Rocky Mountain High School
Boys Basketball 2012-2013
Congratulations on being selected to be a part of the Rocky Mountain
High School Boys’ Basketball Program for the 2012-2013 season.
Being a part of the Lobo Basketball Program is a privilege and should be
regarded as such. As a member of this basketball program you have the
opportunity to be a part of something special and build relationships and
memories you will carry with you the rest of your life.
As a coaching staff, we strive to make the best decisions possible. In this
program the team comes before the individual. All of us sacrifice part of
ourselves for the betterment of the team. The name on the front of the
jersey is bigger than the name on the back. We constantly try to make
the best decision possible for the entire good of the TEAM. This means
individuals and their parents will not always understand executive
decisions made by the coaching staff. Please remember, we are looking
out for what we believe is best for the team not what is best for the
individual.
It truly does take a lot of people to make our entire program successful. If
we are going to be successful this season, it is going to take a lot of
commitment and sacrifice from everyone involved. We ask a lot from the
kids, as well as the parents, and in return, we hope they can experience
something they will remember for the rest of their lives. The players are
constantly asked to leave their “comfort zone” and be pushed to develop
their skills and teamwork to a higher level. This alone can be
tremendously stressful on our student athletes, but we feel as though the
outcome is worth the pursuit. We also ask your son(s) to adhere to strict
policies and guidelines that ordinary students at Rocky Mountain High
School do not have to follow. We ask them to do this because they are
not ordinary, and we want them to be the leaders of this school. We
feel that playing basketball at Rocky Mountain High School is an honor
and privilege, but it also carries tremendous responsibility as the
participants in our program are under great scrutiny by our normal
student body, players that did not make the team, parents, teachers, and
people in the community. That being said, supporting our program as
well as your son’s individual wants/desires is essential to the success of
this basketball program.
The primary goal of our coaching staff is to assist our student-athletes in
accomplishing the following:
1) To become better basketball players.
2) Learn life lessons that can be applied for the rest of their lives.
3) Develop into contributing members of society.
4) Learn that hard work, responsibility, dedication, determination, and
adherence to TEAM rules in a TEAM format will aid them throughout their lives.
5) Have a positive experience.
The Lobos boys’ basketball program is dedicated to educating young men to become not only
better basketball players, but also learn life lessons that will apply to all aspects of their
maturation and development into contributing members of society. We believe hard work,
responsibility for actions, dedication, determination, and adherence to rules in a team format
will aid this process.
Participation on this team is a privilege and should be regarded as such. There are no
guarantees for playing time, and each player’s actions, work ethic, and willingness to be
coachable will all be factors. Both players and parents need to understand that true growth is
developed through patience, perseverance, and the ability to handle the emotional and
physical ups and downs inherent in any activity or life experience.
Each player has decided to play basketball and has chosen to accept his position on the team as
well as the amount of time he gets to play. At no level is playing time guaranteed and ONLY the
coaches will decide playing time.
Placement of Players: Players will be placed on various teams for a variety of reasons at the
discretion of the coaching staff. Final decisions on the members of each team and the
placement of players on specific teams will be at the discretion of the coaching staff. The Head
Coach oversees the entire process with input from all staff and all decisions are subjective
based on the entire well being of the program as a whole. Each team will mirror the varsity in
it’s defensive and offense approach to the game.
Freshman Team: Coach Andy Crosby
-Freshman players may play at any level.
-The purpose of the freshman level is to create an environment where student-athletes
get exposure to basketball and all of the team concepts that team sports enjoy and at
the same time develop players for the next level.
-Skill development and competition will be the primary focus at this level.
-Not all players will receive equal playing time.
-High school basketball is highly competitive and a player must achieve a level of
proficiency in order to play.
Sophomore Team: Coach Steve Gutting
-Only freshman and sophomores can play on this team.
-The purpose of this team is to continue to develop student athletes to one day play at
the junior varsity and varsity levels.
-Skill development and competition will again be a primary focus at this level.
-Not all players will receive equal playing time.
Junior Varsity: Barry Sabas
-Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors can play on this team.
-Will practice and compete with the varsity team on a daily basis.
-Selected players can play on both the JV and varsity teams.
-No guarantee of playing time.
-The purpose of the JV team is to develop players for the varsity level and to win
basketball games.
Varsity Team: Head Coach-Jon Rakiecki
- Seniors are on the Varsity only
-There is no guarantee of playing time.
-The varsity level it is highly competitive and we are trying to win basketball games.
-We are competing to not only to win a conference championship, but the State
Championship as well.
-We are continually trying to improve as the season wears on and we want to be
playing at our highest level by the end of the season.
-Playing time will not be equal at the Varsity level and there is no guarantee of playing
time.
-Playing time is primarily based on each player’s ability to execute the details of their
assignment.
-The players that play the most have gained the coaching staff’s trust. This should be a
goal of each player in the program.
Parents: The coaches are exclusively responsible for offenses, defenses, personnel decisions,
and fundamental philosophies. If you are questioning what we are trying to do in front of your
son, you are putting him in a no-win situation. Please support your son and his efforts, but also
respect the coaches and what they are trying to accomplish. We all want the TEAM to be
successful, and the coaches are working their tails off to accomplish just that. Don’t set your
son back by degrading and questioning what the coaches are doing when your son gets home.
Support our entire efforts and know that we are doing what we were hired to do. I do not tell
you how to do your job, and I require the same respect from you. A coaching staff can easily
identify which parents are advocates for the program, their sons are coachable. The best thing
a parent can say to their son is, “play as hard as you can every day, and do whatever the coach
tells you to do, your opportunity will come.”
Parents will not be granted meetings to discuss playing time. There are two things our
coaching staff will not discuss with any parent at any time:
1. Playing time
2. Other players
Student Athletes Rules and Expectations: We expect all players to present themselves to the
school and community with respect and class. All of a player’s efforts are to be oriented for the
success of the team. Players and coaches pride themselves on being part of a team, any action
that takes away from the success of the team is not acceptable. Members of the Rocky
Mountain High school basketball program will follow these guidelines:
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Players will follow all rules of the student handbook and activity handbook.
Players are to give their best in school and on the basketball court.
Hand shake rule
Use of cigarettes tobacco, drugs, or alcohol is prohibited.
Protocol for player problems must be followed, see below.
Players will represent themselves, our program, their family, and Rocky Mountain High School
with proper respect at all times, even outside of school hours/functions.
On game days players will dress as a team.
Players will be on time for practices, games, and team meetings.
Players are to ride the bus home from away contests. Exceptions must be cleared with the coach
before hand.
Tuck in Rule: Practice and game jerseys must be tucked in at all times.
Players are to treat all players, coaches, and opponents with respect.
Attendance: See attendance policy below.
The protocol for possible problems/conflicts with each individual in our program is as follows:
1.) Players must address their individual coaches FIRST regarding any player issue. Coaches
will not talk to parents about a player issue unless the player has tried talking to the
coach individually first.
2.) If the player and coach cannot directly solve the issue, the player and his parents will be
asked to come in and discuss it further.
3.) If there is still a problem, player, parents, and entire coaching staff will meet.
4.) Lastly, if need be, the entire staff, activities director, and an administrator will sit down
with the player and parents to make sure the issue gets resolved in a respectful manner.
-Coaches will not meet with parents “in secret.” We are trying to stress
communication and its importance to our kids, and if parents are trying to set up
meetings with coaches without the player’s knowledge we are setting a bad
example. Again, players must meet individually with the coach first, and if that
doesn’t work, we will meet with the parents and the player. No sneaking behind
anyone’s back.
-Please refrain from trying to address the issue right before a game, during practice
time, or immediately after the game. We believe in the 24 hour rule. If you have a
problem after a game, wait at least 24 hours before trying to contact the coach.
Attendance:
1.) Missed practices are not tolerated. The success and moral of the team depends on everyone
being at every practice.
-The FIRST UNEXCUSED ABSENCE will result in a game suspension.
-The SECOND UNEXCUSED ABSENCE will result in being dismissed from the team.
Unexcused vs. Excused Absence
-Excused
-Pre-arranged with the coach
-Family emergencies (death, illnesses, etc)
-Any other issues that might apply at the coaching staff’s discretion
-Unexcused
-Injury
-Appointments (not communicate prior to the absence)
-Illness (not communicated )
-School work
PRACTICES: Basketball practices are closed to anyone not a part of the program. Parents,
grandparents, brothers, sisters, etc, are not allowed in the gym once practice begins. If you
remain in the gym, you will be respectfully asked to leave. Our practices are difficult and
players do not need to be distracted by people in the stands. Weight training will continue
throughout the season after practice to maintain their strength and prevent injury.
Accountability: If a player violates team rules and
expectations the consequences may include but are
not limited to: extra conditioning, playing time
reduction, suspension, or possibly expulsion from
the team, depending on the severity of the
problem.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Head Coach:
Jon Rakiecki
JV Coach:
Barry Sabas
Sophomore Coach: Steve Gutting
Freshman Coach:
Andy Crosby
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
*If you have read and understand all of the policies and procedures of the Torrington High
school boys basketball program and agree to adhere to them the student-athlete, guardian, and
coach must sign and date this document before the end of the first week of practice.
Student Athlete:_____________________________ Date:_________________________
Guardian:___________________________________ Date:_________________________
Coach:_____________________________________Date:__________________________