September 11, 2012
Plenty of you have tracked David Boyd's story over the past 24 hours since the rumors first began that he was out as Milton's head boys basketball coach. As many media outlets confirmed Monday night, that proved to be true.
Boyd, whose Gwinnett connection is a successful run with two state titles at Berkmar more than a decade ago, reportedly resigned after Milton self-reported alleged recruiting violations involving star basketball players. It isn't the first time star basketball players have flocked to Boyd's school (and may not be the last), but it's been interesting to watch this story play out since the same allegations were flung at Boyd when he coached at Berkmar.
Whether they're truthful or not, Boyd is a polarizing figure whose actions often bring more heat his way. If kept a lower profile, maybe his detractors would ease off a bit. I still remember Boyd exchanging words online with Brookwood fans before a game back in 2001. He never had a problem bragging about his teams or his players, which seems to rub people the wrong way. For us in the media, that's a wonderful thing because he's a great quote. He's always friendly. He always calls back.
Unfortunately, all of that extracurricular stuff hides what got Boyd here in the first place — he's a pretty darn good basketball coach. He's won everywhere his been and his 600-plus wins include 2000 and 2001 state titles at Berkmar. He also has four other state titles at Campbell, Tucker and Milton (in 2010 and 2012).
For all his detractors, Boyd is very highly thought of by his former players. They're standing to defend him as we speak. And to the coach's credit, his players behaved well on the court (I can only speak with great knowledge about his Berkmar teams in that regard) and always played hard for him.
Those are pretty good attributes to have as a coach.
It's also why high-schoolers and their parents want to be a part of Boyd's program. He's going to win and he's going to play in prestigious national tournaments. Are they being recruited in some way by Boyd or his fellow coaches? Are they moving in out of their own accord to play for a legendary coach? I can't say either with any certainty.
That said, someone else will give Boyd a coaching job in the future. He'll be successful again and top players will move into his district. And folks will accuse him of recruiting players. It's the cycle we're all used to with Coach Boyd. I'm sure he's pretty used to it, too.
Comments
irishmafia116 8 months, 2 weeks ago
School vouchers, kids should be able to go to what ever school they and their families feel is best for them, let the money follow the student. Great in math -maybe the kid should be in a Math/enginneer oriented school, or fine arts, or medical oreinted and yes sports oriented
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID