I applaud these parents for having the kahunas to come forward & stand up to the political pressure.This has been a not so silent problem for at least the last 10 years.I personally had a child on the team way back when & have known many other kids whose love of basketball & self esteem plummeted under the direction of Joe Lynch & some others in his tyranny. Many,as in this article gave up the sport entirely in high school due to this. It's very sad because all they wanted to do was play a sport they loved. All we hear about is how bad teens are these days & here are teens that want to be involved in what should be a positive character building activity & they are mistreated. I personally watched that game & saw Jimmy Metrakos get grabbed by that coach. I also saw his dad have immedaite words with the coach after the game because that coach was out of line. I applaud his dad for standing up for his son because not many parents would just because they are cowards & do not want to rock the boat. So, the abusive verbal & physical behavior continued for years & years. Paul Moses replaced Joe as athletic director & does not have the backbone to stand up to what has been going on in the Strongsville athletic department in this or other sports. He has had many many parents come to him since Joe vacated the position of AD,who is whom the coaches report to-they thought they might finally have a voice to end this-and what did he do-HE IGNORED THEM.I know our new super. won't.

The previous comment his absolutely ridiculous. Grow up and learn how to handle criticism and don't blame the coach for your child being a little baby. it's high school sports, parents and politics should have no say in the hiring and firing of the coaches.

Kids are too soft in strongsville now a days.

Beverly,

I'd love to talk to you about your thoughts. I played 4 years for Coach Lynch then 4 years for one of the most successful college basketball coaches in the country. I can promise you that Coach Lynch is nowhere near as tough as a coach compared to a college coach. And I think we need to remember that Coach Lynch is first and foremost an educator. He teaches his players values about toughness and hard work. Isn't this what you want your son to learn from a coach?

Just this morning, I've reached out to literally dozens of former Strongsville players, every single one of which is voicing their support of Coach. I can promise you that we're going to do whatever we can to help coach keep his job.

Maybe its time for Strongsville kids and parents to toughen up a little bit instead of running away at the first sign of adversity.

Matt Fegan

I've heard these similar parental complaints for years. it sounds like some unhappy parents based on their child's playing time. I've know Coach Lynch for years. He is not only an excellent coach but he is also one of the finest role models you would ever want in athletics.

Hahahahaa this is so funny. I'm ashamed to live in a
City where kids complain about things like these. Are you 12 or 18? Grow the F*** up. Wow this city is full of wimps with the parents trying to blame a great coach. I almost puked when I read this article. You guys should all
Be ashamed. Bunch of little girls out there

If anybody hasnt noticed. The only Parents crying are the ones whose kids didn't get that much playing time. Sorry they suck. You guys are an embarrassment to this city. I'm appalled

This is ridiculous! This article makes me literally sick...I went to strongsville highschool and no I did not play basketball so I am NOT biased. Kudos to you Matt fegan I truly hope you do everything you can to save coaches job and reputation. And for these parents who are crying because their kid got rough housed a little bit, it's sports! Are you kidding me? They aren't five, although its not college ball its one step below it, MOST or all of the boys on that team are playing competitively not just for fun, and to win games and titles it is imperative that the coach implement the "tough love" approach to his strategy or he will have a bunch of soft spineless players or aren't going to win anything. I know that a good portion of those players would LOVE sports scholarships....and being on a team that wins and has a coach that pushes his players to be the best they can be (whatever his approach) is important for the possibility of receiving one. So to those boys whose parents are complaining because they can't take the heat, maybe you should have considered show choir as your hobby. And you should be embarrassed that mommy and daddy are complaining for you about being "bullied" and to the parents, pat yourself on the back, your children are going to be bullied 100 times worse now that you have decided to be "brave" and try to get a great man fired. About 70% of SHS will back coach and turn against your kids. Good parenting.

Wrong-O "Money Mo"-are u the same "Mo" that dates Joe? that would explain alot. This is not about playing time-many of these parent's who went to the board don't have kids that play anymore,some whose kids never played.Have you been to a Strongsville basketball game in the last year or 2.You are lucky if you see Lynch even get up out f his seat for anything good or bad-he just doesn;t care anymore-he's been complacent for years & it shows in how the program has gone downhill & the kids don't even want to play for the school anymore.What used to be a coveted spot to play on the basketball team is no longer-it is such a negative atmosphere all the way around. It's like a dirty diaper -when something's gotten that bad & stinks so much,it's time to change it. I'm sure all of Joes croney's will come on here & support their friend,but the facts will speak for themselves-I hope you are all still around for him then,because that's when he'll really need you-I wonder where you will be then.

Idk who Joe is personally, i tried out for the team in 2009 and didnt make it. I graduated in 2010, and I personally think you parents should be ashamed of yourselves. How can you try to end such a great tenure? This guy didnt rape little kids like Penn State. He has helped numerous individuals like my friend who played on the team awhile ago and struggled with drug abuse. So honestly, all you people and go screw yourselves and suck up your pride.
You guys don't know shit. If you can't handle a coach in your face, don't play sports. Go have your parents cry about it, 0h wait..

Th only reason Coach Lynch is still coaching is becasue of the kids. For him it has always been about the kids & there are plenty of former Chanel & Strongsville players that will tell you that he not only molded them as players but as the men they are today. The truth will come out & you will find out that those making these allegations are nothing more than individuals with no heart, no talent & no respect.

& Beverly shame on you for even uttering Coach Lynch's name in the same sentence with Jerry Sandusky - not even in the same ballpark & you should be ashamed.

For those of you leaving comments such as "the kids are babies", "the parents need to let the coaches coach", etc, I have a question. When IS it OK for the parents to speak up? Beverly brought up the Penn State situation, and while that is an extreme example of what can happen when adults decide it is best to remain silent, it brings up an interesting question. Is verbal abuse (if that is truly going on) OK just because "my coach used to call me a bad name 30 years ago"?

What is OK and what isn't? Do kids need to be physically struck or worse before it's ok to ask the AD to do something about it? Are Strongsville kids truly "soft" if they don't feel like being called names? Does this make them less "manly"? Are those that have played for HS and college teams and gone through verbal abuse and worse truly better for it? If so, perhaps we should insist that our HS coaches use a minimum amount of profanity and demeaning comments directed at our kids during practices and games. After all, that'll put hair on their chests, no?

Keep crying. You guys are probably in your 40s and crying over a coach calling a kid a name or two. Its sports you idiots. You clearly have never played on a team. In strongsville, expectations are a bit higher than the suburbs around us. Everyone expects us to win. They have been awful the passed year and with the current team. The players just aren't good and nobody is use to losing like this. They are small, and clearly very weak minded. Or else the parents wouldn't be commenting on stuff like this. You parents are jokes. And stop bringing up Penn State, are you F****** kidding me?!?!?!?!? You're putting Penn State in the same sentence as strongsville. You guys are ridiculous and an embarrassment.

Joke,

That is an extremely impassioned plea for the status quo, but does not even remotely answer my question, so I'll ask it again. If parents are not supposed to speak out over this, is there a time when they are? What is the line that shouldn't be crossed by coaches? No one is putting Strongsville basketball in the same breath as what happened in Happy Valley. You are the only one doing that. I was using that as an E-X-T-R-E-M-E example of what happens when adults do not feel like they can speak up.

My question comes from surprise that so many seem to be arguing that verbal abuse is OK rather than the argument that Coach Lynch does not verbally abuse his players. In fact, if I am not mistaken NOT ONE comment on here has come to his defense saying that he DOES NOT verbally abuse his players. The defense has been that it is OK to call kids vulgar names and that S'ville parents and players should "toughen up". That's a valid argument I suppose, but I do find it interesting.

And what about the entitled attitude of these kids. From what I hear the obscenities coming out of their mouths directed at the coaches would make a sailor blush. Bet the parents won't complain about that though because their son can do no wrong in their eyes.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Mr Metrokas had a complaint in the article about Lynch. I am actually friends with his son Jimmy, and Jimmy has personally told me what he has said to Mr Lynch in an argument. Do you really want me to say what he said over the Internet? Every coach does this, it's not verbal abuse. So tell you're children to sign up for ladies volleyball instead of boys varsity basketball. Lynch is a great person. You parents make me sick

Parent John Psellas can now pay for his kids entire tuition to sensitive U

Concerned the Board is investigating because they have to & should address any concerns when children are involved, but keep in mind that Coach Lynch has yet to have a chance to respond because he hasn't meet with school administrators yet. He's been an educator & coach for 50+ years with an unblemished record & the accusations are just that - accusations. Right now we're only hearing one side of the story, let's not all jump the gun until we have all the facts.

Just another example of double-dippin' incompetents.
This guy has seemed immune from all criticism, even in the years that he was running the entire athletic program.

There's the rail Run him out of town.

I've bumped my gums a few times at this article.

These comments really tickled my rib cage

I've gotta make a profit

I'm a Governor.

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@ALL
This is the biggest girly whine fest ever. Your really telling me some dumb basketball coach is going to mold you or ruin your self-esteem?? You all have serious issues if you believe a HIGHSCHOOL BASKETBALL COACH has any bearing on your life. GROW UP!! Why don't the students and parents worry about something more important like, say, EDUCATION! (Thanks grammar Nazi:))

Sam M
Your Probably Soft Just Like Your Son!!

This is Jimmy Metrakos for all you people who like to hide behind usernames. My first statement addresses the point that was made that someone commenting is my friend. If you were my friend you would know the circumstances i was in two years ago and would know a lot more information which i will generously share with you in about 5 sentences. So for that my friend you are ignorant. Yes I had a little attitude problem. Yes i maybe did use vulgar language. Yes I didn't get playing time since 9th grade. Yes I let Joe know everything that is wrong with him and his program in the locker room. Did Joe ever even once talk to my father or even try to approach him after the confrontation on the court? No. Three seconds left, im in for scrub time. I get hacked at half court but we are up by 25 points so naturally there is no call and the kid goes in
for a layup in which not one person on my team even attempted to run back on defense. The referee and I shared a smile and thats when Joe screams my name for everyone to hear. I used a profane slur which i know is not right in highschool but ive also seen are star players say a lot worse things. Biggie ran onto the court and no did not manhandle me but grabbed me by the back of the neck like a father would put his hands on his son.

He repeatedly said to apologize to Joe for the slur only for me to tell him to get his hands off me. Takes his hands of me after i say it for a 3rd time then we proceed to the locker room where Joe says "I hope you enjoyed your time on this team." I then proceeded to go on with my "verbal attacks" on Joe. After the tempers had cooled down I went to my locker by myself to pack. This is where Joe goes out of his way during the team huddle to look at me and say "thanks for ruining this Jim." Surprised he didn't call me old man jim because that was his nickname for me due to my slow playing pace. This is where I cannot repeat anything i said due to the profanity. The funny thing was that my dad was well on his way home already and Joe never left the locker room until we went on the bus. Joe scurries off the bus to avoid me and as hes walking to his car and will not even turn back to talk to me and only proceeds to say have the AD schedule a meeting with your father. I love my father but i do not need him to handle situations i put myself. I handled myself like a man while Joe acted like a little kid. Coach Biggie then asked me to come inside with him to discuss the incident. THIS is why i refer to him as a coach, someone who is supposed to teach you.

We sat in his office for 45 minutes and left as friends even after what he did because we both LEARNED things. Joe did not learn anything from that incident and still treats kids, yes kids because they are still in high school the same. That my friend my story i gloated around the whole school. You must have been absent.

I feel a need to express my opinion on the recent allegations from a select few--concerned parents regarding head basketball coach Joe Lynch.
I had to pleasure and honor to be a small part of the SHS basketball program as a volunteer for 10 years at the ninth grade level. I have known Joe for a long time and know he is one of the most respected individuals as a person and coach by thousands of people in northeast Ohio.
Coaching young kids is not an easy thing.  They need motivation and the will to work harder than the next player to get the best out of their ability. It's hard to get a player to understand what he has to do to succeed, and even harder when his abilities are held at a higher measure in his mind and those of his parents.
Looking back, I have seen the results of the leadership and mentoring of Coach  Lynch with 100 of kids that continued on as great citizens as well as continuing their college basketball careers. Each of these young men may have experienced a coaching opportunity with his coach at some point, but they continued on to do their best with the encouragement of those outside the program.
The word abuse is a strong word, but if it means we are trying to get the best out of our children and our players, then we may all be guilty. My hope for this situation is for everyone involved to do some soul searching, and not point their fingers in the wrong direction.  Take a look in the mirror and start there.

Herb Pauly

Brain Blast!

Who cares strongsville basketball is garbage, the program is weak the kids don't do any conditioning or weight lifting, they need new younger coaches in there to motivate the kids and maybe switch from the flex offense that lynch has been running since he came to strongsville, that every Oppent knows where running, lynch needs to go he has no idea what's he talking about anymore, he coaching style is out of date and you wont have another winning season until lynch is gone #coachlip

Lord help these kids if they decided to join the military! Although from what it sounds like, that may be the best thing for them. The coach sounds like someone I would like to have as a role model for my boys.

if a change truly needs to be made, which for the record i do not think so! then i would look at the freshman and jv coach. 2 younger guys that from my dealings with the program the kids like. however, coach lynch should stay. just my 2 cents.

I agree with alot of these comments. Kids are babied by their parents especially in strongsville. Everyone is entitled to something because they believe they have money or whatever. Life is about a being broken down and than working harder. I bet this kid wasnt starting so whined to his parents like every other spoiled punk that lives in strongsville now. I went to strongsville about 10 years ago and in the short time since i left the kids have no respect and every little problem they wanna run to mommy and daddy and want to sue. Suck it up your almost an adult.

OH and ps parents stop calling the AD everytime your kid doesnt play...if he was good enough he would

Wow. What a joke. I went to a private school and went through the same thing, because I had a bad attitude. Sure I thought I was being picked on by the coaches at the time, but I later realized my attitude was the problem. Maybe you should teach your kids why things happen instead of making excuses for them.

Coaches are just so MEAN ): they made my son duck tape a basketball to his hand for a WEEK cuz he had "bad hands like a Bi*ch" said Joe.

I happen to know many kids that left the program after their freshman year. None of them said it was because of lynch and lynch wasn't even there coach some kids leave because they wanna play other sports and specialize in 1 sport

I was lucky enough to play two sports for Joe Lynch at Chanel High school in the late 70`s. Then played in college and in the pros for three years. Coach Lynch is a AWESOME coach. The finest I`ve ever played under and I`ve played for quite a few.
But more than a coach he is a better man,educator,parent and man of God. If you have never been yelled at you haven`t been coached!!

This is going on with the SHS girls also starting from middle school up. I can't comment on Center nor am I speaking about the amout of playing time either. Parents went to the athletic director but nothing was done. I know of girls who switched sports or aren't playing at all anymore because of the basketball coachs and aggresive atmosphere. Just go to the tryouts and you will see.

Beverly you sound very much like someone with and ax to grind a very angry person. I wonder what has made it so personal with yoi? Did your son not get playing time? You seem to know alot about thd goings on with the program and how the/,ikids feel. I know many of the kids that have played over the years, that have droped out of the program. And if we took a poll of kids that left I think you would be hard pressed to find any of them saying it was because of lynch. None of them played for him , I think you may find the kids that left are on the football field. Most will tell you that. 2 sports was just 2 hard. I have heard just as many complaints about the football coaches girls coaches. Whatever your motavation is beverly to compare him to a child rapist shows your true colors and just how angry and personal this is for you

Reason-Not that I need to again explain to someone as ignorant as you,but for your small brain I will repeat :-If you read what I wrote above you would see that I was not accusing Lynch of anything like the Penn State abuse & I clarified that a few times. I was merely drawing parallels in sports programs where people idolize coaches & accept bad behavior because they lose sight of all reason and get caught up in a culture that is about winning AT ANY COST,as Penn State did. I'm not certain of everything that some here are saying,but I'm sure the facts will come out & people can all have their own opinions again.There are obviously people from further back than 3 years ago who had good experiences with Coach Lynch & want to defend him because THEIR experience was positive. People change-they lose passion for what they are doing & become jaded-if you've seen any games the last 2 years in particular you would recognize this. Tolstoy 's comments are verbatim what we all KNOW-this program has a problem-exactly who & what it is remains to be determined,but a definite change is needed and I think most people agree w/Tolstoy on that. And for the record-my son played plenty,just didn't like the politics among the kids & parents- it was not even about the coaches,who in 9th grade at the time were awesome volunteer coaches back then. I've just seen alot of negativity in the last few years that makes me sad for kids who do love basketball. Some send their kids to private school like u

My son played for lynch he was not a starter did not get much playing time but knew his role be ready to play and help the starters be better players. I never felt nor did he feel abused i think your use of the word abused is over kill if your son is not playing or has never played then your talking out of your ___. I bet a paycheck that your son did not get the playing time you thi k he should have got and that's why its so personal with you Beverly your very transparent

So thats it, he dident like the politics of the awsome volenteer coaches or his team mates. Now we know your motivation and where your anger comes from, no man and a crybaby son.

Beverly i am fine with my son and what his role was. He loved the game and he did not quit because of the other boys or politics or bullies. He did not move on he can hold his head up high and say he was a member of a winning program. All that you can say is I am alone and angry and I will vote obama again.

Beverly aka John i figured it out . And u call yourself a coach.Great role model.

Great point but was hidden way above

Player Dad

6:29 pm on Thursday, August 23, 2012

Beverly. My son very recently played for 4 years for Joe Lynch. I was at every scrimmage, pre-season, season, and playoff game minus 2 or 3 over those 4 years. I also travelled with the team to Florida for a Holiday tournament and showed up for many, many practices. During those 4 years, I saw NOTHING of the things you mention. Was he tough? Did he get in kids' faces? Did he yell and scream? Yes. He did. This is not 2nd grade basketball. It's competitive high school ball where kids need to grow up and realize its no longer "just for fun". Is Joe Lynch perfect? No. Are you? I doubt it. Did Joe Lynch make a huge mistake and grab a kid? I have no clue. I wasnt there. However, the complaining about "....abusive verbal & physical behavior continued for years & years" is nothing short of you throwing the guy under a bus with zero merit. You sound like a typical, spoiled, pampered, "don't rock my boat" Strongsville parent which is pathetic. You seriously need to find a better use of your time rather than attempt to throw a guy under a bus with comments that in all likelyhood you only "heard" thru gossip rather than actually witnessing such. And by the way, I am NOT one of Joe Lynch's "cronies" as you refer in a different post. I am simply a Dad who watched very, very closely and saw first hand, for four years, what exactly was and wasnt going on.

good man bad coach. no reason with the talent in strongsville that they shouldnt be a top 10 team every season. he plays way to much favortism to certain players, and he restricts other players and what they can do, so that his favorite players benefit the most. i have seen 3 different teams that should have went alot further in the playoffs then they did (2 of the teams might have even been good enough to go to states), due to him refusing to play certain players because it would take away time from his select 2 or 3. and if you dont pay the money to play in his camps and summer leagues, dont even bother trying out because you wont stand a chance to make the team. dont dishonor this man though and try to fire him based on these embelished stories of abuse, or because your kid didnt get to play. chances are your kid wasnt very good, but you had the money to get him on the team, and if a player cant handle a little criticism you shouldnt play to begin with. fire him because he no longer seems to have the ability/will to coach, evaluate talent, and win games. thats why he needs to go. and when he goes, get rid of everyone and start fresh, keep no one on board. especially assistant coach stephen, god forbid he is even considered a canidate to replace him. he is possibly the worst coach ever with absolutely 0 basketball IQ. the man is a total idiot and will completely ruin strongsville basketball, if hes your second option to replace lynch, youre better off keeping him.

Speaking of coaches who probably ought to pack it in, what's the deal with Russ Jacques and the football Mustangs? They were completely destroyed last night by Lake Catholic were picked by the PD sportswriters to finish last in their division. With the enrollment numbers at SHS, it's hard to believe the teams keep becoming less competitive. I'm no football expert, but from what I've seen it appears that Coach Jacques tries to mold to players to fit his antiquated system, rather than modifying his coaching style around the players' collective strengths and talents.

Bryan. Your comments about a couple of recent basketball teams not going as far in the playoffs as they should have is true, however, your rationale as to why they did not is ridiculous. They didn't go as far as they should have because of strategy as well the the kids "thinking" they were better than they were. Simply put, they took the opponent for granted and sleep walked thru games they should have won. i never saw Joe Lynch play favorites, rather, he simply played the kids who gave the team the best chance to win, or, he played the kids who were not being disciplined (for whatever reason). Favorites? Very, very untrue. To say he played favorites is assinine and totally wrong. Also, the idea that a kid would never make the team unless he played in a summer camp? Really? Again. That's a totally assinine and moronic statement to make. Again. I'm NOT one of Joe's "cronies" as another poster called certain people. I'm simply a person who watched very closely what transpired the 4 years my son played. To say things about a man just to pile on is simply wrong. So don't do it unless you have absolute facts to back what you are saying.

I've let this subject cool down over the last few days because i was hesitant in commenting, but I now want to add my two cents to the conversation about Coach Lynch. I have heard through the grapevine that he was a very good basketball player as a young man. I have heard he was a great coach, and it is evident in him exceeding 500 wins which is a great accomplishment and I applaud him for that. He's had quite an accomplished sports career. The question is whether it's time for him to move on or not. I am not going to comment on the aggressive language used with the players, as was presented in front of the school board. I really wish that those people who spoke to the board would have taken more of an angle of what I am going to say here in this posting. It's actually quite bothersome that the people who brought this issue to the school board hung their hat on abusive language. For heaven's sake, football coaches speak worse to kids multiple times over than any basketball coach. This is not the problem that I would've presented to the school board, but more of a fundamental problem that I'll discuss in more detail below. What I am going to comment on is something that Paul Moses and the school board should consider. Has Coach Lynch lost the zeal and excitement to coach at a high level? Are fundamentals being taught and are the boys playing as well as they could play? I know Coach has positively influenced many young men's lives and for that he's to be commended. But....

But has he lost his passion and fight is the question. For example, the end of the Solon game why did it look like there was no inbound play on three consecutive plays? Was the play a horribly designed play, was there any play or were the kids just running around aimlessly on the court, and why was Meehan two feet from the inbounder? Anyone who was at any of the games would tell you that the high school's press break was absolutely horrible. Freaking horrible. They looked like they didn't know how to break a press, no movement, no sense of urgency, no screens being set, leaving their buddy in the back court which often times left him stranded and then a turnover followed. Is this the coaches fault, or the players? -Rarely was there a pick and roll play, one of the greatest plays in basketball. As a matter of fact, last year I noticed several of the players didn't even know how to properly roll to the hoop. When rolling to the hoop, the player is supposed to open towards the ball side so it keeps the defender on their back and opens a passing or driving lane to the hoop. Where were the coaches in teaching this very basic fundamental of how to roll to the hoop?

-At Mentor I believe Coach Lynch spent 2 minutes at half time with the boys in the locker room before bringing them back on the court. We're down 30 points at half and the coach only has something to say that lasts 2 minutes? That sounds like a coach who is giving up, or someone that doesn't believe in his players, or someone that has lost his zeal for the game. I know if I were coaching, I'd be drawing up multiple strategies to save face for the fans, but more importantly to show my players that I will never abandon them. -The beginning of the home St. Ignatius game was awesome. Strongsville began in a 2-3 zone defense and we jumped out to a 10-0 lead. St. Ignatius took a timeout and made an adjustment and then they scored the next 18 points and never looked back. Strongsville made no change, no adjustments and we went on to lose that game. The zone defense was a brilliant move by Coach Lynch and his assistants at the beginning of the game, however when St. Ignatius showed that they could break the 2-3 zone, then Strongsville should have mixed in man-to-man defense, or a 1-3-1, a 3-2, or a triangle and 2 zone. There are so many defensive looks that Strongsville could have shown Ignatius during that game, but our coaches seem like they don't make any adjustments. Strongsville coaches are being out-coached and are missing many opportunities to teach our boys how to play the game of basketball.

The boys look like a bunch of 3 point shooting robots out there on the court. Need I mention that the lowest percentage shot in basketball is the three point shot. Most NBA players don't even make 3 out of 10 three point shots, and then for our players not to be crashing the boards on those 3 point attempts is inexcusable and something that coaching would correct. The boys have very little creativity in their shots, and they seem slow in their ball making decisions. How many players in Strongsville can take their defender off the dribble? How many kids show that they can do a spin move (maybe then can do a spin move in practice, but why doesn't that translate into games)? How many players do a reverse lay-up during a game? How many turn around jumpers did the fans see last year? Which players know how to do a Kobe Bryant step-through shot? Which players can do an Allen Iverson runner in the lane (Meehan, Stephens and Alexander should've been doing this all year)? How many jab steps, or ball fakes did we see last year? How many players in Strongsville know how to play with their back to the hoop? Does anyone in Strongsville show that they have any post moves (Jake and Wes should've been able to play in the post, but we sure didn't see this much at all)? I saw Meehan and Stephens do a Rajon Rondo ball fake once the entire season. Are they not allowed to do a Rondo ball fake? Are they scared that the coach will yell at them?

I believe that some of the Strongsville players are playing based on fear of being pulled in a game? Are they afraid of making mistakes for fear of being pulled or name called? I don't know. What I do know is that I've watched some of these boys play at the Rec. Center. They play a much looser style of ball at the Rec. They are more themselves, they play freer, they are willing to try moves that look like basketball looking moves. They don't just chuck up three point shots. They create, they dribble drive. They look like they are having more fun playing at the Rec. I'm going to address one of my favorite players on the varsity team. Kyle Meehan. He is an excellent point guard. Many people may have thought he was a ball hog last year. I didn't. He dribbled the ball so much because he was looking to find one of his buddies to pass to, but his buddies were standing around the three point line not moving at all. He couldn't pass the ball because the defender was all over the guys on the wing because our wing players were just standing there on the 5 out perimeter offense that Strongsville seems to continually run. Why were the players just standing on the three point line not moving, not screening, not back screening, side screening, screening the ball, cross court double screen, any type of freakin' screen? They looked like they didn't know how to play without the ball. Is that the coaches fault? Or is that the players fault? Who is to blame?

Was there instruction during practice on what to do if the first or second run through of the offense didn't work? I'm going to tell you now that Meehan is not a 3 point shooter. Yes, he can make them, but would I have him shooting 3 pointers all game. Heck no. He is a penetrate and dish guy, he is a playmaker, he's a creator, he can use both hands better than anyone on the team, and he wants to pass the ball to a cutter, but NO ONE is cutting to the hoop because the coaches do not instruct cutters to move without the ball. How many times Meehan or Stephens could have dished the ball to a weak side cutter and it would be an easy two point shot/layup. Meehan could be one of the best pick and roll guards that Strongsville has ever seen. But we will never see it in the current system. Just to clarify, I am not related to Meehan, and they have no idea that I am writing this, so before anyone tries to blame the Meehan family, the only reason I am singling him out, is because for Strongsville to be effective this year, they better utilize him in a Derrick Rose type of player or the Strongsville varsity team is in for a world of hurt. I could go on and on of examples throughout the season where I believe our coaches are getting totally out-coached by a mile. I am worried about our players learning/not learning what they need to on the court in order to be successful, in order to learn the game of basketball, in order to create on-court leaders and off-court young men.

I'll end with this.....Romeo Crennell was a nice guy, a good coach, a good man, but at some point he lost control of the Cleveland Browns and his time in Cleveland was over. It is possible the Strongsville high school basketball program may be at the same point. I encourage Paul Moses to chat with Coach Lynch and his assistants, review some of what I've talked about here and to boldly address what they will do differently this season if indeed they return. The players can sense a coach's confidence in his players, and they can also sense a lack of confidence. I don't settle for mediocrity in my life, and neither should our boys. Build.....Lead.....Motivate.

Joe Lynch is one of the finest coaches to ever coach basketball in northeast Ohio. He remains one of the finest. There appears to be a few people with a "Lynch Mob" mentality. I think that is very sad. The entire Strongsville community is fortunate to have a man of Joe's stature as their head coach. I hope the superintendent and other leaders of the school system have the courage to support Joe against this small "mob" of complainers. We will see if they do..........