Announcement on Impact Baseball...

Very well said and very good points jhb. I certainly wasn't thinking in terms of status. But for the reasons you gave is the reason I said "coup" for Impact....and also why i said ...WOW!!!!

But, I wish Coach Alexander the best as he is one of the truly classy guys in the college coaching business. Elon's loss will be NC HS players gain.

 

NCBBallFan

Let me clarify my point - I fully understand Coach Alexanders desire to have a career move that better suits his and his families goals. I got out of College coaching years ago because of the same points you made money and time with family.

Andy (Impact) has to be careful how these moves are handled and PERCIEVED. I totally agree this is a great gain for Impact, that can't be questioned. But he has to be careful that he is not viewed by the coaching population at large as someone who may go behind someone's back and hire assistants away (Slow down now, It's not my intention to imply that is what happened - I have absolutely no details of the hiring process). Since no details of the hiring process are available speculation, rumor, etc. will abound. People will rush to draw uninformed conclusions either way

But as an ex-coach and now a business person one of the thoughts that crossed my mind was would this spook of Head Coaches from dealing with Impact. Would Head Coaches wonder what Andy was saying to there assistant off to the side at a field? It is just a managerial move that could have negative implications if not handled correctly. It requires some positive PR work to avoid the negative perceptions that might crop up.

My point is different people with different amounts of interaction with Impact will look at this move in different lights than others. A little more information should have been included in the announcement addressing the amicable departure of Coach Alexander. That the Elon folks were totally understanding and supportive. Statements to that effect stop rumors and innuendo.

 

This is probably a good opportunity for Coach Alexander to stay in baseball with a new member of the family on the way. As we all know an Assistant Coach and Recruiter spend many hours on the field and in the office. Working with Impact may allow him to spend more time at home. I do believe as others have stated he will appear as a college coach again. He is a classy guy and great recruiter as evidence with the last couple of classes he has brought in to the Elon program.

 

Again, this is a very good post and some logical questions brought forth. One of the concerns about message boards (as you rightfully mentioned) is that they are fodder with replies without knowing all the facts...but...it does bring up interesting questions, especially during the part of the season that is relatively quiet

Two things that I'll bring up is this:

1. I doubt that Andy could afford another person on the payroll
2. Andy is a pretty classy guy himself and he has a very close relationship with everyone at Elon. I do not think that he would ever risk jeopardizing his relationship with them or any other program.

I would speculate that many assistant coaches looking to move away from this position would have to look hard at the benefits of this opportunity

1. Would not require relocation
2. Financially as rewarding and potentially even better
3. working with some of the best HS talent in NC, SC and Va.
4. staying in the college baseball business without the pressures
5. still be able to keep one's name out there for a HC position
6. being able to go into the business side, yet keeping your feet in the game you love.

It's a unique opportunity. Not one with a lot of positions that would be available to other coaches in a full time capacity.