Mark Twain was quoted as saying, "It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt" I think when Mark Twain said this, he probably didn't have the internet in mind. However, it does seem appropo with regard to the recent postings on D3Hoops.
Good or bad, one of the things that the internet does is it allows people to express opinions. However, the bad part of this is that people can randomly express ignorant opinions about people that are very untrue, unfair, and hurtful. What has been taking place with regard to the stupid statements regarding Bob Amsberry is a classic example of irresponsible opinions being stated
without any accountability. Maybe, Mark Twain, was thinking of the internet.....
First of all, there are stupid comments written about Coach Amsberry with regard to the implication that he yells and screams and berates players, etc. That would be funny, if it were not for that fact that it is so ridiculous, untrue, and is an attack on the character of a good man. As one of the other posters mentions, Bob does NOT yell and scream. If you look at the past several years where his teams have done very well and gone to the NCAA tourney, he is usually relatively laid back with regard to his practice, sideline, and off the court behavior. He treats all his players with dignity and respect. The fact is that Coach Amsberry is honest with everyone he deals with. That is a wonderful quality, but one that many immature and selfish players don't like. Many players say they want a coach to be honest with them, but when the coach is honest and tells them the truth, and it is something they don't want to hear, then the players get upset. It is a "blame the messenger" quality that is entirely unfair.
Second, there are the ignorant comments from a "former player" implying that there is this high level of dissatisfaction with his interactions with his players off the court. What a joke. His players who are willing to sacrifice and be a part of something special and not be "me oriented" very much appreciate him as a caring person who tries and helps his players in any manner possible. If the number of players coming and talking to Coach Amsberry in his office throughout the day about day to day issues and concerns is any indication, he is VERY well respected and admired by his players. To make the statement that there are "eight" or so other players who feel the same way is a statistically stupid statement. When a program goes from not winning to becoming very successful (which by the way, they did win another conference championship, NCAA bid, and 20 win season), there are going to be players that are not good enough to play as much as what they want. That is called competition, and that is what athletics (at D1, D2, D2, or any other level of significant competion) is all about. Not everyone can play, and that is simply a fact. In basketball, there are 5 players on the court at one time. Well, most teams have 10-15 players on a roster. Almost everyone one of those players that is not playing wants to be playing and probably feels they should be playing. The fact is, that players often are not objective about their own level of ability, and coaches have to make hard decisions. As a coach or leader of any group, you can't make everyone happy. 15 players can't play at one time. EVERY good program in the country has players leave/quit for different reasons, and if one were going to ask these players why, they probably would not have wonderful things to say about their former respective program. To say there are 8 players unhappy is kind of funny. When you become good, those players that aren't talented enough or dedicated and willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team are going to be unhappy. Any program that was bad and has become good program SHOULD have 8 players that have become unhappy. Does that mean that every program is therefore inherently bad. Hardly. What it means is that competition in sport is a lesson in life. Sometimes things don't go the way we want. In order to be successful in life, if things don't go the way we want, we can't quit, whine, and place the blame on someone else. Rather, we need to be mature enough to pick ourselves up and try harder. Blaming a coach is the easy way out in our "scapegoat and pass the blame society". If someone wants to live their life always blaming others, that is their right. However, it is NOT right to make Bob Amsberry a scapegoat. He is an excellent coach, but much more importantly, he is a good and decent human being who is being made a scapegoat because a small group of players, parents, SIDS, etc. can't handle the fact that maybe they need to look in the mirror if they are wanting someone to blame..... Let's celebrate his team's and his success and celebrate the players who were and are willing to give of themselves for the betterment of the team! There is a reason why fellow coaches so respect what he has done with his program and admire the fact that he competes with dignity and grace.
With that being said, good luck against Wheaton!!!!!!
Good or bad, one of the things that the internet does is it allows people to express opinions. However, the bad part of this is that people can randomly express ignorant opinions about people that are very untrue, unfair, and hurtful. What has been taking place with regard to the stupid statements regarding Bob Amsberry is a classic example of irresponsible opinions being stated
without any accountability. Maybe, Mark Twain, was thinking of the internet.....
First of all, there are stupid comments written about Coach Amsberry with regard to the implication that he yells and screams and berates players, etc. That would be funny, if it were not for that fact that it is so ridiculous, untrue, and is an attack on the character of a good man. As one of the other posters mentions, Bob does NOT yell and scream. If you look at the past several years where his teams have done very well and gone to the NCAA tourney, he is usually relatively laid back with regard to his practice, sideline, and off the court behavior. He treats all his players with dignity and respect. The fact is that Coach Amsberry is honest with everyone he deals with. That is a wonderful quality, but one that many immature and selfish players don't like. Many players say they want a coach to be honest with them, but when the coach is honest and tells them the truth, and it is something they don't want to hear, then the players get upset. It is a "blame the messenger" quality that is entirely unfair.
Second, there are the ignorant comments from a "former player" implying that there is this high level of dissatisfaction with his interactions with his players off the court. What a joke. His players who are willing to sacrifice and be a part of something special and not be "me oriented" very much appreciate him as a caring person who tries and helps his players in any manner possible. If the number of players coming and talking to Coach Amsberry in his office throughout the day about day to day issues and concerns is any indication, he is VERY well respected and admired by his players. To make the statement that there are "eight" or so other players who feel the same way is a statistically stupid statement. When a program goes from not winning to becoming very successful (which by the way, they did win another conference championship, NCAA bid, and 20 win season), there are going to be players that are not good enough to play as much as what they want. That is called competition, and that is what athletics (at D1, D2, D2, or any other level of significant competion) is all about. Not everyone can play, and that is simply a fact. In basketball, there are 5 players on the court at one time. Well, most teams have 10-15 players on a roster. Almost everyone one of those players that is not playing wants to be playing and probably feels they should be playing. The fact is, that players often are not objective about their own level of ability, and coaches have to make hard decisions. As a coach or leader of any group, you can't make everyone happy. 15 players can't play at one time. EVERY good program in the country has players leave/quit for different reasons, and if one were going to ask these players why, they probably would not have wonderful things to say about their former respective program. To say there are 8 players unhappy is kind of funny. When you become good, those players that aren't talented enough or dedicated and willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team are going to be unhappy. Any program that was bad and has become good program SHOULD have 8 players that have become unhappy. Does that mean that every program is therefore inherently bad. Hardly. What it means is that competition in sport is a lesson in life. Sometimes things don't go the way we want. In order to be successful in life, if things don't go the way we want, we can't quit, whine, and place the blame on someone else. Rather, we need to be mature enough to pick ourselves up and try harder. Blaming a coach is the easy way out in our "scapegoat and pass the blame society". If someone wants to live their life always blaming others, that is their right. However, it is NOT right to make Bob Amsberry a scapegoat. He is an excellent coach, but much more importantly, he is a good and decent human being who is being made a scapegoat because a small group of players, parents, SIDS, etc. can't handle the fact that maybe they need to look in the mirror if they are wanting someone to blame..... Let's celebrate his team's and his success and celebrate the players who were and are willing to give of themselves for the betterment of the team! There is a reason why fellow coaches so respect what he has done with his program and admire the fact that he competes with dignity and grace.
With that being said, good luck against Wheaton!!!!!!