posted by Joe Polk at 1:23 PM /
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review published an article yesterday which contained the interview of Coach Joey David about the recent controversy regarding Shane Phillips' email to him. I thought it was important to link to this article as well since the article in the Post-Gazette only interviewed Shane's father and his side of the story.
Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_496712.html
Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_496712.html
Labels: basketball, character education, high school, sports
14 Comments:
It great to hear the other side to the story. But it still doesn't justify no punishment for breaking the Code.
Coach David chooses who will or will not play in each and every game. Since admittedly his bench isn't that deep he has made the choice to play these boys.
2 years ago there were members of the girls team cited for underage drinking at an off campus party. Dorie Anderson-Oldaker handled this by suspending these players for 1 game.
I quess it's not what you teach the kids--just how badly you want to win.
David also suggested that Reimer take two Mt. Lebanon players to speak with him when he visits junior high schools.
Why? So he can display them as contrite examples of what happens when you engage in underage drinking? There is no contrition because the school district takes NO action. Come to school hung over, coked out, strung out, whatever - your playing time is guaranteed. Better idea - have Reimer continue to speak alone.
Anonymous Mom of 3
David might haven schackled by the AD and Adminstration - this is very believable.
It is also what happens when your focus is "My SAT is bigger than your SAT!" and not the purpose of the Mount Lebanon Schools and athletics and fine arts and chess club and forensics club and ...
The pupose of all these is preparing our kids for their futures (not our present).
Who wrote the Code of Conduct that the players have to sign? The coach says "The Administration" won't let him punish the players. Didn't "The Administration" write the code? or at the very least, approve the code? So why can't the coach enforce it?
Anonymous "Mom of 3"... I really suggest you take a break from this blogging stuff. I have read numerous replies you keep making on all sorts of subjects. It appears you have too much time on your hands. You continually comment on subjects which you have little or no facts. I strongly suggest you run for school board or a local government position. You seem to have all the answers. It is so easy to criticize when thats all you have to do. How about actually getting involved and let's see how you stand up to the test. I am sure you would have no critics... would you?
Anonymous 7:07 - are you "involved"? or are you just criticizing Anonymous Mom of 3?
Oh no, Joey...we forgot to tell you...don't drink from the water cooler in the high school administrative wing...it isn't water, it's Kool-Aid!
The coach makes a well considered decision and he gets crucified by most of you. Can we get it through our heads that off campus incidents are not the school's resposibility nor do we really want it to be. Do we really want students punished for incidents they may or may not have been involved in. Whom do we believe? There are people out there who want to severely punish anybody, whether justified or not. Underage drinking is a complex situation that has been around for a long time. In Europe the drinking age is 16-- so we have an act (drinking) which is not inherently immoral, just illegal. The consequences that occur to a few can be horrific- to be sure; but most of these consequences can also happen to adults of legal drinking age. Let's get some sanity here- the matter was handled properly by Coach David.
I won't respond point by point to the last comment except to note that I disagree with just about every evaluative judgment that the commenter makes.
However, I do not refer to the coach of the basketball team as "Coach David." "Coach" isn't a learned degree or a professional credential; it's a professional (or often amateur) honorific. The man's name is "Joey David." Since I don't know him personally, to me he is "Mr. David." My understanding is that he is not a teacher at Mt. Lebanon High School. He is a community member who is generous with his time.
Congratulations to the coach and the players for their impressive win in the first round of the state playoffs. It is a testament to all of them to be able to come away with a victory while under such scrutiny, stress and divisiveness. Maybe now all of the outside commentators can leave this alone and let this team work to heal, to learn from this experience and truly begin to move forward.
Response to Anon 3:01 3/10
Let's not as their parents or coach or school district punish these kids for illegal underage drinking or breaking their Code of Conduct. Let them play basketball and do as they please as long as they are not on school property.
Great Message. And you wonder why people outside the community want to see Mt. Lebanon fail. As a district we come off as holier than thou.
Does the coach give the players a curfew the night before a game? If they break curfew (which is an off-campus activity), would they not be punished? Why is illegal drinking any different?
Scrutiny, stress...all brought on by there own stupidity! Let's give them a medal for showing up not hungover! Clueless parents are a big part of the problem. Know who your kids are partying with and make sure there is parental supervision. How hard is that?
Are there that many people in Lebo that believe they and theirs don't have to take any responsibility at all for their own actions?
When you see professional and college players get in trouble with the law, get preferential treatment, then aren't held accountable for their actions remember that this is the type of situation that teaches them they are different from the common guy.
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