High School Sports Blog

Attention volleyball junkies:

...At least those located in South Florida. According to the FHSAA's website, the 2008 state volleyball finals (check the to-be-filled-out bracket here) are coming to Broward.

Douglas High School of Parkland in northern Broward County will be the site of the 2008 FHSAA Boys Volleyball Finals state championship tournament, the FHSAA office announced today. The tournament is scheduled to be held May 9-10. "The FHSAA thanks Douglas High School Principal Ann Kowalski and Athletic Director Dave Grad for offering their school facilities and services to serve as host for this event," said FHSAA Executive Director John A. Stewart. "We know that they will work hard to make this a first-class event for the participating student-athletes, coaches and spectators alike." For more information on the 2008 FHSAA Boys Volleyball Finals visit the boys volleyball page.

Fans might get to see some local teams there, too. Cardinal Gibbons moved to 14-1 Tuesday night with a win over Plantation, and the Chiefs' district also includes the tough St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders. Also on Tuesday, Cooper City and South Broward each moved to 9-1 with wins.

--Patrick Dorsey

1,000 wins for Hofman?

Piper baseball coach Rich Hofman, inducted Sunday into the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame, has plenty of numbers:

• Ten state championships (eight at Miami's Westminster Christian, two at Fort Lauderdale's Westminster Academy)
• Two national titles (at Westminster Christian)
• Ten state coach of the year awards
• Seven national coach of the year awards
• More than 200 former players who went on to play college baseball
• Forty professional baseball draftees
• Even one honor as Baseball America's High School Coach of the Decade (in the 1990s)

But Hofman, who entered Monday with 963 career wins, said he has an "arbitrary goal" of 1,000. Whether he gets there, though, is to be determined -- and not because he's on Piper's hot seat.

The 63-year-old native of Racine, Wis., came to South Florida in 1967 and has been coaching since, leading players such as Doug Mientkiewicz and some guy named Alex Rodriguez to big, big things. But, Hofman told The Miami Herald on Monday, the game might be passing him by. He loved being honored for his past, but wasn't as optimistic about his future.

How much longer does he plan on coaching? "Not too much," he said.

"The game is changing," he said. "The whole dynamics of coaching [are] changing."

What's changing: the rise of travel baseball and showcases, which Hofman said have "increased the ability level of a small group of players," but mostly are eroding the fundamentals of young players. Also, they've decreased the importance of the high-school coach.

"The high school coach isn't looked upon as the person that is most needed to be successful," he said, "and I think that has hurt the game quite a bit."

Travel baseball isn't all bad, to Hofman -- "I'm not opposed to kids playing baseball a lot," he said. "I'm just opposed to them not being taught the fundamentals of the game." -- but it's just not a game Hofman plays.

So that's what Hofman said he's trying to figure out. How much does he want to "fight" this trend? Enough to grab about three years' worth of wins, enough to get to that magic number?

Maybe, Hofman said. But if not, he still wanted to make one thing clear:

"I'm a little disappointed in the way high school baseball [is changing] and the direction that it's going, but I am absolutely ecstatic about the opportunity and the privilage that I've had in my career."

--Patrick Dorsey

Traffic school -- for coaches

Anyone who's gotten a speeding/traffic ticket might have been forced to go/sit/suffer through online traffic school -- which sometimes takes a legit six hours.

Well, the FHSAA announced Monday that coaches might soon face something similar. Not for their driving, but for their tempers:

Coaches who are ejected from contests because of unsportsmanlike conduct will be required to complete an online coaches education program before being reinstated to sideline duty, the Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors voted at its April business today. ...

Coaches who are ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct currently must serve a minimum suspension from sideline coaching of seven days and at least two contests (one game in football). The length of the suspension can be increased depending upon the severity of the unsportsmanlike act. During the suspension the coach cannot attend a contest in which his or her team participates, accompany the team to the contest, or have any other contact with the team during the contest. The coach, however, is permitted to conduct practice.

Under the proposal approved by the board, however, the coach also will be required to complete the six-hour "NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching" provided by the National Federation of State High School Associations before the coach can resume sideline coaching duties. If the coach completes the course within the suspension period, the coach will be able to return to the sidelines once the suspension is served. If not, the coach's suspension will continue until the course is completed. The school will be required to pay the fee associated with the online course unless it chooses to pass the cost on to the coach.

FHSAA executive director John A. Stewart's quote, in the statement:

"Today's action sends a strong message to our coaches that the FHSAA Board of Directors holds them to a high standard when it comes to sportsmanship. ... Student-athletes model their behavior after that of their coaches. So, it is imperative that coaches exemplify sportsmanship in the way they conduct themselves during contests."

Pretty much anyone who's ever taken the online traffic test will agree: This certainly is a "strong message." (No word on how it affects insurance rates, though.)

--Patrick Dorsey