To the coaching staff of the San Sebastian College Recoletos basketball team,
I’m writing this as a concerned observer and as someone who genuinely cares about basketball and the athletes who dedicate themselves to it.
You were players once. You know what it feels like to work hard, to wait for your moment, and to trust that your coaches see your effort.
That is why what is happening right now is difficult to ignore.
There are players who consistently show up, train, and stay ready. Some have already proven they can perform in actual games. Yet in the games that follow, they are not played, and no explanation is given.
Not even feedback.
When a player gathers the courage to ask directly for clarity and gets no response, that is not guidance. That is being left in the dark.
At the same time, some of these players are not even properly supported. They are managing their own expenses, their own recovery, and still showing up every day because they love the game and want to earn their place.
So they keep working.
And they keep wondering.
Inside the team, there is already a growing belief that playing time is not always aligned with effort or recent performance. Whether or not that is your intention, the lack of communication is what allows that belief to grow.
And it is affecting them.
Confidence drops. Motivation fades. Doubt builds. It does not stay on the court. It follows them home. It stays with them.
These are students. These are young athletes still forming how they see themselves, their value, and their future. The way they are coached, spoken to, or not spoken to, has a real impact on their mental health.
Ignoring that impact does not make it disappear.
This is not just about one player. This is something more than one of them is going through, and many are afraid to speak because of the position you hold.
That should already tell you something.
Coaching is not only about deciding who plays. It is about leading, communicating, and being accountable for the people you are developing.
If decisions are fair and based on merit, then explaining them should not be difficult.
Right now, what is missing is not effort from the players. It is clarity and responsibility from leadership.
I hope this makes you pause and really think about how your decisions, and your silence, are affecting the people who trust you.
Because they deserve better than being left to figure it out on their own.
A concerned observer