108 replies to this topic

[flounder]

Louisville Slugger, on 10 January 2012 - 10:15 PM, said:

Is this the FAN 93.1 broadcaster or is there another person with a man crush for Dick Kortokrax? I want the truth!!

You can't handle the truth!!!!!!!

[FightingFifth]

Coach K does indeed deserve respect. He has earned it. I don't think that is debatable.
What I think the relevant question should be is: Sure was a great coach, but is he still?
or
Of the 600 coaches on staff(I keed I keed) is the "King" still the one running this program?

I don't know the answers, I'm just trying to spark debate. IMO, this situation reminds me a bit of the end of Joe Paterno's career.

[Dman]

A little perspective for those prone to listen to and believe "yahoos." Every town has quite a few of them...even Kalida.

2011: They were 17-4 and lost in the District finals to a hot Continental team. You know the same Continental team that beat an undefeated Grove and an undefeated McComb on their way to Columbus?

2010: They were 21-3 and lost in regional final to Ottawa Hills.

2009: They were the State Runner Ups...losing the final game in double OT

I want everybody to read the records and achievements of the 3 preceding seasons again so you can get a solid mindset of what type of human being it would take to criticize this guy in the present. Also remember that this is the coach who has won more games than ANY other coach in the history of this state. Whether you look at past or present this guy's accomplishments are out of this world. There is ZERO evidence to show a decline in productivity. If anything, age has served him well.

...so coming off a 3 year run that looks like this we've got folks making fun of his age, comparing him to Joe Paterno, and questioning whether he is "still" a good coach.

Let me take this moment to note that everybody is indeed entitled to an opinion. But when your opinion is so blatantly divergent with the FACTS shown above...YOU ARE A "YAHOO"! There are plenty of "yahoos" to go around. It is not lost on me that the Kalida community had enough "yahoos" lined up to almost run The King off until smarter heads prevailed. It is also not lost on me that we had enough "yahoos" to elect a socialist president...but that is not pertinent to this discussion except to prove the point of how pronounced "yahoo" numbers have become.

Now let us get to the present and take a look at what has the "yahoos" clucking this time.

Presently Kalida is 5-3. Their 3 losses are as follows.

• They loss at 8-2 Archbold in OT.
  
• They loss to 9-1 Ada by 4 points at home.
  
• They lost at Fort Recovery (8-0) by 7 points...which is the lowest margin of victory for Fort Recovery this season.

There you have it folks. Facts, not opinions. The facts are here for ALL to see. Apparently, by "yahoo" logic we are supposed to turn our back on the winningest coach in the history of Ohio basketball because his team, coming off an amazing 3 year run that would be envious to EVERY school in NW Ohio has lost 3 close games to three of the toughest teams in the area.

The problem with so many segments of society is that we let the "yahoo" idiots off the hook for crap exactly like this. Yes they can have an opinion. But when their opinions are so damn stupid they deserve to be laughed out of existence...they should be publicly outed as the idiots they ARE. In the neighbor hood bar, they should be thrown in the ally. At a Kalida school board meeting when a large collection of "yahoos" are trying to f*** a great coach...they should have been shouted down. Too many good people stand by an do nothing these days for fear of confrontation.

I'll say it again. I don't know Dick Kortokrax personally. If there are valid reasons for the "yahoos" to collectively crap on his accomplishments and character, both past and present, they sure have not stated the said valid reasons on here. For years they have tried to undermine his credibility via character assassination. All Dick does is keep winning. Every victory is another middle finger to the haters. And for that...I thank Dick Kortokrax.

There is nothing more fun than watching irrational "yahoo" haters slowly digest a double-dookie sandwich. Here's to The King and continued hopes for another deep tournament run. Illuminating these fools for the world to see...never grows old!

Edited by Dman, 11 January 2012 - 01:33 AM.

[lebron23]

flounder, on 10 January 2012 - 10:19 PM, said:

You can't handle the truth!!!!!!!

Dang it Flounder ! ....you beat me to it !

[Dman]

Is this the FAN 93.1 broadcaster or is there another person with a man crush for Dick Kortokrax?

​It would be the latter. Which is perfectly acceptable. What real MAN does not respect the most victories in the history of Ohio? What real man does not respect 17-4, 21-3, or State Runner up? It is literally impossible for ANY reasonable human being to NOT respect such outcomes. The very fact that somebody could start this thread in attempt to paint a picture that is 180 degrees from FACT, is laughable. If you don't like a person...fine. But there is something to be said about having the baseline intelligence to know when to keep your mouth shut. There is no objective human who can look at the recent data and conclude ANYTHING but...Dick Kortokrax is a damn fine basketball coach. And I'm just talking present tense here. The record books take care of the historical perspective.

I'm too busy right now...but maybe somebody can go through and find the screen-names of the collective "yahoos" who contributed to this nonsense. Maybe we can talk RM into pinning a "yahoo" thread with a list of monikers we can avoid like the plague. I don't know about you, but I like to come to this site to get intelligent discussion and opinions about local sport matters. Safe to say that ANY "yahoo" who is comfortable besmirching Dick Kortokrax is never going to contribute intelligent discourse. I do understand that there is a comedy benifit to keeping the "cluckers" around. But how many years in a row do we have to watch Charlie Brown fall on his ass trying to kick that football before funny becomes pathetic?

Maybe we could look into some sort of "clucker" emoticon to link to a screen-name. This way the informed poster can quickly identify the "know it all" yahoo.

P.S. If you think you know more about winning high school basketball games than Dick Kortokrax...you don't!

P.P.S. If you cannot accept that Dick Kortokrax knows high school basketball better than you and, in childish angst, must publicly besmirch his name...you are a YAHOO!

[Mysterio]

Dman, on 11 January 2012 - 01:31 AM, said:

2011: They were 17-4 and lost in the District finals to a hot Continental team. You know the same Continental team that beat an undefeated Grove and an undefeated McComb on their way to Columbus?

Was Grove undefeated that year? I thought they had 1 loss, actually I'm pretty sure it was 1 loss to like Spencerville or somebody surprising? Anyways not that it matters on your comment but just wanted to point that out.

[FightingFifth]

Dman calm down there big fella. While there have been some people trying to dig up dirt, most people are having a decent discussion.
You call me a "Yahoo" for comparing Coach K(who I respect and said as such) and Joe Paterno. Lets compare them a bit.

DK - All time winningest coach in OHSAA
JP - All time winningest coach in NCAA

DK - 77 years old
JP - 85 years old

DK - Plenty of success in last 3 years as you pointed out
JP - Top ten in each of last 3 seasons, before he was fired this year.

Plenty of similarities if you ask me.

[Bobby]

Dman, on 11 January 2012 - 01:31 AM, said:

Also remember that this is the coach who has won more games than ANY other coach in the history of this state.

Don't know Kortokrax's total as of today, but I think Jack Van Reeth is currently Ohio's winningest basketball coach with 844 wins. He's being inducted into the OHSBCA Hall of Fame this year.

[Dman]

While there have been some people trying to dig up dirt, most people are having a decent discussion.

This thread was started to tear down Dick Kortokrax. There is nothing decent about it. All sorts of unproven allegations have been bantered about. Dick does not scout. Dick sleeps on the bench. Yada Yada. Then you come on here and try to stir the pot more by stating...

• What I think the relevant question should be is: Sure was a great coach, but is he still?

The very fact you asked this question indicates you have no clue what you are talking about. That is enough to label you a "yahoo" in my book. Informed posters are well aware of Kalida's success, both recent and in the past. This is the reason the haters never bring up the record. They waited for 2-3 close losses to 2-3 great teams this year to start this thread. It is this way every year. Then Dick wins a bunch of games, goes on a tournament run...the "yahoos" hide for a year...and repeat the accusations next year at the first sign of distress in the program. One of these years Dick MAY have a poor season...and then the said "yahoos" will come on here claiming they were "right all along."

The FACT (not opinion) is that Dick Kortokrax IS a damn good basketball coach who has repeatedly squeezed the most out of the talent he has been given. He has done this for over 50 years. Along the way he has managed to piss off a lot of players and parents who do not subscribe to his methods (long practice times, discipline, etc). The FACT that Dick has been successful, doing it his way for all these years. He has NEVER had to kiss an ass to succeed. For those who were unwilling to put in the time and effort that Dick demanded, it has been a fruitless half century waiting for Dick to fail. Today they are left pathetic little haters consumed with rage. Attacking the STILL successful King for "growing old."

For those that WERE willing to put in the time and effort, the rewards and successes...all the benefits bestowed upon those who believe in the old-fashioned values high school sports were designed to instill...mostly reached their highest potential with Dick Kortokrax as their mentor. The dichotomy between the two schools is clear to anybody who bothers to look.

There is Dick Kortokrax every Friday night competing with the best teams in the area, mostly winning, but STILL relevant. Then there are the "yahoos" doing all they can to tear down the man, the system (CYO is better, it should be about fun, etc) that THEY FAILED to take advantage of. The bottom line is that whenever Dick Kortokrax decides to call it quits...it will be to deserved accolades. It would shock nobody if that moment happens with another trip to Columbus. As for the "yahoos." Nobody ever knew them at all. They quit long before...

P.S. Fifth...I see you are now trying to compare DK to the better traits of Joe Paterno. Given the fact that you are wise enough to know when to change course, and have shown the basic ability to use spell check...I hereby remove you from the "yahoo" list. You are however on "clucker" probation for two months.

It is generally NEVER good practice to take the opposite side of a debate when your opponent can point "scoreboard." Tim Tebow haters are learning this lesson every week or two. Dick Kortokrax haters get their re-up every March. Some folks are just winners. The best way to go through life contented is to try and choose the same side as the said winners.

P.P.S. Good pick up Mysterio. Specerville did win a 1 or 2 overtime game over Grove. My bad!

Edited by Dman, 11 January 2012 - 02:14 PM.

[FightingFifth]

Dman, I think you are misunderstanding some of the posters and there questions. I have not changed my opinion on anything. I stated I didn't know the answers to the question in my original comment. I also said i respected him and he was a good coach. I didn't know if he still was. I compared him to an all time great coach. Just calm down and quit being so defensive. I guess I am done with this topic. Maybe this is a reason the rocketcorner is so slow this year. Bad posting by some, and ridiculed by others. Why would anyone want to start a topic or state there opinion.

[GoMaroon]

Just a quick note to clarify the Fr. Mark / CYO reference. Religion was not the point. Father Mark supports all the kids in Kalida. We even have kids on the CYO team that are not Catholic but attend education programs so they can participate in a sport that they would otherwise not have the chance to play. He boosts their confidence and shows them the importance of volunteering and being charitable. And as far as the wins go, let's not forget it's the kids who are running their butts up and down the court. They win the game! And I meant what I said "Having fun should be the point. It's the adults who are ruining the whole concept for kids - usually "players from days gone by" who are still trying to live the dream through their children. People shouldn't be so heated over sports. And let me add that I am in no way bashing Coach K. He's given a lot of his time to many Kalida kids - like many other people in this community. That's why our kids have a great start in life.

[Mr Bearcat]

Mysterio, on 11 January 2012 - 11:58 AM, said:

Was Grove undefeated that year? I thought they had 1 loss, actually I'm pretty sure it was 1 loss to like Spencerville or somebody surprising? Anyways not that it matters on your comment but just wanted to point that out.

Yes they had one loss to Spencerville.

[Deere John]

Fighting/Maroon, it sounds like th'man got wacked on the knuckles by Sister Mary one time and he hasn't let go of his anger. A little Catholic-hater maybe?

[Dman]

A little Catholic-hater maybe?

​Is Dick Kortokrax Catholic? I honestly do not know. I'm amused that defending a basketball coach against ageism/baseless attacks could ever merit such accusations. Seems to me the Christian in all of us would want to defend what is right and just. To each their own...

Just a quick note to clarify the Fr. Mark / CYO reference. Religion was not the point. Father Mark supports all the kids in Kalida.

Maroon...I'm not sure how your contribution to this discussion relates to Dick Kortokrax and some of the shameless attacks that have been made against him on this thread...? But I'll address the topics that interest you the best I can. I'm not certain you and I are even talking to each other...or are interested in this thread for the same reasons.

First off...Father Mark. You will have to forgive me, but I don't know who that is. I'm sure he is a great man, and it sounds as if he has done a lot for your community. God bless him and his supporters. That said...this is a high school basketball forum with a primary focus on NW Ohio basketball. As such, it tends to attract participants who are interested in high school basketball. That is the audience I write for. In that audience, Dick Kortokrax is a rather large figure, to say the least. It is not meant as a blasphemous dig at Father Mark when I say that Dick Kortokrax represents Kalida. For me, and other basketball junkies, Dick Kortokrax is a gold standard. It is a compliment for a man, a program, and a community that I would have given a lung to participate in. I find it rather confusing that such accolades could "offend" you...? From my perspective as a long time small-school basketball fan...Kalida is the Mecca.

You will have to excuse me if I'm out of line here. But on a basketball message board, it seems rather odd that a compliment toward a great basketball coach is met with such religious fervor. I could understand if I were on your church forum talking basketball. But that is not what has happened here.

Anyhow...all across this state there are basketball fans that know about Kalida. Dick Kortokrax is a primary factor that this is so.

And I meant what I said "Having fun should be the point.

I understand and respect those that feel this way...but I disagree. I feel that kids have plenty of opportunities for "having fun." In fact I opine that "fun" opportunities overwhelm "productive" opportunities. I think a well balance child needs a little of both. We have amusement parks, video games, movies, intramural athletics, CYO, etc... These are all wonderful opportunities that tend to emphasize "fun." Any parent who feels the way you do has plenty of choices and opportunities to choose along with their child.

But what about those parents and children who prefer competition and believe in the values/lessons of hard work? Those of us who believe that performing under high pressure/stress conditions is trainable...and good for the child...? Notice I am not asking anybody to agree with me/us. I'm just hinting at what could possibly be wrong for those who see the world differently than the "it should always be fun" camp to have opportunities that reflect our values?

Competitive high school sports is one of the best means for teaching a young mind to focus and perform under pressure. I believe that we ought to allow this one traditional teaching tool in place for those kids and parents who want this pressure. Kids who thrive off competition are kids too. Kalida is very lucky to have had Dick Kortokrax around all these years to teach this segment of their population how to thrive and succeed in high stress environments. After all, the world needs all types of people. If we do not train some to handle high stress situations, we will fail as a society.

I will say it again. I'm not asking you or others to agree with my opinion. I just think that different types of activities should be available for all of us to choose. Thank God they are. Sounds like Kalida and surrounding communities already have thriving CYO programs. And while my limited experience with CYO sports has not fulfilled my expectations of what sports should be...I respect that there are those who prefer and endorse this approach. It would not be good taste for me to force my opinions and expectations on the CYO community of how/why they could/should do it MY WAY because MY WAY is better. To each their own...they say.

In that very same line of reasoning, I question those who join competitive high school sports and then complain that it is "no fun" and "too serious." Look...not every activity in life is meant to please every person. If you don't like Dick Kortokrax and his methods...don't play. I opine that it demonstrates a bit of a pompous attitude to suggest and/or expect Dick Kortokrax should change his very successful techniques for teaching competitive high school basketball because you have a different opinion about what high school sports should be. I could understand being upset and vocal if Dick Kortokrax and traditional competitive high school athletics were the only opportunities for kids to participate...but this is simply not the case. Intramural, CYO, and private clubs provide plenty of opportunities for children to participate at differing philosophies/stress levels.

It is a great country in which the kids and their parents have the freedom to participate in so many different activities with such a diversity of approaches. Why would anybody ever want to limit those choices so that only "their way" was the acceptable training method?

Edited by Dman, 12 January 2012 - 01:00 AM.

[PPDOBBS---CHARLOTTE]

THE KING is alive and well ! I don't think that Kalida's losses were to PLUM CREEK HIGH SCHOOL or LITTLE SISTER'S PREP !
I thought at least two losses were to schools with only one loss ? Dick has them right were he wants them.
I'm going to let the "Kat" out of the bag: COACH K LOSES GAMES ON PURPOSE !!! Especially when they don't mean anything like non-league. Dick doesn't care about ratings or about some kid scoring 50 points in a game. He teaches kids how to be winners and that means that sometimes you take a loss to keep them focused on the job at hand !

[stifler]

"Dick doesn't care about ratings". But he does care about having the most wins in Ohio history. His main concern for staying in the coaching profession.

[kennytarmac]

^^ Or maybe all he knows is being a basketball coach. After this many years in the profession, maybe he cannot see himself not being on the sidelines for 20+ games each year. Maybe basketball is what keeps him going; he's lost a lot in his life recently...why include basketball as well?? As previously stated multiple times, the results speak for themselves.

[Dman]

1. This was supposed to be the year......word I'm getting is they are wore out already and injuries are mounting.
Is the PCL and district's Grove's to lose?

2. He doesn't do his own scouting.......

3. This thread was started as a legitimate question as to whether or not this is Kalida's last good opportunity at a tourney run.

Victorian:

You started the thread. Here are your contributions in total (unedited) and in order. I'm not sure how the reader could ascertain that this was an attempt to obtain a fair and objective analysis of the state of the Kalida program until #3. You posted this (#3) on page 4 of the thread. This was done after hinting that the coach was working the kids too hard (#1) and then telling the falsehood that the coach does not scout (#2). Most have since corrected that one.

My every sense, and the evidence above suggests that this is nothing more than a thread started with the intent of tearing down Dick Kortokrax. However, I will take you at your word.

As long as Dick Kortokrax stays healthy and is on the sidelines, Kalida will always have a decent chance at a long "tourney run."

Hopefully that clears it up and gives you the information you were seeking.