player would demonstrate his skills, there would be quick discussion, creating a murmur that Jack believed to be disruptive to the tryouts. His reaction was an explosion, with a comment to the effect of “Fort Lee people are rude; every town we play knows that Fort Lee has the rudest people.” Jack’s total disdain for the residents of our community is apparent and disgraceful. 

No one disputes the incredible amount of time that Jack Hausler puts into the league. Jack attends virtually every game. He oversees the scheduling. He recruits the high school kids to keep score. He is involved in every decision, good or bad, and runs the league with an iron hand.   

The Fort Lee Boys Junior Basketball League is a program riddled with problems.  In my 10 years of coaching, the league has remained the same, with virtually no change whatsoever. But if the FLBJBL is ever to reach its true potential, the league must evolve.

The following are a list of issues and possible remedial recommendations: 

(1)    Board of Directors:  None exists. As a result, there are no new ideas and no innovation. There is no recourse when there is a problem except to appeal to Jack. Jack does not take criticism well, nor is he open to input, i.e. suggestions for improving the league. There appear to be no assistants to make changes to the schedule on the website. Group text-messages are sent out to head coaches (and some assistant coaches) when there is a scheduling change. In 10 years, I have never received any text message. No group e-mails to the coaches are sent out during the entire season. Example: Several players at the 2012 All-Star game were late because they had never been notified of the last minute scheduling change. 

(2)   League Rules:  There is no pre-season annual meeting with coaches to discuss rules; regulations; discipline; scheduling changes, etc. At a game, when there are discussions over a specific rule, the answer is generally that the league goes by high school rules. That is insufficient as many of the coaches are parents who are not totally familiar with certain rules. 

(3)     Referee issues:  Numerous coaches have suggested to Jack that there needs to be a meeting between the coaches and the referees prior to the start of each season. For 10 years, Jack has turned a deaf ear to this request. There is often animosity between certain coaches and certain referees; one referee in particular has had issues with several coaches (I have witnessed this particular referee being extremely rude on occasion to some of the kids). Both parties are at fault; some coaches, particularly myself (very guilty), for questioning calls too vehemently, and some referees for treating coaches with disrespect and disdain.  It is my experience that in the case of negative interactions, Jack has sided 100% of the time with the referees, even when they have been totally inappropriate in their actions.

(4)   Tryouts:  The tryout system could use some minor revision. (a) First, every player who is to be drafted must be required to attend the tryout; too many no-show players have been drafted blindly over the years, leading to major issues. (b) Secondly, the routine: a kid taking one layup, one shot from the corner, and one foul shot shows the coaches very little. A quick three-on-three game for a few minutes might show a lot more. Even having the player trying out against a defender might be an improvement. 

(5)   Drafting:  The Draft process should have an established formula. The process is very random and often seems to be at the director’s whim.  In my opinion, as a result, certain teams seem to get more favorable treatment in the process.

(6)     Scoring: High school kids perform community service by working the scoreboards at games and keeping track of personal fouls. There are scoring errors made on too many  occasions, when points are attributed to the wrong team.  Several coaches noticed that the high school students were listening to I-pods and/or cell phones while keeping score, clearly a contributing fact to errors. It was brought to Jack’s attention. His response was that the Coaches have a book to keep track of the score, i.e. to make sure the kids don’t make errors.  (Note: according to my understanding of the rules; the referees are supposed to make sure the score is correct, not the coaches.)  For the record, the high school students continued to use their I-pods and cell phones while scoring after the complaint was filed.

(7)   Team Rosters:  The number of players on our team this past year was fourteen. This roster number is far too high per team to have an effective basketball program. If the goal is to teach basketball to these kids, the maximum roster number should be no greater than ten or eleven.   With league rules that state that every child must play at least one quarter, a team with fourteen players can never really develop any team dynamic.  The coaches’ job is relegated to the continual substitution of players to insure that every player gets sufficient time on the court, rather than actual coaching.  There are two ways to limit the rosters:  (a) After tryouts, each team drafts until they reach eleven players.  Those children that do not get drafted understand that they have to work harder, to improve their skills and that they can try again the next year.  (b) More teams might be established to accommodate the additional players.  This is an extremely complex solution as there are very limited practice areas and courts that are available for games.  But with some cooperation from the Fort Lee Community Center and the Fort Lee Middle School, it may be possible.  

(8)   For third- and fourth-graders, portable baskets could be used that are not 10 feet high (standard height). Many of the younger players are unable to reach the basket with their shots. 

(9)   It would be wonderful for the community if there was an outdoor summer league. The courts by the Rec Center on Stillwell Avenue could possibly be utilized.  

(10) The season starts immediately after one practice. It would be a vast improvement in team chemistry if there could be three or four practices prior to the season opener. Optimally, the league wants each team to play each opponent twice. With seasonal time constraints, this is a difficult proposal to implement.

(11) Implementation of a formal group e-mail system to notify coaches and assistant coaches of scheduling changes. 

(12)  Finally, every other league in Fort Lee gives out Coach’s shirts. This shirt  designates the team coach to all the parents and to all the spectators.   

The above commentary does not mean that this league has no positives.  Hundreds of boys learn the sport of basketball every year, hopefully to enjoy for life. Families come out to cheer their kids. Coaches revel in the improvement of team members and are excited throughout the playoffs. The Coaches vs. Senior All-Star game is a blast for the kids, the coaches and the fans. 

No one is saying the Fort Lee Boys Junior Basketball League is not a wonderful experience for the kids. And that is precisely the point. THIS LEAGUE SHOULD BE ABOUT THE KIDS! We, all of us, the coaches and parents, have an obligation to make it the best experience possible for our children by making it the best league possible. The League’s potential is great and hopefully someday the league will actually live up to its potential. Right now, the league is in stasis; it is the same every year with little or no improvement. So, Jack, please listen for once and be a true leader.