School's Athletes Won't Play bc of Other Sports

It sounds like the main problem is they have no confidence that the team will succeed and they don't want to play on a losing team. That is the issue you need to address, not bonding and paying for their jerseys. I'd try to find a way to sell them on the idea that you have the answer to turn the program around but you are missing a key piece...them! It may take a season or two of results on the field to make your case. That's the route I'd take, recruit them.

See if there's a way you, the head bball coach, and head baseball coach can buy in and work out a way where the workout days/times do not conflict as well as having a get together to show that being together and mixing sports isn't bad at all.

Our HC and the others highly encourage our players to do something else, don't be specialized. Obviously we don't get as many kids as we want who are darn good athletes playing only baseball or basketball, but it helps knowing that the other coaches encourage these kids to do more.

Yes recruit them but those events jerseys 7 on 7 are recruiting events. The kids you have will have to be your ambassadors as others have stated. They will come eventually bid you are doing something right. I'm at a basketball school too and we like having the bench guys and roll players from the hoop squad. What we have found is that if a few of those guys do well in football then it helps the cause. It tells all of the other guys that they could do well or start in another sport. Most of them were the dominant player in grade school band by varsity only 2 or 3 of them really develop as basketball players. They figure it out on their own. Then if they do get on the football team they figure out a fast real without having to dribble and a 54 yard field is a lot easier to score than an 18 inch hoop.

You are doing the right stuff. You have to compete with AAU and baseball so gear and trips are important.

No it is not the end all be all to do those things but you have to create a culture of success. Part of that is doing the things that successful or perceived to be successful programs are doing. If you look at what people in any program need to feel actualized part of the pyramid is going to be providing them with the things and opportunities to be successful. It will take more than that but it's part of it. And if you are competing with AAU trips to Vegas or New York then you are going to have to provide some opportunities to some scale. We only go to the major Universities for 7 on 7 bc of that. We only go where kids will see big stadiums see high caliber players working out and compete against players that are getting recruited by those universities. Why bc AAU has built a perception that they can make you visible and provide opportunities to play against top notch competition. We are trying to out recruit against that.

You have to give them something if you aren't winning yet. The winning takes a while. But if you are doing things right the winning will come and then the kids will come. It's easy to say just win but how do you get there? Successful programs are always doing things to keep kids excited and interested and to make them feel like the program is a big deal.

The fact that the OP is in a school with successful cultures the kids are going to know the difference. You aren't going to be able to BS them. You are going to have to compete for their time. You are doing the right stuff. Just know it will take a while. Both programs I have been at that it did it it took 3 years for a real noticeable difference and about 5 before we had it rolling. Keep doing the surface stuff and keep building relationships.

Yeah I agree with this. I hope I didn't come across as suggesting you bs them. Always be honest, but if I want these kids to come out, it's for a reason. Because I think they are going to help us succeed. Like you said, I think is ultimately going to take a while and building meaningful relationships is the key.

Win with the players you have and others will start coming out in the future.

Don't worry about getting all of them, focus on getting one or two. Ask they bench kids who they think, is the closest to playing. I would go for the 6th man, he is the kid that needs something "new" to get on the floor.

I really agree with this. Last season we had only 2 seniors and only 5 freshmen. Made for a small team of 26. Weve had success with small teams before, however we suffered little injury those seasons. in 2014 at some points we had 6-10 kids out basically the entire season. We barely made it through the season. I told myself that would never happen to us again. In Oct I went to our middle school and met with the 8th grade boys as a group. I pretty much just tried to sell them on every reason they need to play football and dispelled and myths that basketball only players had about playing football. After I spoke to them I answered any questions they had and then had a sign up. We had around 30 sign up. I then took that list and every week during the off season I had our letterscurrent high school players write letters to those boys who signed up. We would take an 8x11 piece of paper and fold it in half. the high schooler would write on one side of the fold encouraging the kid to come out and play and I would write on the other. We would rotate the list so our players could write to different kids each week. Some weeks I would print pics of game photos of previous seasons and write a short message on it to the. I even got a former player who is on an SEC team to write them one week. Heck, I even had cheerleaders write them for a few weeks. It was time consuming by the time I wrote my piece on the letters and proof read what our players wrote but its been worth it. We also met with all the boys in our school in november and had a similar talk about why they shoul play football and let them ask questions. we are now working out with 56 players, more than ive ever had in my 5 years as hc. The last biggest team I had was 38. So its been quite a jump. I just think you need to hit up these jr high kids in any way you can. make them feel like they are a part of the team before they are even on the team.

I inherited a situation very similar to the OP. The above posts are bang on. You will very rarely change the mind of a Sophmore, Junior or Senior player. Focus your attention, time and resources on recruiting freshman, and middle school athletes if possible. Build the program from it's base up.

I'd be willing to bet that your successful basketball program plays a major role in athlete development for your freshman and/or middle school programs.  Follow their lead.

Grab on to those couple of bench players and any starters that want to play and get those cats lifting and getting stronger. When the ones that are the specialist start getting pushed around on the court and the pitch hitters start hitting some bombs, the others will take notice.

Plus make sure those cats also see the 'scrubs' having a good time on the gridiron

Most, actually something like 98%, of high school football players have no future in football so I don't understand your aau comment. You can say that about any high school or aau sport.

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There are a lot of 5'10" point guards and 6'2" power forwards who could get scholarships as corners or linebackers. 

It's true and the odds are against any kid who's looking for a schollie but The kids I described have a better chance at one in football than one in basketball. Of course, playing a sport only in hopes of getting a scholarship is a bad idea. However, if a kid likes football but is staying back in hopes of a basketball schollie that's a bad idea too. 

they don't get football scholarships, the scouts don't come looking for you, but that doesn't rule out the kid playing college and getting a free education. Their grants and stipends and other scholarships out there. The problem with all of that is you have to find it because Georgia and usc are not knocking on the door.