By Sylvester “Nunnie” Robinson
Entering his third year as the Tigers head coach, Michael Bailey expressed complete satisfaction with his team’s summer conditioning and weightlifting program, stating that everything went according to plan, and that he has approximately 130 players on the current roster including junior varsity and varsity. He presently has 8 staff members working with him. One of the troubling trends in Broward County, especially when it involves head and assistant coaches, is that many don’t work at the schools where they coach, a concerning existential circumstance that needs addressing, particularly for traditional so-called Metro/Urban schools like Blanche Ely.
Regarding his expectations for this season, Coach Bailey echoed the following sentiments: any result that doesn’t equate to a playoff run would be extremely disappointing and unacceptable based on last year’s record, where they were 2 victories shy of competing for the 3M title . He and staff and players understand what it takes to reach and exceed last season’s accomplishments – the hard work, preparation and dedication from everyone associated with Tiger football, necessary in meeting those lofty goals.
Coach Bailey, whose Tigers have gotten off to a 2-0 start, understands the winning tradition that has been historically associated with the Blanche Ely Tiger football team and is prepared and proud to lead such a historic institution known around the state of Florida and nationally for its academic and athletic success. He has some outstanding players returning from last year’s team such as Markieff Harry, Edward McIntosh, Quincy Classeus, Marcel Williams, Jordan Stillus, Cameron Davis, Joshua Lloyd and Shawn Paschall. In addition 15 players from last year’s team signed offers to attend college and play football, an accomplishment he’s very proud of. Last season’s WG Student Athlete of the Week, Harlem Howard, plays for the Oregon State University Beavers. In terms of practice, it’s been erratic at best because everyone has to adhere to the mandated heat advisory, the great equalizer. Once the temperature reaches a certain degree, practice is automatically canceled. The torrential rain and thunderstorms also come into play.
When queried about the restructuring of FHSAA playoff system, he explained that the old system with 8 classifications based on student enrollment had been replaced with a system based on large and small county sizes. And Broward being one of the larger counties explains the Metro or M classification and S or Suburban for smaller schools. The writer’s conclusion is that it appears to be on location rather than enrollment. Most Metro schools are inner city like Blanche Ely and Dillard. Coach Bailey, when asked his opinion of the new system, felt that opportunities to compete for state titles were diminished because it required Blanche Ely and others with similar demographics to compete against private schools like St. Thomas and Cardinal Gibbons which have greater resources. He thinks a bowl option similar to the FBS/FCS college system would be more fair and equitable because public schools would compete against other public schools for championships. Instead of having only 8 championship classifications, a revamped bowl system would allow for 10-12 more opportunities. Here’s a well known fact: public schools have been losing student athletes to private schools at an astronomical rate for years. How does a traditional private school like Chaminade have predominantly Black football team? That’s rhetorical y’all! These young coaches working in Metro schools have a daunting task of building and maintaining a program with fewer resources and the constant predator palpably lurking in their midst: losing players to schools with bigger coffers AKA recruiting. Administrative, community, and parental support can mitigate these trends.
Coach Bailey is a renaissance man with varied interests and goals and serves as a great example for his players. He currently is working toward a MBA while meeting the demands associated with being a head coach and working full time at a middle school. With the support of the Blanche Ely community and your commitment as their leader, success will always be your companion Coach Bailey.
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