Student Athlete Transfers

By Sam Little
samlittle39@yahoo.com

I'd like to take a little time to talk about student athlete transfers. I've never been a big supporter of student athletes transferring to another school outside of their regular district just to participate in high school sports  especially, if the parents are the ones pushing the student athlete to do so. 

I talk to a lot of parents throughout the season and during our conversations find out that their child was in the Akins district but transferred to Bowie or was at Connolly last year and at Pflugerville this year.

Why I ask? and here are some of the answers I get.

• Well we didn't like the Coach
• We didn't like the type of offense they ran
• My son would have a better chance of starting at this school
• He just didn't get along with any of the kids at the school

First I have to ask what was it about he coach you didn't like. Was it that he didn't play your child as much as you thought your child should play.  What offense would you like the team to run, one that will benefit your son's abilities. Why didn't your son start at his other school, was that maybe the other players were better and he was going to have to work harder at getting a starting position.  Finally, how was it that for so many years elementary and middle school your son had no problem making friends, now in high school still with many of the same kids he's having trouble.

The reality of student athlete transfers is that kids and parents want to find a program that their child will excel in and possibly be seen by college scouts.  

Is there anything wrong with that? Well lets see. 

First your child leaves behind many of the friends that he has made through elementary and middle school, and now has to make friends with other athletes that have played against him and may or may not like him.

Second, if your child comes in as a sophomore or junior he could possibly take a position that another athlete has been working hard to get for the past one or two years and your child gets it without having to make an effort. An effort that he refused to make at his other school. 

I see to many student athletes transfers that don't have the same type of pride that the other athletes have about being an Eagle, Lion, Crusader, Hippo etc. They are there to "get theirs" and nothing else matters.  In my day you were proud to represent your school and you knew the school song by heart. In fact I could recite mine right know if I had to. When you played that last game as a senior it was a sad and very emotional ending because you knew that you were no longer going to be part of that team.

Almost 30 years later I still get together with my old teammates and talk about the good old days as if they happened last week.  Why?  Because those are my friends, I knew them in elementary school, through middle school and we all moved on to the same high school in our district. We worked hard and while we didn't always like the coach, the type of offense or weren't part of the starting line up we were friends. If we wanted a starting slot we busted our bottoms to get it, even if it ment taking it from your best friend. We didn't go around looking for a school that needed a shooting guard, or a 6'6" forward and get in line early the next year to get that transfer so we could get playing time or college scouts to look at us.

I know many student athletes today, that play for one school but don't do anything outside of school with those teammates. They spend all of their off time with friends from their neighborhood and from the school that they left behind.

If we could make it at our school we knew we were going to get looked at we didn't have to transfer from a 5A to a 4A or from a public to a private school we stayed with our friends because that's were we wanted to be.  Some of us went on to play college and professional sports and some of us are now lawyers, doctors, and business owners. In the end we all became what we wanted to become and through 30 years we are still friends.

If you are a student athlete transfer what friends will you have in 30 years?  Who will you sit with and talk about the close game you lost at the buzzer or the game where you dislocated your shoulder and were carried off the court by your best friend? The teammates you knew for only 3 or 4 years or the friends you've know since elementary and middle school. Will you even make an effort to go to your teams 30 year reunion?

If you are thinking about transfering next year take some time to think about these things if you have talent it will show, and you will get the looks you want to get from college scouts. You don't have to leave your friends to make it, in fact your friends might be there to help you.

Remember some of the greatest basketball players in the NBA didn't make varsity as a freshman or sophomore or even started at the beginning of their first varsity season. But when they got the chance they stepped up worked harder than everyone else and made it.

Good luck