GOLD STANDARD COACHING @CoachLok

CBS 60 Minutes did a fabulous piece on Hall of Fame Coach Bob Hurley, from "Miracle on St Anthony" fame. Coaches that are a little "rough around the edges" (to borrow a good friends phrase) can be very polarizing in circles that evaluate their, performance, effectiveness, and quality of the players' experience. Some quotes from the story really caught my attention. First, Coach Hurley doesn't sugar coach anything and players. They absolutely know what they're getting into. Coach Hurley says, "I'm still one of the most demanding people that the kids are gonna come across" But at the same time, that demanding nature comes form a great place. " I think everybody can be better than they think they can be." And being a former Parole Officer in New Jersey, he's used to working with a tough crowd. "I'm dealing with adolescent males," Hurley said. "And in order to get them to perform on a regular basis, this grou...

Close games become a way of life for coaches and teams on all levels. Successful teams are prepared for end of the game situations. It is often this five or ten minutes a day which coaches spend on end of the game situations that makes the difference between a district title, a berth in the state tournament or a disappointing trip home. It is very important to not assume that your players know what to do! Try to work on special situations every day. Here are some questions all coaches should ask themselves. The answers will vary according to your personal philosophy and your team’s strengths. Then share those answers with the team and prepare them to execute: Do you push the ball and play or call a timeout to set up the last shot? How do you intentionally miss a free throw? With a three-point lead, do you want to foul before a three-point shot is taken? Do your players know when to foul? How to foul? Do you have a sign or call so your players know to foul without alerting the other t...