I knew it was going to be difficult to keep all of my players under control when the high school varsity team went to the basketball tournament last week.
I took three additional coaches and three parents to keep things under control.
Still half of our team ended up getting drunk on Friday night. I knocked on the doors for fifteen minutes before anyone answered. I was going to get the maid to open the room. The kids looked terrible. They had big bags under their eyes and they weren’t refreshed. They smelled of alcohol and beer. I didn’t have time to scold the boys, because we were running late. I gave them fifteen minutes to get ready and be downstairs in the lobby of the hotel. When Jack and Bill arrived, they no longer looked drunk, but they smelled like marijuana. The boys were laughing and giggling. My number one scoring player was too high to play in the tournament. I found recreational marijuana in the hotel room. I benched both boys and made them sit and watch the game. We lost badly in the first round and the boys had to carry that shame all the way home. I informed both parents that the kids were involved in illegal activities. Neither parent seemed surprised and one actually made a remark that it was just weed. I haven’t talked to the players about their behavior yet, because I honestly don’t know if I am going to keep them on the team. I can excuse a lot of teenage behavior, but their selfishness ruined the whole team’s chance at a trophy.