Senior Experience

Every really good team I've been associated with had great senior
leadership...at the end of the bench. 3 or 4 mature kids that had
been program players, understood their role, practiced their
rear-ends off, and were willing to help others achieve their goals.
The bench was less "squirrelly" and those players understood the way
we did things so they could be another set of eyes for the players
that did play.

Those teams always had 4 or 5 guys that might not be as good a
basketball player as the top 3-5 players on the JV team. But why
have those underclassroom at the end of a 15 player bench when they
can get more reps and minutes on the Junior Varsity.

Make those players feel special on a daily basis, praise them
relentlessly, mention them to reporters, let them know that their
efforts are as important as the top 8 players, lavish them on Senior
Night, and make a big deal about them at the banquet.

Often times, those are the kids that keep in touchthe most, come
back the most, and end up being coaches in your program.