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Post by Hiesman84 on May 8, 2007 10:29:59 GMT -6
I need any info and/or opinions you guys might have about Roosevelt H.S. in Fresno, CA. A close friend is leaving his Head Coach position here in MI and is being offered the job out there. It is possible I could go with him, as several others are doing. But another Fresno HS coach has painted a pretty bleek picture of the opportunity (which we already knew for the most part).
Really looking for information on this schools situation and past program - buddy has already been out and visited the school and area, and we know what people "say" about the Fresno area in general - so really looking at Football Relevant info...
Thanks.
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Post by bulldog on May 8, 2007 17:57:06 GMT -6
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Post by fbairattack on May 8, 2007 23:07:47 GMT -6
I am in Bakersfield (for 3 more weeks anyway) and have been here for 10 years. I think I can honestly say Roosevelt is one of the worst football schools in the central section over that time. I believe they have won 2 games in the last 4 years and none last year... They play in a mid level league North Yosemite and I believe (not 100% sure) they would be D1 or D2 for playoffs (based on eligible enrollment from previous year). The Central Section is good football...not top but far from the bottom...I would put Central Section champs up against most any of the other sections but most years the Long Beach Polys and Orange Lutherans would probably be considered " better" (LA area or San Fran Area)... As far as the area of Fresno...Be prepared for HEAT...not MI heat with humidity and hot... but 100+ for most of the summer and fall (Bakersfield can be 110+ at that time) It is a desert after all  ... August practice is miserable most years...But.. Fresno does like football and most of the schools have good support for the programs... Coming from the Midwest you will probably be disappointed with the " love" of the game that some kids have or don't have I should say in the area of town it is in... Again not 100% sure but I think Roosevelt could be a whole lot better but the eligibility issues and discipline issues are going to be major hurdles to overcome... Just my observation and from reading the Fresno Bee |
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Post by poweriguy on May 8, 2007 23:34:57 GMT -6
fbairattack hit it pretty much on the head. The last time Roosevelt was good in football would be 60's earliy 70's .
Roosevelt would be a D2 school based on enrollment i believe. D1 being biggest, and D5 being smallest.
The school is made up of mostly hispanic and southeast asian kids. Quite a few of the kids are english as second language learners, so eligibility will be a major issue. Plus the school is located in a "rougher" part of town , so discipline is another issue to overcome.
The school is not all bad, they have a very good performing arts progamme there. So there are positives.
The thing is that they have been on the skids for a long long time. It's going to have to take an extra effort to just get competitive.
Best of luck on your decision.
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Post by Hiesman84 on May 9, 2007 6:27:33 GMT -6
Coaches,
Your messages are very helpful. You said it would take some extra effort...my question is, is that REALLY all it needs, effort and a unique approach? Let me explain.
Luke (my friend) visited over our spring break, so he's been there and seen what that area of Fresno is like. Part of the decision making process is this; I was part of a staff that took over a program (Blissfield, MI) with a 33-game losing streak and was in the playoffs in year 2 - the school had 25 years of "baseball first", poor coaching, and poor mental approach. Now, Luke sees what we did (he had some decent results taking over another similar school) and thinks "Why can't I do that at Roosevelt?".
So I ask you, CAN a turnaround actually happen at Roosevelt - Does it have a history of bad coaching or have great "program" guys gone there and failed?
I hate to even mention De La Salle, b/c they are just such an anomole, but, when i read that book last summer, I thought "OMG, Ladicour and my HC here at Blissfield are the same guy! We were using the BFS "BE AN 11" program to do the same thing, make the game about people rather than just FB and establish our desired mental approach". Like them, it was all about the mental approach to the program.
Nobody can be De La Salle and no one should try to be them, but, if you soften the schedule, change the attitude & work ethic, make the game about more that football alone, be a "Program" coach first and a "football" coach 2nd, and have 5-8 years worth of patience...is it possible to turn it around? Becasue the school is saying EVERYTHING you'd ever want to hear from a school who wants to fix things....
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Post by wingman on May 9, 2007 21:36:12 GMT -6
Sounds to me like you'd have nowhere to go but up. That's a lot easier than taking over a program that has always been successful. They should add the tule fog is an area feature. I think there was a 100+ car pileup a few years ago.
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bhb
Junior Member
Posts: 259
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Post by bhb on May 10, 2007 6:38:17 GMT -6
I have a buddy who coached there.. This guy had a pretty wild upbringing and has since gotten his life together and dedicated his life to helping troubled kids find some hope.. It seemed like the perfect fit for him..When he got there he was shocked at some of the things that he saw.. To make a long story short, and not throw stones at an entire school and community, he lasted 2 years.. There was so much to do that it was starting to ruin his marriage- it truly was a 24/7 job.. The biggest thing he had trouble dealing with was the drugs- he knew he had a drug problem in the school and on the team and if he were to deal with every kid that was known to be using in the same manner-(suspensions, excused from the team, etc.) they would have had to cancel the season , and maybe the football program entirely..
I will say this guy is a good coach, with great ideas on building the program up- there's just a lot of outside influence there..
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Post by bj88smc on May 10, 2007 18:17:23 GMT -6
Hi Coach, I'm from the Fresno area, played HS, JC ball in the area. Roosevelt has never been very good, .500 or less most of the time. They have produced several good players, I think Fresno States' MLB is from there, but not sure. Many of their kids go to the local JC and are good players. There is talent there. It is a low socio-economic area. They're about 2800 kids, 70% hispanic/latino. See their report card... www.fresno.k12.ca.us/ANNREPT/Roosevelt.pdf I do believe that it could be a diamond in the rough. It would take a lot of work. Don't worry about the heat! Since I've moved to FLA, those summers in the Valley are missed. Come it, clean house, lay down expectations, build it. Make sure the admin is 100% on your side and fully support you cause you're going to need to be able to get coaches on staff to monitor your kids. Edison has been great for the past several years since McDonald took over, but they weren't that great before. You'll have similar types of kids. The league Roosevelt is in is OK. No real powerhouse teams. All solid however. They were 0-10, you have no where to go but up. Good Luck! Also, FYI another position just opened up... www.fresnobee.com/362/story/46570.html |
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Post by poweriguy on May 10, 2007 22:06:18 GMT -6
I was going to post about the Clovis West job that just opened up, but I see I was beaten to it.  Now that would be a heck of a job! Talk to your bud and see if he might want to look into the application process. www.clovisusd.k12.ca.us/cwhs/ |
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Post by fbairattack on May 10, 2007 22:10:19 GMT -6
Don't worry about the heat! Since I've moved to FLA, those summers in the Valley are missed.bj88smc you are kidding right?  100-110+ for pretty much all of June, July, and August?!?! Humidity does suck in Florida but I'll take a breeze (not a Hurricane) over sucking in hot dust all day. I will say this good thing for the summers here..Its so hot the mosquitos cant survive.... "I am just kidding around with ya bj88"
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Post by Hiesman84 on May 11, 2007 8:50:47 GMT -6
Yes, program & population info, this is what i'm looking for, thanks guys, you're doing great, please keep it up!
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Post by bj88smc on May 12, 2007 14:10:15 GMT -6
Agree with Power I...
If you were going to rank those jobs...
1) Clovis West
2) Every other school in Fresno/Clovis area
CW has been an elite program in the valley for years.
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Post by coachcb on May 12, 2007 16:11:15 GMT -6
Here's the way I figure it-
1.If they've been a terrible program, any improvement in will make a big difference. If they've had a few 0-10 seasons, even getting them 2-3 wins will be a huge boost. Good coaching and sound philosophy can take a sh-tty team and get them a couple wins within the first year or so.
2. If you're hired, chances are that you'll be able to do things your way when it comes to the administration. If the administration makes your life difficult, politely point out that it their way of doing things hasn't done much for the program.
3. If you can improve this program at all, it'll look great on your resume.
4. You'll get to learn something about yourself as a coach in this situation. You'll figure out what you're made of, working with a group like this..
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... August practice is miserable most years...But..
