recruiting

[fbinnd]

So, you admit that people transfer because of wins and losses.  What a great day!!  The truth finally exposed, and from a person that would have denied that transfers were anything about wins and losses a page ago.  Nice work, luv!  You elliced the truth from an unwitting accomplice.

[baseball]

So, you admit that people transfer because of wins and losses.  What a great day!!  The truth finally exposed, and from a person that would have denied that transfers were anything about wins and losses a page ago.  Nice work, luv!  You elliced the truth from an unwitting accomplice.

who wants to transfer to lose??  he never said people transfer just to win....that can be tied into the pursuit of your happiness, what makes a person happier....winning or losing??  ill agree with baller01 100% on this one.  if you can sign with the Devil Rays for just as much money as the Yankees, Suns or Hawks, Patriots or Texans?....who are you gonna sign with??

[baller01]

So, you admit that people transfer because of wins and losses.  What a great day!!  The truth finally exposed, and from a person that would have denied that transfers were anything about wins and losses a page ago.  Nice work, luv!  You elliced the truth from an unwitting accomplice.

who wants to transfer to lose??  he never said people transfer just to win....that can be tied into the pursuit of your happiness, what makes a person happier....winning or losing??  ill agree with baller01 100% on this one.  if you can sign with the Devil Rays for just as much money as the Yankees, Suns or Hawks, Patriots or Texans?....who are you gonna sign with??

Haha thank you baseball. Some people just can't understand somethings.

Fbinnd, I have a personal question for you. Have you ever won at anything in your life? Because your attitude towards winning and losing is terrible. You make it sound like losing is ok, and winning isn't that great, and learning about life is the only thing that matters.

[luvmy3gbb1wr]

okay, they sat....they got to be eligible for fb b/c of the coop, okay; but did they transfer so they sat the 90 and then were eligible for varsity by the time BBB season started?  if they did, then that's right in there with the problem that people have with most transfers-------sports reasons only; when the more prominent players move they get attention, especially when it looks like they moved to get more wins, exposure, etc.  if you want to use knife/belcourt as an example...but any example would work, she's just the most recent........Dunseith, Rolla/Rock Lake, Rugby, Rolette are all schools fairly close, even closer than Botno......yet a player that skips those and goes to Botno-----why?

Probably because people want to win...duh. That is why we play sports, to win. There is a reason baseball players want to play for the Yankees. And college football players want to play for USC. And high school starts want to play for Oak Hill.

If I am a basketball player, and you give me them schools as an option to go to, what school do you think I would want to go to???

duh, sarcasm......

[luvmy3gbb1wr]

it's about winning only.....me only.........so you just agreed that if a player does that they're looking for wins.....and how many transfers do we know that have done this over the years....plenty....and yet people try to deny that the move is for that reason.......i don't believe that brandenburg got the scholarship to play at JC based on his senior year; his first three years more likely and they were all played at Edgeley; and his extra-curricular playing during the summer......

[baseball]

it's about winning only.....me only.........so you just agreed that if a player does that they're looking for wins.....and how many transfers do we know that have done this over the years....plenty....and yet people try to deny that the move is for that reason.......i don't believe that brandenburg got the scholarship to play at JC based on his senior year; his first three years more likely and they were all played at Edgeley; and his extra-curricular playing during the summer......

what about the competition he got in practice at LaMoure.   the 2nd best player on Edgeleys team behind Brandenburg wouldnt have even got off the bench for LaMoure.

[baller01]

it's about winning only.....me only.........so you just agreed that if a player does that they're looking for wins.....and how many transfers do we know that have done this over the years....plenty....and yet people try to deny that the move is for that reason.......i don't believe that brandenburg got the scholarship to play at JC based on his senior year; his first three years more likely and they were all played at Edgeley; and his extra-curricular playing during the summer......

Wins are a nice benefit that can come with transferring. You are missing what I'm trying to say.

Say Lucy Thomas goes to school in Mott. Lucy is an all-state basketball player and is going be a junior. Lucy is harrassed by her coach and by her teammates. Lucys parents ask her if she wants to transfer and give her options of schools she can transfer to. Lucy loves basketball more then anything and plans to play in college, plus she hates to lose. If she has the options between South Heart, Beach, Hettinger or Bowman. Where do you think she is going to want to go? My guess would be Bowman.

What I am saying is I don't think it is fair that this whole thing got started because FBINND felt like criticizing Shauna Knife for transferring to Botno when the main reason she transferred were because of other issues. I don't think it is fair to Shauna and her family that you say this whole thing "cuts like a KNIFE" is the term I believed you used to describe it. Is Shauna Knife wrong for transferring? No. Is she wrong transferring to Botno? Of course not. Is she wrong by choosing a school which will have great winning success next year? NO!

There is no rule saying people can't transfer schools for any reason no matter what it may be. You might find it wrong to transfer just on soul purposes of winning and that is your opinion. You judged the whole Shauna Knife deal before you even knew what it was about and even said she was "recruited" to play there.

You just don't understand the point that it isn't someones fault that they are stuck into a school system that doesn't feel the same way about athletics as they do. If you go to a school where there are only 10 kids out for basketball and 9 of them don't touch a ball any other time of the year other then the season, how much fun is that going to be for you? Playing with a bunch of teammates that don't care about basketball. Why is someone at fault for leaving that school system to be in an environment that is more suitable for them. A system where athletics is important to kids and where they want to get better and win. That is why I don't think leaving a school for athletics is a bad thing.

[fbinnd]

First of all, yes, I've won plenty, and I've been a part of winning.  But I've also been a part of losing, and I've lost, and I feel the balance of winning and losing taught me more about life than either all winning or all losing could have taught me. 

Again, this thread is not about Knife, so stop making it about Knife.  But since you did, Luv has a great point.  Sure, the harassment issue could have forced the transfer, I won't deny that.  But it would seem through this case that, even the most innocent and needed of transfers has some team shopping that goes with it.  You have to get out:  fine.  But make sure that you go where you're going to WIN.

In the end, the transfer was about winning and losing, even if it didn't start that way. 

[luvmy3gbb1wr]

baller01, you're putting words in my mouth....."cuts like a knife" is fbinnd's "she was recruited"......get your facts straight.....i said that it sounds suspicious when kids transfer by the deadline to be eligible......and it is....

our kids are in the same boat at their school district; being one of the few who put in extra time at camps, speed/acc, aau, jo, etc.  they put hours of extra time in b/c they love their sport...busting their butts while their teammates do nothing to improve.......they've experienced jealousy (you might even say harassment) because they are better athletes/players than others.....try and watch that

we have the opportunity to put our kids in different school districts, there's more than a few around us.....some of the them even have better sports teams......but we don't and we won't

and yeah, guess what, we've experienced "recruiting"......not just people from other school districts "persuading" either (tho, there's been plenty of that)......"suzy q would be great alongside of nancy jean, they'd have to hand us the title" or "leroy would be great at xxxxx weight for us, wouldn't he make a great middle linebacker for us"  all and more from head coaches

from a coach's and parent's perspective, i've pretty much seen it all......i'm cynical about moves b/c at the heart of just about all that i've seen it's about winning and what's in it for me....

[baller01]

it's about winning only.....me only.........so you just agreed that if a player does that they're looking for wins.....and how many transfers do we know that have done this over the years....plenty....and yet people try to deny that the move is for that reason.......i don't believe that brandenburg got the scholarship to play at JC based on his senior year; his first three years more likely and they were all played at Edgeley; and his extra-curricular playing during the summer......

Wins are a nice benefit that can come with transferring. You are missing what I'm trying to say.

Say Lucy Thomas goes to school in Mott. Lucy is an all-state basketball player and is going be a junior. Lucy is harrassed by her coach and by her teammates. Lucys parents ask her if she wants to transfer and give her options of schools she can transfer to. Lucy loves basketball more then anything and plans to play in college, plus she hates to lose. If she has the options between South Heart, Beach, Hettinger or Bowman. Where do you think she is going to want to go? My guess would be Bowman.

What I am saying is I don't think it is fair that this whole thing got started because FBINND felt like criticizing Shauna Knife for transferring to Botno when the main reason she transferred were because of other issues. I don't think it is fair to Shauna and her family that you say this whole thing "cuts like a KNIFE" is the term I believed you used to describe it. Is Shauna Knife wrong for transferring? No. Is she wrong transferring to Botno? Of course not. Is she wrong by choosing a school which will have great winning success next year? NO!

There is no rule saying people can't transfer schools for any reason no matter what it may be. You might find it wrong to transfer just on soul purposes of winning and that is your opinion. You judged the whole Shauna Knife deal before you even knew what it was about and even said she was "recruited" to play there.

You just don't understand the point that it isn't someones fault that they are stuck into a school system that doesn't feel the same way about athletics as they do. If you go to a school where there are only 10 kids out for basketball and 9 of them don't touch a ball any other time of the year other then the season, how much fun is that going to be for you? Playing with a bunch of teammates that don't care about basketball. Why is someone at fault for leaving that school system to be in an environment that is more suitable for them. A system where athletics is important to kids and where they want to get better and win. That is why I don't think leaving a school for athletics is a bad thing.

Luv I didn't even mention you in that paragraph. That wasn't intended for you.

Luv and fbinnd you seem pretty stern on not transferring schools for athletics, winning, whatever you want to call it. So answer this question for me. Is it wrong for an athlete to leave a school that has poor athletics when he/she is a great athlete?

[baseball]

i suppose luv and fbinnd think college athletes should stay all 4 years to because leaving early for the draft is just moving for themselves and not thinking aobut what other feel....o and "winning"

[luvmy3gbb1wr]

oh the shame of it......that someone should think that an education is important:shock:

[baseball]

oh the shame of it......that someone should think that an education is important:shock:

Leave after Sophomore year, Lottery pick, gaurenteed millions....or blow out a knee, work for an average job?

[baller01]

oh the shame of it......that someone should think that an education is important:shock:

Leave after Sophomore year, Lottery pick, gaurenteed millions....or blow out a knee, work for an average job?

Haha Amen. In todays NBA, if you are are a lottery pick, you could survive the rest of your life after playing just your rookie year. Michael Jordan said that is what is wrong with the leauge these days. Players are getting payed before they earn it.

[fbinnd]

I love the way you guys keep trying to twist this thread into something that it's not.  Hop-scotching from high school to high school is a totally different deal than leaving college early for the draft.  Fact is, there are so many people that leave college early for their jobs, that it really isn't that uncommon.  If these guys were leaving college early to pursue a regular job, we wouldn't even notice.  If a guy is in college because he wants to play pro ball, and the chance arrives, I say take it.  Get your cash, make your living, and when it's over, go back and finish up.

This thread is about high school basketball and high school basketball players.  There are people in here who seem to think that the burden is on a school, a coach, and the rest of a team to keep little Johnny Superstar happy so he'll stay.  Otherwise, they feel it's all about him and he's free to go be a high school free agent.  That's crap.  In high school it's up to little Johnny Superstar to be a leader, get the team improving, and be a part of turning a program around. 

There will be things that come up where special circumstances dictate a transfer.  But this "change of scenery" argument that was brought up is rediculous, and the proof is right here in this thread.  None of you can defend it.  Instead, you twist the thread into the NBA.  The bottom line is that there is more going on in high school basketball than just developing your own skill and your own piece of mind.  There are real life lessons to be learned.  If kids are free to just fly around the state searching for a bigger, better deal, they will never learn those lessons. 

Has anyone noticed a lack of leadership on these teams lately?  I have.  The state has a general lack of leadership in all of it's activities.  That's because coaches aren't allowed to produce leaders anymore.  Coaches aren't allowed to get into a kid's head and challenge him/her.  When the coach does that, when some kid feels bad, it's "harassment", and now it's time to fire the coach or open enroll my kid so he can play for so-and-so.  Coaches know this, so they just lay off, and we have districts where 6 of the 8 teams have no clue what's going on on the floor because there is no one there to lead them. 

The posters in this thread, though, are in the majority opinion.  I will freely acknowledge that my opinion is the least accepted on, and the opinions of CDUB, Baller, and so on, are the more widely accepted ones.  The atmosphere has changed.  We have substituted giving kids choices for using athletics to teach them leadership skills and teamwork skills, skills that will benefit them in life no matter where they go after basketball.  I guess the game truly is just about basketball now, just about winning and losing.  I just feel for the student athlete that will mature in this era.  They will go to college so unarmed.  Funny how freshman retention is down at so many colleges.  Kids go for one year and quit. It's no wonder why. 

[baller01]

I love the way you guys keep trying to twist this thread into something that it's not.  Hop-scotching from high school to high school is a totally different deal than leaving college early for the draft.  Fact is, there are so many people that leave college early for their jobs, that it really isn't that uncommon.  If these guys were leaving college early to pursue a regular job, we wouldn't even notice.  If a guy is in college because he wants to play pro ball, and the chance arrives, I say take it.  Get your cash, make your living, and when it's over, go back and finish up.

This thread is about high school basketball and high school basketball players.  There are people in here who seem to think that the burden is on a school, a coach, and the rest of a team to keep little Johnny Superstar happy so he'll stay.  Otherwise, they feel it's all about him and he's free to go be a high school free agent.  That's crap.  In high school it's up to little Johnny Superstar to be a leader, get the team improving, and be a part of turning a program around. 

There will be things that come up where special circumstances dictate a transfer.  But this "change of scenery" argument that was brought up is rediculous, and the proof is right here in this thread.  None of you can defend it.  Instead, you twist the thread into the NBA.  The bottom line is that there is more going on in high school basketball than just developing your own skill and your own piece of mind.  There are real life lessons to be learned.  If kids are free to just fly around the state searching for a bigger, better deal, they will never learn those lessons. 

Has anyone noticed a lack of leadership on these teams lately?  I have.  The state has a general lack of leadership in all of it's activities.  That's because coaches aren't allowed to produce leaders anymore.  Coaches aren't allowed to get into a kid's head and challenge him/her.  When the coach does that, when some kid feels bad, it's "harassment", and now it's time to fire the coach or open enroll my kid so he can play for so-and-so.  Coaches know this, so they just lay off, and we have districts where 6 of the 8 teams have no clue what's going on on the floor because there is no one there to lead them. 

The posters in this thread, though, are in the majority opinion.  I will freely acknowledge that my opinion is the least accepted on, and the opinions of CDUB, Baller, and so on, are the more widely accepted ones.  The atmosphere has changed.  We have substituted giving kids choices for using athletics to teach them leadership skills and teamwork skills, skills that will benefit them in life no matter where they go after basketball.  I guess the game truly is just about basketball now, just about winning and losing.  I just feel for the student athlete that will mature in this era.  They will go to college so unarmed.  Funny how freshman retention is down at so many colleges.  Kids go for one year and quit. It's no wonder why. 

Before I go on and say what I'm going to say, I would just like to point out that when kids transfer, it is usually someplace close. Shauna Knife transfered from Belcourt to Botno, fairly close. Brandenburg last year transfered from Edgeley to Lamoure, fairly close. You make it sound like we have kids in the southeast corner of the state leaving there school, moving halfway across the state, to go to Botno. Or kids in the northeast corner of the state picking up and moving to play ball for Dickinson Trininty. In most cases, the school that they are leaving and the school they go to are fairly close. If the oppurtunity is there for a better team, better environment, and one that is more suitable for "Johnny Superstar", why not take it?

Ok #1, it is impossible for a single player to get say 10 or 11 other guys playing basketball all the time. Johnny might play ball everyday but he can't get his teammates to do the same. Face it, some kids just don't love basketball as much as some people therefore they don't like to play it as much. In some schools, kids don't touch a ball for 9 months out of the year. That is just how it is. You tell me how it is fair to Johnny to play with teammates like that?

#2, how close have you payed attention to the leadership on the court? There are so many great leaders out there it's unreal. Leaders that if you do something wrong will point it out to you and tell you what to do. Look at how many great players there are in the state and they are all great leaders as well. How can leaders be made by coaches when leaders are born, not made? Not everyone is a leader. Some people are born with it and some people aren't. Coaches can't make leaders. Coaches can make ball players but not leaders. Big difference.

#3, I blame you parents for the lack of coaching that coaches can do, not the kids. Kids may have the wrong attitude, but guess where they get it from, there parents. Kids believe what there parents tell them. If mommy or daddy tells there kid that they are the best player in the world and should be starting and getting all the shots and stuff, don't you think the player is going to think that? Therefore thinking that he/she is always right on the court and therefore not allowing the coach to coach.

FBinnd, you still haven't answered my question anywhere. I want a yes or no answer. Is it wrong for an athlete to leave a school that is not big on athletics for a school that produces ball players and good teams?

[fbinnd]

Working from back to front, the answer is yes, it is wrong for a kid to transfer because of an athletic issue.  We already went through this.  Harassment, family moving, change in the family's finances, that kind of stuff is fine.  Any transfer made solely because his school is not as big on athletics as another is wrong. 

High school kids don't go somewhere because a school produces ball players.  High schools don't produce ball players.  They educate students.  A kid should go to school where either his family lives or works (I can see a kid going to school in a district where his mom or dad commutes to for their job, due to issues like transportation or having a parent accessible during the daytime).  No student should be allowed to participate in any high school sport or competitive activity in a district with no connection to his/her family unless there is an issue from the list above. 

Our high schools are not basketball factories.  They are educational institutions.  The first and foremost responsibility of our K-12 system is to educate North Dakota's students.  If the educational opportunities are there for a student, then that's where he/she attends school.  To allow a student to transfer solely because his school is not big into basketball, football, or whatever, flips the priority list for that student.  That student is now enrolled at that school because of THEIR basketball, or THEIR football, and not to receive an education.

How do you keep a teenager on the straight-and-narrow for their education when the sole purpose of their move was for basketball or football?  Every second they are in that classroom, they know that the reason they are in that particular classroom, and not the one back home, is because of a sport, not the educational opportunities.

I fully support kids transferring for educational opportunities.  If a family feels that a school is a bad school, they should get their kids into another one.  This is the one free chance a kid has at becoming educated and employable.  But to raise the ability to play basketball to the same level as education is rediculous.  Basketball is not that important.

[baller01]

I love how you make it sound like when you transfer for sports, you don't get an education. Obviously we are in school to get an education. I will agree with you on this. But you make it sound like if you are a great ball player that goes to a school for sports reasons you won't be getting an education. If I am a basketball player in a terrible athletic school, why is it fair to me that I should have to suffer through 4 years of sports? This attitude you have can also be put in the real world. Is it wrong for an employee to change jobs because he is unhappy? Of course not. People do it all the time. Is it wrong for an employee to change jobs for a higher position or more pay? No.

Think of it like this. Say you are a girl that absoutely loves hockey but lives in Washburn. Is it wrong for her to transfer to Hazen or Beulah in order to play female hockey? She is still getting an education along with playing hockey. What is the difference of a kid who leaves a bad basketball or football or baseball school to go to one that is more suitable for him. I don't find the hurt in it. Who is he hurting? No one. Of course there are going to be the crying parents that say so and so took my son/daughters spot but we all know that is just a load of crap.

Please let me know the hurt in transferring schools based on athletics because I have yet to find one.

[momster]

Please let me know the hurt in transferring schools based on athletics because I have yet to find one.

It may not hurt the individual transferring, but what about the damage it does to the school/players left behind?  The loss of community pride?  How 'bout the teammates?  Some of them may also love the game, but their parents won't let them just up and move to play ball at another school, so now they are left with a incomplete team.  The bottom line is that transferring for athletic reasons is selfish.

[fbinnd]

Is it wrong for an athlete to leave a school that is not big on athletics for a school that produces ball players and good teams?


Baller, you can't stick to an argument to save your life.  Look at the question you asked me above.  Your girls hockey analogy is nowhere near accurate.  The hockey analogy talks about an opportunity the girl wouldn't get where she is.  Your original question, underlined above, talks about a kid leaving for the same opportunity elsewhere.  I never said a thing about transferring for added opportunities. 

But I will tell you this:  Try floating that argument by small town fans, and I'll be there to clean up the mess of goo they turn you into.  Your analogy could be accurate, not just for hockey, but for drama, speech, symphony, orchestra, foreign languages, or a dozen other things you can get at Bismarck High that you can't get at New Salem.  That's why we have invented coops, and I'm sure the girl in your analogy could coop with someone for girls hockey and still attend school in Washburn.

But, back to your original question, and your twisting my answer.  I didn't say anyone doesn't get an education.  If you're not getting an education, you're not eligible to play, transfer or otherwise.  I'm talking about priorities.  When a kid becomes an adult, we recognize that he or she now becomes responsible for setting their own priorities.  In high school, they are not in charge of this.  And in their high school years, basketball should not be their highest priority.  Learning should be.

If we allow kids to transfer based on, as you wrote, leav (ing) a school that is not big on athletics for a school that produces ball players and good teams,we allow them to say that their basketball career is more important than their general education.  They are leaving a school for one reason.  They are not leaving for better teachers.  They are not leaving for a more challenging curriculum, they are leaving for basketball.  They know this, and basketball now takes precedence over their education.  They are acknowledging that they can get their education any old place, but they can only play basketball here.  They have now put basketball above all else, disrupting their course of study, breaking relationships with teachers, and leaving their family structure behind, all to live with whoever and take whatever courses, just for a game.

Come to your senses for a second.  High schools are not athlete factories!!!  This is so simple.  They do not exist to produce your athletic prowess.  99.999% of people will never play a pro sport, but 99.999% of everyone will use their high school education for their livelihood.  Good God, man, what's more important here?  Can you really accept leaving your entire support structure behind, leaving your family, and leaving everything familiar about your town, just to take a run at a measely state title in North Dakota that won't matter to anyone you will ever work for? 

[baseball]

Is it wrong for an athlete to leave a school that is not big on athletics for a school that produces ball players and good teams?


Baller, you can't stick to an argument to save your life.  Look at the question you asked me above.  Your girls hockey analogy is nowhere near accurate.  The hockey analogy talks about an opportunity the girl wouldn't get where she is.  Your original question, underlined above, talks about a kid leaving for the same opportunity elsewhere.  I never said a thing about transferring for added opportunities. 

But I will tell you this:  Try floating that argument by small town fans, and I'll be there to clean up the mess of goo they turn you into.  Your analogy could be accurate, not just for hockey, but for drama, speech, symphony, orchestra, foreign languages, or a dozen other things you can get at Bismarck High that you can't get at New Salem.  That's why we have invented coops, and I'm sure the girl in your analogy could coop with someone for girls hockey and still attend school in Washburn.

what if hockey was he only sport, is it wrong for her to go to school in hazen to get more friends then the 10-15 she plays hockey with day after day?  again back to the happiness factor

[hoop_fan1]

I love the way you guys keep trying to twist this thread into something that it's not.  Hop-scotching from high school to high school is a totally different deal than leaving college early for the draft.  Fact is, there are so many people that leave college early for their jobs, that it really isn't that uncommon.  If these guys were leaving college early to pursue a regular job, we wouldn't even notice.  If a guy is in college because he wants to play pro ball, and the chance arrives, I say take it.  Get your cash, make your living, and when it's over, go back and finish up.

This thread is about high school basketball and high school basketball players.  There are people in here who seem to think that the burden is on a school, a coach, and the rest of a team to keep little Johnny Superstar happy so he'll stay.  Otherwise, they feel it's all about him and he's free to go be a high school free agent.  That's crap.  In high school it's up to little Johnny Superstar to be a leader, get the team improving, and be a part of turning a program around. 

There will be things that come up where special circumstances dictate a transfer.  But this "change of scenery" argument that was brought up is rediculous, and the proof is right here in this thread.  None of you can defend it.  Instead, you twist the thread into the NBA.  The bottom line is that there is more going on in high school basketball than just developing your own skill and your own piece of mind.  There are real life lessons to be learned.  If kids are free to just fly around the state searching for a bigger, better deal, they will never learn those lessons. 

Has anyone noticed a lack of leadership on these teams lately?  I have.  The state has a general lack of leadership in all of it's activities.  That's because coaches aren't allowed to produce leaders anymore.  Coaches aren't allowed to get into a kid's head and challenge him/her.  When the coach does that, when some kid feels bad, it's "harassment", and now it's time to fire the coach or open enroll my kid so he can play for so-and-so.  Coaches know this, so they just lay off, and we have districts where 6 of the 8 teams have no clue what's going on on the floor because there is no one there to lead them. 

The posters in this thread, though, are in the majority opinion.  I will freely acknowledge that my opinion is the least accepted on, and the opinions of CDUB, Baller, and so on, are the more widely accepted ones.  The atmosphere has changed.  We have substituted giving kids choices for using athletics to teach them leadership skills and teamwork skills, skills that will benefit them in life no matter where they go after basketball.  I guess the game truly is just about basketball now, just about winning and losing.  I just feel for the student athlete that will mature in this era.  They will go to college so unarmed.  Funny how freshman retention is down at so many colleges.  Kids go for one year and quit. It's no wonder why. 

Before I go on and say what I'm going to say, I would just like to point out that when kids transfer, it is usually someplace close. Shauna Knife transfered from Belcourt to Botno, fairly close. Brandenburg last year transfered from Edgeley to Lamoure, fairly close. You make it sound like we have kids in the southeast corner of the state leaving there school, moving halfway across the state, to go to Botno. Or kids in the northeast corner of the state picking up and moving to play ball for Dickinson Trininty. In most cases, the school that they are leaving and the school they go to are fairly close. If the oppurtunity is there for a better team, better environment, and one that is more suitable for "Johnny Superstar", why not take it?

Ok #1, it is impossible for a single player to get say 10 or 11 other guys playing basketball all the time. Johnny might play ball everyday but he can't get his teammates to do the same. Face it, some kids just don't love basketball as much as some people therefore they don't like to play it as much. In some schools, kids don't touch a ball for 9 months out of the year. That is just how it is. You tell me how it is fair to Johnny to play with teammates like that?

#2, how close have you payed attention to the leadership on the court? There are so many great leaders out there it's unreal. Leaders that if you do something wrong will point it out to you and tell you what to do. Look at how many great players there are in the state and they are all great leaders as well. How can leaders be made by coaches when leaders are born, not made? Not everyone is a leader. Some people are born with it and some people aren't. Coaches can't make leaders. Coaches can make ball players but not leaders. Big difference.

#3, I blame you parents for the lack of coaching that coaches can do, not the kids. Kids may have the wrong attitude, but guess where they get it from, there parents. Kids believe what there parents tell them. If mommy or daddy tells there kid that they are the best player in the world and should be starting and getting all the shots and stuff, don't you think the player is going to think that? Therefore thinking that he/she is always right on the court and therefore not allowing the coach to coach.

FBinnd, you still haven't answered my question anywhere. I want a yes or no answer. Is it wrong for an athlete to leave a school that is not big on athletics for a school that produces ball players and good teams?

Agree w/Baller.  I know there have been many kids out there that have seriously considered transferring, but when it came down to doing it, they didn't.  Why?  for different reasons I'm sure.  Just like the players we've talked about on this site that DID decide to transfer. 

When talking about leaders, i think some of these players that transferred to another school have to be considered leaders.  I know a few of you won't agree w/ me on this.  Why should they be considered leaders?  put yourself in their shoes, think back to the days when you were in high school & imagine yourself transferring to the rival school down the road somewhere.  What would your friends think if you just left?  how would they treat you?  What would your parents' friends & neighbors be saying?  I know I would have had to think long & hard before I had done something like that.

But if transferring puts you in a better situation academically &/or athletically, playing with players that want to win, want to practice, want to attend camps, etc.  You only go thru high school once, & these kids are trying to make the most of it.  In the cases that I've heard from the source, the reasons have been legit & I don't have a problem with it.

Does there need to be a participation penalty for transferring?  Yes, just to make sure that kids are transferring for good reason, & if they want to transfer bad enough, they'll accept the penalty for doing it. 

[cdub1]

fbinnd what about sports scholarships people will disagree with me on my opinion that if you go to a school that is more widely known more people will know about you now the kid gettin 30 a game everybody is gonna know about but what about the player gettin 15-18 a game where they are good enough to help out a college team and have money from them to go to school help with books so on and so forth that is the most common way sports help a north dakota athlete

also whichever one of you said that there are not schools for basketball explain OAK HILL ACADEMY to me and explain to me why it is accepted by the general public and even encouraged to transfer there

[luvmy3gbb1wr]

here, here, bravo, to fbinnd and momster too......oh by the way....kyle brandenburg transferred for one reason and one reason only.......to go to state and lamoure was the closest one with a chance.......and he was very vocal about it and pulled no punches when he was asked why....he even said that once bb season was over he was going to transfer back to edgeley to graduate with his class......at least he was honest.......but boy did that cause hard feelings back in his home town.....

[Mr. Me Too]

here, here, bravo, to fbinnd and momster too......oh by the way....kyle brandenburg transferred for one reason and one reason only.......to go to state and lamoure was the closest one with a chance.......and he was very vocal about it and pulled no punches when he was asked why....he even said that once bb season was over he was going to transfer back to edgeley to graduate with his class......at least he was honest.......but boy did that cause hard feelings back in his home town.....

Well thats not shaunna knife's case. . .