First of all, Kosmo wants to give well-deserved praise to longtime Auburn Hills Oakland Christian girls basketball coach Ed Mehlberg, who resigned last month after 23 successful years. He not only led the Lancers to a Class D state title in 1992, but molded countless kids into productive members of society.
Mehlberg was truly a legend in Kosmo's eyes, which is why the K-Man is kind of disgusted about what's taken place with the Oakland Christian girls basketball program.
The Lancers, always one of the state's best small-school programs, won't have a varsity team this year due to a lack of participation. There will be a JV team of freshman and sophomores.
Make no mistake about it, something here stinks. Of course, nobody at the school is in position to say so, which is understandable.
But none of this makes sense. Apparently, two of the team's best players decided to transfer during the summer thinking there were greener pastures elsewhere. Boy, what a great life lesson that is for kids.
When something isn't totally catered to you, then whine and quit and run away. I'm sure that philosophy will work in the real world for those individuals some day.
Yeah, forget just being humble and working harder without complaint. Supposedly that NEVER works (note sarcasm).
I guess those kids or their parents didn't notice the 20-plus years of Mehlberg impacting the lives of kids. Just ask all the countless alumns and former players who keep in touch with him.
Worse, it sounds like the administration sided with the whiny parents and players, not the coach who has been a fixture in the school and community for so long.
How can you not have a varsity team? What's Amber Alexander, a top senior player on the team, going to do now?
She's being punished for other kids and their parents deciding to essentially quit.
Alexander and other underclassmen can at least form a team and compete, but won't get the chance because of a few bad apples.
Yes, it would be difficult for freshman and sophomores to compete against juniors and seniors on other varsity teams, but think how much better those youngsters will be in a year or two competing against more mature players?
Instead, the administration is worried about fragile confidence for the underclassmen.
Forget the fact that a prominent senior has nowhere to play, a longtime coach has resigned and quitters have been rewarded knowing they're bigger than the program, because them leaving ended the program.
Kosmo guesses the school doesn't mind promoting these "life lessons." As long as confidence isn't shattered and a possible power struggle is won, it's OK.
The fact that these administrators call themselves educators for promoting this environment is unfathomable.