GOLD STANDARD COACHING @CoachLok

I thought I would share an e-mail exchange that my Principal sent to a parent who had complaints over his son's playing time. The parent responded to the Principals first email, offering *videotape proof*, which precipitated a follow up message by the Principal to make his position clear. It is really good stuff, so I hope you bear with the length. I really appreciated the administrative support on this issue. Names have been deleted to protect the ***guilty*** !:?) Here goes: #1 Dear Mr. ********: Thank you for the email with follow-up information following our telephone conversation of yesterday. As I suspected, and your email confirmed, the "problem" that you wanted to discuss is a matter of playing time and/or role on the team for a particular student-athlete, your son ********. You need to be aware that our policy is that it is totally the coach's decision as to whom and how much an individual student-athlete should play. Since yesterday I did have the opportun...

This article is from a series of posts that occurred at the Coaching Hoops Yahoo! Group. Here is how one parent and son dealt with not making the team. Being cut can be a difficult experience for all (players don't want to be cut, parents don't want their son or daughter to be cut and can find it difficult when there is nothing they can do to help, and coaches really don't enjoy when having to make cuts). If there is one way to deal with it, display phenomenal character, and be a role model for others, this is it! The initial cry for help: GUYS, I REALLY NEED SOME HELP WITH THIS ONE PLEASE Hello Everyone, I need another perspective, besides mine, regarding my son being cut by the coach. We moved to a new town in Texas. My kid was not known in the area and most of the players on the team came up from Middle School or participated in the Coaches camps, and were known. Anyway, he made the Freshman A team. As the season went on, I witnessed my son's mental toughness test...

In "The Legend of Bagger Vance" the movie was in a golf setting but was a tremendous analogy for coaching, life, or the game of basketball. The title character is a mysterious caddie and in many ways, the consummate coach. Bagger Vance helps a down-on-his-luck golfer named Junuh find the deep place inside, where his ego is quiet and where he can “be” with only himself, and where he can be at one with himself. The vehicle for his transformation is the game of golf where he becomes one with the game. This is only possible when he sets aside his ego and the need to validate himself with individual achievement. At one critical point in the movie Bagger says, "...it’s time...time for you to see the field...feel that focus. Alotta shots to choose from, duffs `n` tops `n` skulls. But only ONE shot is in perfect harmony with the field. An "authentic shot". And that shot chooses YOU. There’s a perfect shot out there trying to find each and every one of us - and all we g...

When we coach young kids there are a few premises that we need to keep in mind: 1. Players participate for a variety of different reasons. 2. It's rarely going to mean as much to them as it does to you. 3. We do not know what 100% is for each kid - only they can tell us. 4. Players don't know how much they have to give until they've experienced it. 5. Sometimes we won't get 100% but we should strive to get more than yesterday. If we can create an environment where it is fun to try without the fear of failure, kids will begin to give us a little better effort every day. And the funny thing is - it doesn't really change much as they get older. I heard an interview recently with the Washington State point guard, Derrick Lowe. The legendary coach Dick Bennett retired and the job was passed to his son, Tony. Both are GREAT coaches. Lowe was asked why they were having such a great season after being picked last in the Pac 10 preseason poll. He said, "Last year we tri...

Coaches should try to schedule games against teams that will present somewhat of a challenge. While padding the schedule with wins may seem attractive, playing teams of inferior talent will actually hinder a teams development. However, many times in preseason tournaments obvious mismatches between two teams occur or a league may be set up where you have to play someone far inferior. The tough thing for coaches in this situation is figuring out a way for their team to get everything out of the game that they can, without humiliating the opponent. Coaches, in the 1st half - do your thing, play your game, anything goes. If the lead starts to get real big, your regulars may not be benefiting anyway, so play your substitutes a little more. Mix up some lineups and play a couple of subs with the starters. You may find a diamond in the rough. Try a player at a different position. You may get a pleasant surprise. If you know ahead of time it might go this way, it's not a bad time to reward ...

In every sport there is always post-season talk about Player of the Year or MVP. I remembered a quote from an article on a POY a few years back. Read this link for some perspective from both the player and the coaches perspective. http://lang.sgvtribune.com/socal/preps/articles/031902/tpoy.asp It happened one June afternoon long before our championship season was to get underway. I had a conversation with my senior standout, John Haywood, as we glanced into the trophy case at the retired uniforms. None belonged to a boys basketball player. "You know how you get yours up there?" I asked Haywood. "Set some records?" Haywood responded. "No,you have to be Player of the Year, and that usually goes to the MVP of the team that wins a (CIF-Southern Section) championship." A few moments passed before a big smile appeared on Haywood's face. Several months later that smile grew bigger after Haywood led our team to the Division III-AA title. For his efforts, Hayw...

As I sit and watch some college basketball and a flurry of "bad" (IMHO) shots off of the dribble, a thought re-occured to me that I've used in comments on other topics - but it stands alone as a valid philosophical question. There is always so much talk about whether a player can "create his own shot" well enough to play at the next level. My question is: "Outside of the last 10 seconds of a shot clock, if you have to *create your own shot* - maybe you shouldn't take it ?"

Thank goodness for Tivo. I just got finished watching the US/Greece debacle again. And repeatedly "rewinding". First time put it on in the background during some work. It was not necessarily the US inability to guard the P&R as it was Greek proficiency at executing it. The US mixed up the manner in how they defended it (or couldn't decide-not sure which) The screeners defender would step out-the screener would slip it and be open in the middle of the lane The on ball defender would go under-the dribbler would pull and hit a 3 The defenders would switch-the Greeks would exploit the mismatch and go inside The defenders would double the ball-the dribbler would back dribble to avoid pressure and hit the roll The screener's defender would help until the on ball defender could recover-then the screener would Pick & Pop to hit a 3 The USA off ball defenders would help on the driver-and the open man would hit a 3 They'd try to deny-and get beat with a backdoor At ...

I guess that Bronze is better than the 6th place finish in the Athens 2004 Olympics. As an end result-a little disappointing. However, looking at this as the first step in the journey to the Olympics in 2008, it may have been progress. The need to play in the qualifying tornament next summer may turn out to be a blessing, giving us another handful of games to come around. Taking the step to a "National Program" of 20 players making that 3 year commitment may, over time, enable us to adapt to a different style of offense that we face in international play. In the 3rd place game, Argentina played a little more "American "style of offense with some staggerd screens, penetration and isolations. We handled the "short term offense" much better than the continuous moving, screening and cutting that other international teams play. Our defensive deficiencies are pretty easy to trace - but more difficult to fix. The players that we have are young NBA players and we...

The sport of basketball in the USA has changed. The game that is being played is some spiced up, yet watered down version of what Dr. James Naismith invented. Try that with a favorite soup recipe. Add a whole bunch of spices - then throw in an extra quart of water. Not too good, is it? The United States developed this game, and now they are destroying the game as we knew it. Maybe it is just evolving into something different. Something more resembling that old made-for-TV "SlamBall" than the game of skill, finesse and accuracy that Naismith`s game required to become successful. But ancient Greco-Roman wrestling evolved into WWF professional wrestling. That doesn`t make it better. Maybe it is more "entertaining" if you are not a thinking man. More "action" around the ball (I see less action away from the ball)and more "spectacular" plays (I see less intelligent decisions). I have to believe that their are still some people that appreciate the 2-1 ...

Not to take too big of a quantum leap here, but stick with me on this. It has been pretty widely accepted that a successful athletic program boosts pride in the student body and the institutional alumni. Those alums are the ones making financial contributions to the institution and those contributions are used for everything from building construction to funding the research that may go on in those buildings. Who knows what great and valuable things that happen in those buildings or what comes from that research. Any athletic programs apppearance on TV is potentially the greatest commercial that the institution can afford. Imagine how much UConn would have to pay for 2 hours of TV commercials. Instead THEY get paid to be on TV. I've often tried to convince principals (some agree and some don't) that it is no different in high school. While what goes on in the classroom may be more important in the grand scheme of life (somewhat debatable) the results of a students math test is ...

Coaches are always looking for the secret to a teams success, and I, alomg with others, have developed long laundry lists of qualities and attributes that we want the team to strive to develop. I`ve tried to simplify that long list to the lowest common denominators. If players truly CARE about their teammates, THINK about their actions and TRY their best, the team will grow into a unit, and begin to be the best that they can be - on and off the court. CARE. When teams begin to work together and go thru the everyday effort they develop a certain comraderie that forces them to truly CARE about their teammates. When that happens, they will do everything that they can not to let their teammates down. Everyone must accept teammates and coaches as they are and mold themselves into whatever is necessary to make US successful. As a group remember the goodness required to enjoy each other and have fun while participating in this great game. In our off-the-court lives, it means contributing our ...

There needs to be more consistency in determining the fine line between advantage /disadvantage and what is called in one area of the floor should be called elsewhere, what is called at one point in the game should be called in all points of the game. But I'm not sure that, in the long run, it would be a free throw contest as is sometimes suggested. Don't you think that players (and coaches) would simply learn not to foul. They'd have to, or they wouldn't play. They'd get in foul trouble and have to sit. They'd start to give up points at the free throw line. So they would change. In football changes were adopted to add action and tempo to games such as the extent of downfield contact a defender could have with an eligible receiver was restricted; wide receivers blocking back toward the ball within three yards of the line of scrimmage were prevented from blocking below the waist, the pass-blocking rule was interpreted to permit the extending of arms and open hand...

Yahoo! Groups : Basketball-Coaching Messages : Parents are parents. BUT, parents at private schools sometimes feel a little more entitlement because they pay tuition. Nip that early by letting everyone know where you stand, what is allowable and what is off-linmits. However, you MUST be willing to communicate them. Too many coaches have failed in private school settings by being 'unnaproachable'. Develop a relationship with parents/boosters that shows that you are working together. An interesting way of looking at the player/coach relationship, is that players don�t play FOR us, but rather we work FOR our players to assist them in developing into the players and people that they are capable of becoming. Naturally, we need to do this within the team concept and keeping in mind what is also best for the group. Finding that balance is truly the one of the most important tasks that the basketball coach has. We talk to staff all the time about coaching the way that we would want our...

NBA age limit : When debating the proposed 20 year old age limit in the NBA draft, I'm not certain that an age limit is what the NBA is really searching for. It is not really a certain age that they want, but rather a ceratin level of maturity and preparation. In both basketball and life. The league seems to be concerned with their "image" and how prepared their players are for life off of the court. Possibly they now see that being in the league carries some responsibility and is not all about basketball ability. It is also about being a representative and spokesperson for a multi-billion dollar industry. A high school diploma does not pepare most for that burden. Nor does simply reaching a certain age. Restrictions on age might even be considered unlawful or at the very least, unethical. But most jobs require certain qualifications. Look in todays classified ads. Nearly every job lists qualifications. Most say a bachelors degree is necessary while some employers requi...