Genetics or Coaching

[Quacker37]

Here is a tough question and one that I have wondered about for a long time in regards to high school athletics. Is success in a high school athletic program more determined more by the genetics of the towns people supplying the athletes or the coaches brought in?

Would Coach Hooks or Coach Barbay be as successful at a lower performing program?

[Guest Jags]

Good question!

[westend1]

Gotta have the athletes first.  Then, a good coach can turn good athletes into a great team.

[snafu]

I believe genetics is a part of it, but it even goes deeper than that. If the parents believe in the coach and is behind the coach program 100%, and are always talking good about the coach in the home life, then the young adult will buy into the program and work harder and pay more attention to the coach thus making it successful. Because if the child doesn't do well then he thinks his parents will believe it to be him and not the coaching.. on the other hand if the parents are not behind the coach, then the young athlete hears nothing but negative about the coach and his program, he will not give 2 cents about trying to succeed. This is just my opinion. There are probably a dozen or so opinion's to this question, this is just mine. If the athlete accepts the task/position he is assigned whether it be his favorite or not and still gives his all it works. If the athlete is given a task/position that isn't his favorite then he loafs and gets benched then its the coaches fault, even if the athlete that is playing in this ones favorite position is better than him... It all stems from the athletes, you can read it to them from a book, you can show them a DVD, you can get a professional coach from the NFL to talk to them, but if they do not buy into the program, execute it and strive to be the best, the program doesn't work. Athleticism is a big part of it, but attitude always plays a big part.

Again just in my opinion.

[JAKE the SNAKE]

Why do people try to dogg these coaches out on this forum all the time. These coaches have done the best with what they were dealt. Alverez went into Kirbyville and turned the program around, K-Ville has the same kids they always have. Give them props for a job well done. Everyone knows good athletes makes good coaches but GREAT COACHES win year in and year out.

[westend1]

Why do people try to dogg these coaches out on this forum all the time. These coaches have done the best with what they were dealt. Alverez went into Kirbyville and turned the program around, K-Ville has the same kids they always have. Give them props for a job well done. Everyone knows good athletes makes good coaches but GREAT COACHES win year in and year out.

No wonder KVille is winning.  If they still have the same kids, they must all be in their 30's by now.        ;Djk

[setxguru]

If talent is the main reason a high school team wins, then places like Ozen and PA Memorial would never lose!  Don't take the coaches and structure of the programs for granted!!

[ncplaya]

It aint the x's and o's. its the Jimmy's and Joe's. I knew a head coach who won the state championship one year and sat in a cover three all year with some studs at LB and DB. Then left and went somewhere else and went 0-10 and got fired the first year.

[GUNHO]

If talent is the main reason a high school team wins, then places like Ozen and PA Memorial would never lose!  Don't take the coaches and structure of the programs for granted!!

The two go hand and hand = winners. But your right,talent alone want get you there and coaching without talent want either.

[Guest wos grad]

Got to have good coaching, but Genetics are important!

[bmtdc1996]

In grad school I once asked a professor what made a professional athlete's (let's use Ken Griffey Sr and K Griffey Jr for example) kid become a great athlete.  Was it his genetics or was it that he was around the game and its great players and their impact on him his whole life that helped make him a great athlete.  His answer was....YES.

I feel like you throw in some good athletes as well as a strong tradition and good coach and for the most part there will be success.  The parental support mentioned above is a definite positive as well.  That's why teams such as WOS, Newton, EC and several others are consistently competitive.  Every kid wants to play for his school's team.

When you go to a game and you watch the little boys hanging by the fence to high five the players as they run by and hear them talk about being a varsity player and going to the playoffs when they get to high school, THAT is where things all start to blend in and form a winning program.

Just my humble opinion, like everyone else.

[WOSHIGHc/o2001]

I believe genetics is a part of it, but it even goes deeper than that. If the parents believe in the coach and is behind the coach program 100%, and are always talking good about the coach in the home life, then the young adult will buy into the program and work harder and pay more attention to the coach thus making it successful. Because if the child doesn't do well then he thinks his parents will believe it to be him and not the coaching.. on the other hand if the parents are not behind the coach, then the young athlete hears nothing but negative about the coach and his program, he will not give 2 cents about trying to succeed. This is just my opinion. There are probably a dozen or so opinion's to this question, this is just mine. If the athlete accepts the task/position he is assigned whether it be his favorite or not and still gives his all it works. If the athlete is given a task/position that isn't his favorite then he loafs and gets benched then its the coaches fault, even if the athlete that is playing in this ones favorite position is better than him... It all stems from the athletes, you can read it to them from a book, you can show them a DVD, you can get a professional coach from the NFL to talk to them, but if they do not buy into the program, execute it and strive to be the best, the program doesn't work. Athleticism is a big part of it, but attitude always plays a big part.

Again just in my opinion.

I think this is the best answer so far.  It all starts in Middle School or even before.  You don't just show up in high school as a football player.  At WOS when I was there, you didn't see anyone on the team that wasn't there in 7th and 8th grade.  You buy into the program when you are young.  You want to be the one out there on Friday night when you grow up.  You need good athletes, but these good athletes have been in the program for years.  This might be out of left field,  as Coach Comeaux said about the home life and hearing all the positive or negative from parents, if you took WOS' coaching staff and moved them to LCM you would see a huge turnaround in a few years.  You have everyone talking about how bad things are there.  If you bring in proven winners and someone these kids hold in a high regard you would see results.  

[77]

I agree woshigh, where you can see the genetics come into play for example I've seen kids come up thru the LCM jr.high program which is almost non existent and switch to WOS their freshman or soph. yr and step right into a starting role. In this case its the athelete. Yes I agree a good coach could turn LCM around because a good coach would get the atheletes out for football.

[setxfan1]

You can build a program with discipline and striving for work ethic. It helps to have talent no doubt. WOS has some talent everyyear, Nederland has some talent everyyear, Newton has some talent everyyear. A good Coach fills in the puzzle with hard working kids that by into the program. You reap the benefits of success by hard work. That is in all phases of life. Football teaches kids discipline, both mental and physical. It teaches teamwork. You gotta have a little discipline in a house of ill repute. Good Coaches are upfront with their kids. The good programs have expectations that a kid accepts. That is why some programs win year in and year out. When Parents get involved with the decision making and politics of who plays, the whole program suffers. A good Coach is going to do what he thinks is right. If politics of the communoty gets in the way, that community will never have an established program that is successful This is why some schools cannot build a program. If you hire a man to do the job, let him do it!!!

[WOSHIGHc/o2001]

This is a whole different topic, but politics are in play at every level starting with little league.  I would say less with WOS football but its always there.  There is no getting around it.