Belleville coach Jermain Crowell mad at UM again

Submitted by Bluey on

This time it appears to be over Zordich's comments in the press regarding LaVert Hill.

I'll say this I've never seen a State coach publicly question a kids toughness from Detroit. Especially a kid who played a entire season hurt the year before.

— CoachJermain Crowell (@JermainCrowell) April 19, 2018

As a matter of fact I've not seen a coach from anywhere else in the country ever do that. Not just State but anywhere. I find that very interesting.

— CoachJermain Crowell (@JermainCrowell) April 19, 2018

Never in the public eye!!! There needs to be a trust amongst coach and player. I see no way that a player can trust a coach who publicly questions your toughness. Interesting situation. I'm just watching.

— CoachJermain Crowell (@JermainCrowell) April 19, 2018

wolverinestuckinEL

April 19th, 2018 at 8:40 AM ^

Right, but if you are a former coach, parent or whatever you aren't helping the kid here.  You help the kid by supporting and encouraging him and then having a conversation with the staff if you really think it is necessary.  How does his twitter rant further that purpose?  It doesn't, it furthers his own selfish agenda.

Jimmyisgod

April 19th, 2018 at 8:05 AM ^

Crowell is a Wilcher protege, he’s seemingly found a bone to pick with Michigan lately. Zordich’s public comments can be interpreted to be questioned a kids toughness, you don’t expect that from a position coach. Belleville is recruiting elite athletes to play there. If we want in on those, we should reach out to Crowell. They have 3 really good recruits in this class that We aren’t in on, and they have several kids coming up that will be high 4 stars and a freshman who could be a 5 star. Belleville is like 10 miles from our stadium, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be a feeder school for us.

reddogrjw

April 19th, 2018 at 8:13 AM ^

doesn't mean he isn't a big State fan

coaches hating schools/coaches happens - it is partly why Shane Simon went to Notre Dame over Michigan

you assess the situation and if you know there is no way it is going to change you move on - ultimately that is what our coaches have to asses and determine

Jimmyisgod

April 19th, 2018 at 9:29 AM ^

Crowell coached Delano Hill and Jourdan Lewis at Cass Tech, he had plenty of love for Michigan in the past.  I suspect he's known Lavert since he was a little boy and that's why he's taking this approach.  

Crowell is a Wilcher protoge.  Not sure why the love for MSU.

I have heard that Dobbs and Barnett grew up fans of MSU and both never cared for Michigan.  That's probably why we aren't in it for them, some kids grow up rooting against a team and we haven't exactly been a powerhouse that either of them could remember in their lifetimes.  It's a shame since they are so close to Michigan Stadium.  

And one of the next 5 star recruits from this state is a DT from Belleville, Payne.  We want in on a 5 star DT in our back yard and we will need to develop abetter relationship with his coach.  I also think that we should have pursued Davion Williams from Belleville for our 2018 class, Crowell says he's the best athlete he's ever coached (Note from above, he has coached multiple NFL guys).

NRK

April 19th, 2018 at 10:36 AM ^

Crowell does like MSU, regardless of being a Wilcher protoge. I recognize this will hold very little weight coming from some random poster you don't know (and frankly I don't blame you), but I know someone who is very close with him and who he has shared these types of opinions with. It's nothing that can't be overcome, but these type of situations don't help.

HAIL-YEA

April 19th, 2018 at 12:10 PM ^

Those kids came here in spite of Crowell, not because of him. He is probably the reason why MSU was able to get in to Cass in the first place, if it wasn't for Wilcher, I would bet all those kids would have went to MSU. A high school coach can be a huge influence, look at how long we were locked out of King in Detroit.

Jpolley26

April 19th, 2018 at 8:19 AM ^

This poor form on Zordich end. This is something that should be addressed behind closed doors and not in the public arena. This Zordich has a history of been a hot head!

Blue in PA

April 19th, 2018 at 8:20 AM ^

A good friend is a DII basketball coach and he often complains about athelets who can't practice because of 'injuries' yet they manage to feel better just in time to practice before the next game.  He he tells them playing and practicing when it hurts is what makes you a stronger player and person.  Don't confuse hurt with injured.  

There's a reason Zordi has the job he has and Crowell is coaching HS.  

Tough love teaches better life lessons and these coaches have to consider the entire team, not just each individual.

 

I'll always remember Jermain dropping passes in the endzone for the Lions. 

 

GO BLUE!

cobra14

April 19th, 2018 at 8:30 AM ^

Zordich is trying to find a way to motivate Hill to get back on the field. I’m sure this was his last ditch effort after other attempts to do so. In the end with what Hill is going through will get you cut in the NFL. “You can’t make the club in the tub”

wolverinestuckinEL

April 19th, 2018 at 8:34 AM ^

Coach has the passive-aggressive game down cold.  Bonus points for using "interesting" multiple times.  I'd probably have more respect if he just said what he actually thinks and even more respect if he would address his concerns to the coaching staff instead of this crap.

maize-blue

April 19th, 2018 at 8:57 AM ^

He thinks he's more important than what he is.

It kind of sucks because he's petty enough to block his players from certain schools and if you don't bow to him and his players you won't be getting in their good graces. There was already plenty of smoke he had been blocking UM for a while. Hopefully Pep can cool him down. He sounds high maintenance.

ak47

April 19th, 2018 at 8:59 AM ^

I agree with the Belleville coach. One of the major problems of football, especially amateur football is that it preaches this shit like toughness of playing through injuries.  If you are in pain your body is telling you something is wrong. If you play through that pain to "prove" your toughness you could be doing long term damage to your body that will make your life miserable in your 40s and 50s and up. Its also the sort of shit that leads to pain killer abuse and why so many football players smoke weed despite being aware of the consequences. Zordich's comments about toughness and playing through injury is what is wrong with football and putting individual players on blast like that in the public is a bad way to go about it.

ak47

April 19th, 2018 at 9:34 AM ^

Except everyone knows Hill and Long are our two best CB's and are going to play in the fall if they are healthy. 

Shit like this being put out in public is going to come up when they are looking to get drafted, playing through injury is going to impact their quality of life and Zordich is pushing them in public because its his future on the line he cares more about than theirs. I'll never get on a player, especially one not getting paid for looking out for themselves and doing what they believe to be the best for their future.

1VaBlue1

April 19th, 2018 at 9:45 AM ^

So what injury does Hill have?  Zordich said - clearly - that the trainers haven't found anything, and that Hill can run short plays all day.  But on long runs, he complains about something hurting, but can't identify what the problem is.  Zordich also said this seems like something that could be played through - meaning (to me) that if a game happened tomorrow, Hill would play.  The reporter took it elsewhere, not Zordich.

I don't see anything wrong with anything Zordich said, and I bet it finally gets Hill's attention.  Because if you think this just came up, out of thin air, at a press conference, then you're kinda special...

ak47

April 19th, 2018 at 9:57 AM ^

How should I know what the injury or pain is? But my point is that it should never come out at a press conference. Ever. It should be handled internally. If they don't think he is tough enough to play football don't play him. Don't shit on a kids toughness publicly which also has the potential to harm their future earnings. Its a shitty way to go about things and it was a shitty way to do it last year. 

Injuries and pain shouldn't be discussed by coaches about players. Say Hill hasn't been practicing, say they are working through it, deal with it internally, its not that hard.

Pepto Bismol

April 19th, 2018 at 10:44 AM ^

Guys are openly and admittedly skipping scheduled college football games for their schools in order to avoid injury and it's not affecting their draft position. That's the least tough thing a player can do - to voluntarily quit his team. Nobody is going to ding Hill or anybody else because of a Junior year Spring Practice injury of debatable severity.  He's fine. We're fine. Zordich is fine.

Jermain Crowell is a Spartan fan. I don't know what happened, but he doesn't like Michigan. It's going to be an uphill battle to win Belleville kids for as long as he's there. And if he's going to come out publicly and rip Michigan staffers for such an innocuous comment by Lavert Hill's position coach, then he's a fucking ball bag and we don't need him in our life.

Fuck Crowell. Fuck Belleville. It's one single school in a state generally lacking big time prospects. They may be hot this year, but they'll have down years and that coach is burying his players' chances of playing for the top institution in their home state. It's an idiotic stance by Crowell. There is not one part of me that wants Zordich or Jim Harbaugh or anybody else with a block M kissing this guy's ass. The crying of "How are we ever going to beat MSU without players from Belleville High School?" is pathetic. Hilarious in its absurdity. Blackball that school immediately.

 

In reply to by Pepto Bismol

HAIL-YEA

April 19th, 2018 at 12:18 PM ^

Hell yea, Fuck Crowell and Fuck Belleville. I am right there with you and I have friends with kids that go school there and like the school. But the coach is a hardcore Spartan, much more than he shows publicly. He actions need to have consequences, we don't need them. No offers for Belleville kids going foward.

WorldwideTJRob

April 19th, 2018 at 10:42 AM ^

The point is that it was unecessary, Lavert is arguably one of our top 3 players on defense and performed very well when thrust into a starting role as a relatively green CB last year. Don Brown challenges his players and is as intense as they come, I’ve never once heard him challenge a player through the press like this. After watching “All or Nothing” on Amazon, Jim Harbaugh could’ve ripped JOK, Peters & Speight in the press for their practice habits but he never did. He praised them in public at every opportunity but was getting on them behind the scenes to coach them up. The point is not if he could’ve said it, it’s simply why? No one wins from this because we can not here Lavert come out and speak and give his side to this story.

OwenGoBlue

April 19th, 2018 at 9:50 AM ^

Some guys don’t like to practice unless they feel like a million bucks, which is different than practicing injured. Pain does not necessarily mean something is actually wrong and you’re risking further damage, especially on a sport with so many bruises and aches. I can’t say if that’s Hill but I trust the Michigan medical staff to evaluate players and there’s no talk of doctors holding Hill out. Some coaches do conflate pain and injury to pressure a legitimately injured player to play but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the case here. You’re slippery sloping hard on this one.

ak47

April 19th, 2018 at 9:03 AM ^

Also this isn't going to help with in state recruiting either which is shitty with a stacked in state class. Obviously not going to get Dobbs now.

leftrare

April 19th, 2018 at 10:21 AM ^

I think Crowell's attitude toward Michigan is either the cause of his players coolness to Michigan or it's a reaction to Michigan's coolness to them.  Either way, for whatever reason, it appears Belleville is whatever you'd call the opposite of a Pipeline.

Notice we're not hearing from the MLK or Cass Tech coaches on this.

ak47

April 19th, 2018 at 9:30 AM ^

Just said its a shitty year to have a bad in state year. Dobbs is a top 10 national recruit at a position of need. We lost another in state top 100 linemen at a position of need to wisconsin and as of right now might not get a single top 10 player in the state in a year where Michigan actually has some nationally ranked guys. Its not sky is falling but it sure as shit isn't ideal to have the coaches of king and belleville pissed off at your school considering they are two of the top producing talent schools in the detroit area and cass tech has sent as many top players to osu as they have michigan over the last 5 years so its not quite the lockdown pipeline you'd like it to be either.

HAIL-YEA

April 19th, 2018 at 12:22 PM ^

So what is your solution? You want Harbaugh to go suck this Sparty's dick? You want Zordich to change his coaching style? You can kiss his ass all you want and he will still steer kids away from here. You just gotta ignore him and his kids and go after the ones you have a fair shot with. 

WorldwideTJRob

April 19th, 2018 at 10:52 AM ^

King coaches were pissed at us and Harbaugh like a good coach went and had a conversation with them man to man, got things smoothed over and we got Lavert and Ambry from there. Jim behind the scenes I’m sure has reached out to get more of an understanding of Crowell’s comments and will take it from there.

bronxblue

April 19th, 2018 at 9:43 AM ^

Oh look, a HS coach who wants attention. Never seen that before. Zordich said nothing remotely controversial. He said he think Hill could probably okay through the injury but he also has to feel right. Coaches say that all the time and nobody cares, because usually the guy plays through said injuries. I don't blame Hill for not going out there in spring if he doesn't feel good, but a coach should have a little leeway in saying that he needs to see guys on the field to figure out where they can play.