With this being the middle of August (wow, where did the summer go), and many of you coaches getting ready for the upcoming season, I wanted to talk about a recent and very relatable topic thread from the X's and O's Coaching forum debating the merits of having open practices. I've had the opportunity to observe several practices from local high school coaches around where I live and I've always appreciated that chance. As a result, my opinion has become more impartial towards the idea of open practices. But still, I can also understand why some coaches have serious reservations with the open practice concept. Here is a summary of the pros and cons:
Pros
- by being as transparent as possible, it helps with disarming the administration in that they can see for themselves how practices are run should it become an issue, and also to confirm who is present and who is missing.
- helps for parents to see what their kids are doing in practice, gives them an idea of the kind of offense and defense to be played in games.
- for parents of kids that won't play much in season, a chance to see their sons/daughters in action with the rest of the team, and not just sitting on the bench.
Cons
- distractions, if girlfriends and boyfriends are allowed to sit and watch, it can cause your players to lose their concentration.
- parental interference, parents who are used to coaching their own kids may not be able to resist the temptation to gesture or even pull their son/daughter aside and coach from the bleachers.
- performance anxiety based on Zajonc’s Theory of Social Facilitation as the audience can hinder skill development -- players tend to do what they can already do well rather than trying new skills.
Summary
I think most of the coaches agreed that possibly having a limited number of open practices at the beginning of the season is a good idea, but with the following rules:
1. Only parents/siblings and school staff allowed. No friends.
2. Observers must sit far enough away so as not to be a visual or oral distraction.
3. No open practices during tryouts.
Another possible concept is to have part of every practice, open. For example, during the first 1.5 hours of practice, you might want the full undivided attention of your players, and the final 30 minutes might be some full court continuous drills which you will allow outsiders to observe.
Hope that helps...
Should You or Should You Not Have Open Practices?
Posted by bruchu Labels: Motivation and LeadershipEverybody's talking about Lebron James and his quick exit in Game 6 on Saturday night. After losing the game, James bolted for the locker room never shaking a hand, skipped the post-game news conference and headed home. After catching up to him more than a day later, all Lebron could muster up for his show of disrespect was:
"I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. You know me, I’m a competitor. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them, it doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand."Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo!Sports wrote an article about it today. The sentiment around the blogosphere is mostly about the same, that Lebron is a sore loser and nobody around him wants to tell him that because they coddle him. Yes, he acted selfish and immature and nobody around him wants to chew him out, but why is that?
What I see missing in all the chatter is some of the psychological reasons why Lebron acted the way he did. Certainly, some of it can be blamed on celebrity culture, or too much money too young. But what nobody is talking about is Lebron's upbringing, and specifically the lack of a strong male-figure growing up. Sure, he lived with some coaches in between years when his mother was unable to take care of him, but nothing can substitute for the real father figure that Lebron never had.
In Wojnarowski's article, he states that Kobe never acted that way when he lost (Kobe grew up privileged with a father who was a professional basketball player and coached him in high school). Jordan always shook hands graciously when losing to the Pistons (Jordan was known to be really close to his father). Wojnarowski lists Isiah Thomas as an example of a supposed classy guy who walked out without shaking hands when the Pistons lost to the Bulls (Thomas's father left his family of 8 kids when he was just 3 years old).
Am I saying that if one grows up fatherless they will always act immature, and if one grows up with 2 parents they will always act normally? No, there are examples of guys who grew up without fathers or had abusive fathers and still act appropriately like Julius Erving or Larry Bird, and vice versa (ie. Barry Bonds). Nor am I saying that it's a race issue, because white players who grew up without fathers like Chris Andersen of the Nuggets, or Roger Clemens in the majors, or Jeremy Shockey in the NFL have all also exhibited similar attitude problems.
With this being June and Father's Day right around the corner, Lebron's behavior serves to underscore the point that fathers make a difference. Lebron never learned how to be gracious in defeat because those kinds of hard life lessons are usually learned from your father which Lebron never really had. The values we hold as individuals are in large part given to us by our parents, and when one or two of your parents are absent, where will those values come from?? Nobody around Lebron is going to tell him he acted like baby and he should apologize because that is something a father would tell him, not his teammates, not the owner. Coaches, teachers, and mentors can help, but nothing can substitute for the real thing.
One of the things that I really came to enjoy doing this past season was planning practices. After being an assistant the past 5 years, I never really had much input into the practice plan so I just filled in to coach wherever needed. As a head coach, I think it's one of the most important aspects of the job. To me, practice time is sacred, I feel like the best way to evaluate a coach is to observe that coach running a practice. And so I take it extremely seriously as to exactly what I am teaching, why I am teaching it, and what I want the players to be able to do. There really is so much that goes into it, and here are just some of the philosophical questions to answer as you plan your practices:
- How many periods do you have in your practice?
- When do make announcements on housekeeping and logistical items (rides, fundraising, etc..)?
- Do you have an offensive practice and a separate defensive practice? Or do you do both each day?
- How do you setup your teams? Starters vs non-starters, or do you even up the teams?
- When do you do install periods - beginning, middle, or end?
- When do you do conditioning?
- Do you have closed or open practices where parents and other coaches can observe?
I don't think there are any right or wrong answers, but there is a lot that you should think about when preparing for the season, and for each practice. I will make this a 2 or 3 part series of posts (hopefully done over the weekend), and I'll start off by explaining a little bit of how I've structured my practice plan template. Below is the link that I used this past season for planning my practices and the rest of the post explains how it works.
Practice Template in Excel Format
It is an excel worksheet template and I use the same file for all practices in a week (we practice 2 times a week). The last sheet is a drill worksheet that lists all the drills that I use by category (ball-handling, dribbling, shooting, defense, 1v1, team, etc...). The drill worksheet is handy because when I start planning and want to look for drills that I want to use that week, I can just scan it and pick the ones that I want and paste them into the practice plan sheet. The template also includes small court diagrams on the second page when printed. I always print double-sided, so I get the practice plan for the practice on the frontside, then the court diagrams on the backside. That way, I can draw in any X's and O's on the fly on the backside if something comes to me just before practice, during practice, or after practice.
I always print off 2 copies of the practice plan (sometimes 3 if I have an assistant coach working with me). The first copy goes into the binder that I keep, and the second copy I fold up and carry with me in my pocket during practices. I often take notes during practice of what worked, what didn't work, etc.. I then go back to the copy in my binder and record the attendance, and write down any final notes. The folded up copy goes into the recycling bin. In my opinion, you must keep a recorded copy, that way when parents come up with any number of questions and concerns, you can go back to your records and show who was at practices and what they did during practice.
In Part 2, I will upload a copy of an offensive practice, and break down my philosophy of how I break down an offensive practice (and yes, I do believe in having an offensive emphasis practice and a separate defensive emphasis practice).
When you go in the lion's den, you don't tippy toe in — you carry a spear, you go in screaming like a banshee, you kick whatever doors in, and say, 'Where's the SOB?' -- Brian Billick, former Head Coach of the Baltimore Ravens
I was reading something the other day from Brian Billick (who is now a FOX Sports football analyst) and I came across the quote above. I remember when he said it, it was 2000, the year the Ravens won the Superbowl. They had just beaten the heavily favored Tennessee Titans in Tennessee in the playoffs and a reporter asked him in the press conference why Billick was so confident they would beat the favored Titans. That's when he replied with the now famous quote: "When you go in the lion's den..."
It's still smack dab in the middle of the summer but I'm already jacked up about the upcoming seasons for both football and basketball. The school I am at has a storied basketball tradition and our Varsity team is touted as a pre-season championship contender. By contrast, the Varsity football team (relatively new, in year five) graduated most of the talent and is predicted to finish dead last in our division, the prep beat writer wrote in his preseason predictions that we would be lucky to survive the season. What's interesting is people think that it must be weird to have the two opposing set of expectations. I tell them the expectation for both is the same, to get into the playoffs and win a championship.
As coaches, there's always talk about what makes a championship team, or how to turn around a struggling program. By moving around and being a part of both rebuilding programs, and championship teams, I've seen what has worked, what hasn't, and I've had many chances to reflect on these ideas. There is one commonality regardless of the situation you find yourself in. As a coach, you must never compromise your expectations; you have to set high standards and commit yourself fully to achieving them. Coaches lead, and players get their confidence from us as coaches, and they lose it just as easily from us as coaches as well. If you're going to stand in front of all of your players before a game, before a season and say "lets just try to survive out there", or "I think we have an OK shot at winning," what kind of message do you think you are sending your players. You've already thrown up the white flag before the fight.
As a teacher, I've had the similar opportunity to teach in both public and private schools. Last year, I taught at a prep school which boasted a 100% university admission rate, and was ranked as one of the top high schools in the country. People always think that prep school kids are smarter, or more studious than public school kids, that it's a matter of money and genetics. That's a load of BS. There is one singular difference between private and public, successful and unsuccessful -- level of expectations. Prep school kids (and their parents) expect their kids to go to college and get good jobs. The kids at public schools who have similar expectations do just as well. The kids (and their parents) who have low expectations achieve what they aim for, mediocrity or lower.
Back to coaching to close. Some of you are probably reading this and are skeptical. You say, "yah, but Coach, we're just not a good team this year". The question I ask you is this: Did your preparation change as a coach when you were a "good" team? Do you take your foot off the pedal because the team you have this year isn't a "championship contender"? Winning is hard, winning championships is even harder -- a lot of things have to fall into place and a lot of things are out of your control. I get that, we all do. But you are in control of how you plan and prepare for your season, and each game. A coach is a leader, and part of being a leader is to set the expectation. As your seasons approach, I ask you to assess and evaluate your expectations of your own teams? What kind of signals are you giving to your players? Coaches, I'm asking you to stop tippy-toeing and kick that freakin' door in.
Before practices begin, most of you varsity coaches out there have tryouts to organize. If you're a large school, that probably means a lot of kids to go through. There are a lot of tryout templates, samples, etc.. which you can download, but just for something interesting to look at, here is a sample NBA workout used by the Charlotte Bobcats a couple of years ago in a 4 guard format:
1:30-3:15 Testing Evaluation
STRESS POINTS: Finishing strong and not quitting.
1) Footwork (9 square grid) pattern middle first
2) Push-ups in a minute
3) Vertical - also with arms already up
4) Broad jump
5) Cone jumps - 10secs
6) Cone slides: sprint, back pedal, slides, karaoke, sprint-touch cones
7) Slide to sideline to layup = 1 minute (9 makes)
8) Baseline to baseline sprint, then with ball (L& R)
9) Ball handling (in-outs, cross overs) to ½ and back
3:15-3:20 Dribble Warm-Up
3:20-3:40 Spot Shooting
A) Wing-Base-Elbow Shooting (shoot 10)
B) "W" Shooting Drill
C) 3 pt Shooting Spots
3:40-3:50 Fast Break Scoring
A) Catch and shoot
B) Catch and go
C) Off the dribble
3:50-4:10 Screens
Finishing with:
A) Curl "j"
B) Fade "show and go"
C) Catch and go "step back"
D) Triple threat "spin"
E) 1 on 1 (3 dribbles) 4:10-4:30 2 on 2 - 3 on 3
A) Power
B) Zipper
C) "Down" (Flex)
4:30-4:35 2 on 2 Full Court Pressure "D"
Summary:
I think that for tryouts, you really need to plan and prepare a lot in advance. You need to be as fair as possible allowing everybody the opportunity to show what they can do. I also think you should be as honest as possible with both players and parents, let them know what you're looking for and how they will be evaluated. In the end, some kids/parents will be happy, others not, but at least you need to prove that the evaluation was transparent and fair.
If you want more information on how to organize better practices, look no further than Don Meyer's brand new DVD on Practice Planning, all for the bargain price of $35.00. Coach Meyer is the head coach of DivII Northern State University and the second winningest coach in college basketball history. Head over to the X's and O's Basketball forum to discuss this and many more of your favorite basketball topics.
This is from ESPN's Outside the Lines report last week if you haven't seen it yet. I've known for some time that NCAA Div1 scholarships are only 1 year renewable since I used to work for Rivals and this came up all the time. But I think a lot of high school students and parents are under the impression that they are getting a 4-year commitment from the University, which is definitely not the case. I've known people personally who've lost their scholarships and come back home to attend/play for local schools. Anyways, it definitely pays off to know all the facts,
Essential Reflection Questions for Practice Planning
Posted by bruchu Labels: Motivation and LeadershipThroughout the year, I think its important to constantly assess how well your practices are being executed. Making adjustments along the way, and finding out what your players can do well, what they need to continue working on, and in which ways do they respond best to. Mostly obvious stuff, but sometimes coaching, teaching, family, etc... can get in the way of reflection. Here are some essential questions based on some notes I dug up by Mike Dunlap on practice planning and assessment:
Time Allotment and Tempo
Do you have a practice schedule worked out for the year?
It's important for your players, parents, other teachers, and administration to know when practices are taking place. In the 24/7 world we live in now, this is a must. Do your players respond better to morning, afterschool, or evening practices? Be prepared to adjust to your team's needs.
How efficient are your practices?
As coaches, we often complain about the lack of practice time, but have you asked yourself exactly how you are utilizing the practice time you have? How many times are players standing around waiting in line? How much time are players simulating the tempo of real game situations? Lastly, but most importantly are you setting aside enough time for teaching?
Process and Emphasis
What is your process for teaching?
Dunlap's 5 laws of learning: 1) Tell them 2) Show them 3) Have them show you 4) Correct the demonstration 5) Repetition. What is your methodology, whole or part? Whole at the beginning of the season, part at the end, according to Dunlap. Is your process the best way to reach your players, could there be a better way?
What do you emphasize?
You can't be everything, you are what you emphasize, simplicity with detail. You should develop your own vocabulary with your players to help with the key concepts you want them to grasp. Test your players every day, do they get what you are trying to emphasize and why?
Why are you doing what you are doing?
As a coach, you need to have a vision, a credo, a mission statement. Know where you are going as a team, then ask yourself "where are we at currently, and how do we get to where we want to go?"
Assessment and Evaluation
What are your expectations?
Assume nothing, make sure everything you are asking your players to do is exactly what you require them to do. Peer pressure is your friend, the player voice is more powerful than yours -- "higher order of teaching". Have individual, small, and big group expectations.
How do you evaluate your players?
Everything you do in practice should be competitive, time/score, reward/punishment. Have a briefing before practices and a debrief after practices. KWL, what they know, what they want to know, what they learned.
How do you know your players are improving?
Skill will most likely not improve significantly over the course of the season, but you can measure their effort. Know the physical capabilities of your players (heart rates, recovery rates). The toughness test, contact drills to build up physical and mental toughness.
For more great practice insights, check out Geno Auriemma's new All Access Practice DVD. Coach Auriemma is of course the longtime head coach of the UConn women's team.
Coach John Wooden on Victory With Honor and Coach as Teacher
Posted by bruchu Labels: Motivation and LeadershipMost of y'all have probably seen this already, if not, you really must see it. It is an interview with legendary coach John Wooden talking about Victory with Honor. The idea of coach as teacher and to remember that we ultimately we teach people not basketball. Here is the youtube link below (about 10 minutes long),
Some notes from the video, if you want the coles notes version without watching the video:
Victory with Honor
- there is too much emphasis on winning today
- the coach is first and foremost a teacher
- before Coach Wooden was a coach, he taught English for many years
- the 4 laws of learning in English, are the same applied to coaching
- the teacher has to be more concerned about the entire learning process, than just in the content. Same goes for sports
- its easy to get carried away with win loss record
- Coach Wooden was more disappointed in parents who were concerned with their children getting an A or B than in whether they really learned anything
- Our society is too concerned about athlete first, and not student before athlete
- high school coaches, are really just teachers
- it made Coach Wooden a better coach, the fact that he taught English before. It helped in organization skills, and helped in dealing with athletes as individuals
- the job of the coach is therefore to analyze each individual and help them achieve their maximum potential
- each player is different, therefore they must be treated differently
- Please always ask, "what is your most successful team??" Coach Wooden's response, "I won't know in 25 years."
- most treasured medal or prize according to Coach Wooden was the academic medal, it holds the most value for individual achievement
If you've read this blog any in the past year or so, you'll know my feeling on the AAU/High School debate. Last week, former NBA and NCAA division I coach Don Casey who runs a great blog called The Temple of Zones, posted his thoughts on a variety of subjects regarding the state of the game. In response to a question about AAU basketball, he had this to say (Sorry, but the all-caps is direct from Casey's blog. I've bolded and italicized for emphasis):
How can we limit the AAU coaches and 'handlers?' THIS IS THE TOUGHEST QUESTION THAT YOU HAVE POSED. IT IS A MUST FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL COACHES TO RETURN TO SOME SEMBLANCE OF IMPORTANCE IN THE LIVES OF THEIR PLAYERS. THE ELEMENT OF ACADEMICS IS TOTALLY NEGLECTED BY THESE PEOPLE APART FROM WRITING WHATEVER GPA’S AND SAT SCORES THE KID TELLS THE COACH. Ahmen! WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS A CRIME. CERTIFICATION IS PROBABLY THE ONLY ANSWER. THEY MUST PASS A SERIES OF CLINICS/WORKSHOPS, ETC. TO QUALIFY TO BE RECOGNIZED AS AN “AAU COACH”. SIMPLY PUT, THE MAJORITY OF THE AAU COACHES DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES OF DEALING WITH YOUTH TEAMS. MOST HAVE NOT HAD ANY FORMAL EXPOSURE TO SOCIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES APART FROM THEIR OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCES. THE ISSUES OF PRACTICE ORGANIZATION, REPETITIONS, TEACHING MODALITIES, GAME STRATEGY, CONDITIONING, AND THESE COMPONENTS ARE SELDOM UNDERSTOOD BY THESE COACHES. MANY ARE WELL INTENTIONED BUT DO NOT HAVE ANY HISTORY OF PUTTING IN THE TIME TO ACHIEVE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO TEACH/COACH. THE ISSUE OF “HANDLERS” IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PROBLEM. THEY ARE COMPLETELY MONEY ORIENTED AND DON’T CONCERN THEMSELVES WITH THE HUMAN ELEMENT ALTHOUGH IT IS THAT HUMAN ELEMENT, MOSTLY GREED, THAT HAS THEM INVOLVED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THEY DO NOT PAY DUES. THEY PAY KIDS, PARENTS, AAU COACHES, FRIENDS OF PLAYERS, ETC. TO GET CONTROL OF KIDS AND FURTHER THEIR OWN EARNING POTENTIAL. I KNOW OF NO LEGISLATION THAT CAN ELIMINATE THESE PEOPLE FROM THE SCENE. THE AMERICAN FREE-ENTERPRISE SYSTEM IS ALIVE AND WELL AND THE “RUNNERS” OR “HANDLERS” ARE A PART OF THE AAU LANDSCAPE AND HERE FOR THE LONG HAUL. ONLY MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS WITH PLAYERS CAN ALERT THEM TO THE PERILS INVOLVED WITH CONTACT WITH THESE PEOPLE. REMEMBER, THESE ARE YOUNG KIDS AND EASILY IMPRESSED BY THE “BLING” OF THESE HANDLERS. KIDS ARE NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO GREY HAIRED GUYS TALKING ABOUT THE VULTURES OUT THERE SETTING THEM UP FOR 3, 4, 5, 6 YEARS DOWN THE LINE.
Further to that, on the topic of the spring/summer basketball season, Casey's view on NCAA influence:
What rules should the NCAA have on summer play? NONE. THE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FEDERATION OF COACHES SHOULD PROVIDE THE RULES. THE NCAA HAS INFLUENCE ONLY DURING THE RECRUITING TIME (RULES, POLICY, ETC.) AND THEY NEED TO STAY OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL BUSINESS AT THIS POINT. THE NCAA CAN CERTAINLY HUDDLE WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL HEAVEYWEIGHTS TO COME TO SOME SEMBLANCE OF A REASONABLE SET OF STANDARDS BUT IT MUST NECESSARILY COME FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONS. FURTHER, BY SO DOING, IT WILL ENCOURAGE THE RE-ENTRY OF HIGH SCHOOL COACHES INTO THE LIVES AND FUTURES OF THEIR PLAYERS.
I don't think I could have said it better myself...
From yesterday's Pardon the Interruption on ESPN, a 5 minute interview with Phil Jackson. He talked amongst alot of different topics including this season, the Lakers fast start, other good teams, etc... From a coaching aspect, I really liked the topic of the "Orchestrating Feud?" (3 minute mark) I don't care where you coach, there are always distractions every coach has to deal with. Whether they are from parents, that star player which is getting all the pub that comes with being a D1 prospect, cliques within the team, as a coach, it is your job to make sure that when it comes to basketball, they are focused on the task, on the ultimate goal. Coaching is as much about conflict resolution and communication so that your players understand what you want out of them. For Coach Jackson, think of all the distractions his teams have had to deal with, Rodman, MJ un-retiring, Kobe-Shaq, Kobe trial, etc... Through it all, he's been able to win 9 NBA championships as a coach, not bad for all he has had to put up with.
For more info on the Lakers' famed triangle offense take a look at Tex Winter's DVD on the Encyclopedia of the Triangle Offense. Coach Winters is of course the longtime assistant to Phil Jackson. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's Basketball Forum to discuss this and any of your favorite basketball topics.
Season is starting to heat up, no doubt all of you coaches out there are starting practices soon. I receive this great newsletter from Coach Duane Silver every week or so and the one from last week was really great. Coach breaks down 11 things to think about for the coming season, take a look:
"THINGS TO THINK ABOUT DOING THIS SEASON"
By Duane Silver
1. Have a teacher of the week and have him/her come to the game and introduce them to the crowd before the game. If you have two home games in a week you will need to pick two teachers. (You might pick teachers that are not crazy about hoops.)
2. Always have the Principal in the team picture. After you get the picture back put it in a frame an give it to him/her. This is the greatest political move you can possibly make. (Billy Gillispie taught me this.) This has been our top email we have sent out in the eight years of doing this.
3. On "Time Outs" this year have some students give water to the referees. They will need to walk out on the court and do it do. Don't give them squirt bottles, give them cups of water. (I don't know of a high school team that does this.)
4. Know the referees names and talk to them by name. Don't gripe about every call. Only gripe when you are right and then let it go! Try not to get a technical foul this year.
5. Coach your best players the hardest! If you don't, the other players will turn against you.
6. Write down your philosophy and stick with it all season. Don't change. If is not written it cannot be done this year.
7. This may sound a little crazy, but you need to lose a game to make point to your team. (John Chaney who was at Temple University did this throughout his career.) Who cares if you lose a game. I bet no team will go undefeated this year in Texas.
8. Tell the parents in advance you will not talk to them about their daughter or son's playing time. If they bring it up say "I'm sorry, but we are not going to talk about this! Be Strong!
9. Make your team memorize this old saying (I mean this!) "3 passes we get a good shot and 5 passes we get a Great shot." (This is a saying by the Boston Celtics years ago.) Next...Go out on floor and show them against a set defense (that is one that is already back and waiting on you) the WORST thing you can do is pass the ball to the wing and this dummy goes one on one to score. If you will pass the ball around 3 to 5 times it will give the defense a chance to make a mistake. Kids simply do NOT understand this idea. You will need to make a 5 call in the game. This means the ball needs to be passed 5 times before anyone can shoot it. You can make a "5 call" out of any offense you run (Flex, Motion, anything). (Now, if the defense gives you a lay-up on the second pass, forget the rule and shoot the lay-up...duh)
*Lastly...Let them scrimmage for five minutes following this rule and let them see they will get great shots plus it causes them to play as a TEAM!
*To make a 5 Call...You simple hold up your hand showing them all five or your fingers. You can just YELL...FIVE!! Your opponent won't know what you are saying. DS
10. "You can't run off a good player by being too hard on him or her." (Bear Bryant)
11. You have to bring it every day in practice and so does your best player.
Point 2 about the principal is totally true. The flip side though, is that once a principal that you've become close to leaves (which happens quite often around here), then you have to start all over again.
Points 4 and 5 are very poignant as well. I've reffed games before and having seen the game from both perspectives. All a ref wants is respect, you don't have to agree with every call, but respect that refs are human and humans aren't perfect, respect that refs are trying their best no matter how bad the call may appear. The water is a nice treat too.
Rick Pitino on Perspective and Overcoming Tragedy
Posted by bruchu Labels: Motivation and LeadershipWith all the craziness going on with the economy, people losing their jobs, their homes, I think sometimes we need to put everything into perspective. In this interview with Jim Rome on ESPN, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino talks about the death of his infant son, watch:
I can't even imagine, learning about such a tragedy while on the road with your team. It reminds us about what it means to be a coaches, about the sacrifices coaches and their families must make, to be away from loved ones. Coach Pitino talks about the "spirit" of that season with Providence going to the Final Four, he says the team was the most mediocre team he's ever coached, yet they had heart, they had purpose.
As a coach, one of the things I've learned is to empathize with your players. Basketball is the greatest game in the world, but it is still a game. Parents get divorced, friends and family get sick, lose jobs, etc... There's a great quote from the interview, Rick says, "Basketball is a meaningful distraction from life." Ain't that the truth...
One of the most important responsibilities as a Varsity head coach I believe is to prepare players for play at the college level. In particular, for NCAA Div1, mens or womens, there are some very specific tasks that as an educator I think puts the head coach at the unique position to educate both parents and the player on how the process works especially academically.
As a former writer for Rivals, I've seen many different sides of recruiting, some good, some bad. The AAU coach has become a lot more influential more recently but in my opinion high school coaches should hold more sway. Simply for the reason that the high school coach is usually a certified teacher at an educational institution and therefore is in a more professional position to be advising students on academic affairs. That is not to say that AAU coaches should have no role, but I don't think they should the primary point of contact, because they are not accountable to anybody, there is a higher chance for a conflict of interest developing as a result.
Having said that, here are some notes that I read recently that deal specifically with college academic eligibility for athletic scholarships that hopefully will shed a little more light on the recruiting process and what a head coach can do to facilitate the process:
Academics
If you are fortunate to ever have a player who can play at the next level, you will hear immediately: “Is he/she qualified academically.” The worst thing we can say is, “I am not sure.” Foremost, a player must fulfill certain academic requirements to be eligible at the Division 1,2,3, and NAIA levels. Always remember, if a player is not qualified, there may be an opportunity lying ahead at the Junior College levels. The common mantra is that JC’s do not afford quality academic and athletic atmospheres for student-athletes. This is simply untrue. In fact, there are many outstanding coaches and programs at the JUCO level and this opportunity must not be ignored. This may be the only path for the student-athlete to succeed and the competition is at an extremely high level. There are four important steps to take in making sure a student-athlete is at least afforded the opportunity to qualify for college:
1. Make sure the senior registers for the NCAA Clearinghouse (www.ncaaclearinghouse.net) This organization plugs the student’s GPA in the 14 Core Classes to help determine eligibility. Not sure if a certain class is a core class—the site has a program that finds out exactly what courses at your high school count. Note: the NCAA is requiring 16 core classes for the class of ’08.
2. Make sure your student athlete takes the SAT/ACT in the spring of his/her Junior year. The higher the core GPA—the lower the score needed to qualify and vice versa. All score requirements are posted at the above website. One important notice—the SAT now has a writing component. This part is not counted in the NCAA Clearinghouse. Simply add the critical reading and math scores and that is the SAT score according to the clearinghouse.
3. Keep checking on your student’s progress. Does he/she need to raise the SAT/ACT score? Is the student going to need to take the test again? Does the athlete have enough core courses to qualify? Although guidance counselors are very skilled at their jobs, most are unfamiliar with the NCAA qualification process. We need to check ourselves to make sure business is being taken care of by the student.
4. Be helpful with interested colleges. If they need transcripts, contact the guidance department and furnish them with one. If you do not help the colleges, they will think you are hiding something.
While some of these guidelines may seem trivial, I can guarantee you they are of the utmost importance. I spent many a day during my recruiting days pulling my hair out nervously awaiting a transcript only to find the student did not have the correct amount of core courses, or the SAT score was computed incorrectly.
Credit to Coach Tommy Penders from Texas.
One of the all-time greatest coaches in NBA history in Phil Jackson sat down for a very rare and candid interview yesterday to talk about the Los Angeles Lakers and their bizarre yet destined season. Here is the 5 minute interview,
We all know the X's and O's behind all those rings is Tex Winter and the triangle offense (and Winter's unique head/asst coach relationship with Jackson which is a whole other topic), but what has amazed me in all these 30 years of watching Phil Jackson has been his ability to negotiate and mediate between all the different egos.
Going back to even the early Jordan years, getting Scottie Pippen to buy in and sacrifice himself while managing the swelling mega-stardom of Michael Jordan. Then in the Jordan returns era, re-integrating him back into the team and balancing that tightrope of personalities.
Then it was the Shaq and Kobe era. The growing feud between the 2 and managing to hold it together just long enough for 3 championships. Then it was the Kobe rape case and keeping the team focused while introducing hall-of-famers in Gary Payton and Karl Malone.
Finally, the latest Kobe saga in the summer, mediating between a disenfranchised Kobe and management, finding a middle ground and re-integrating Kobe back into the team after he basically turned his back on the Lakers. And doing so without hurting Kobe or the other players. All this while at the same time helping the young talent like Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar mature.
Now, most people think that the NBA is far different than say college or high school. But I beg to differ. Kids nowadays are much smarter than when I was in school. Why do you think kids transfer schools now like its going out of style? And then there is the whole issue of parents and alumni groups which are probably just as if not more difficult to work with than NBA general managers.
Knowing the many personalities on your team and managing their expectations is everything. Skills like mediation, negotiation, and building team chemistry have never been as important as they are now. As much as I like old school coaches like Bobby Knight, gone are the days where you could just yell in a kid's face for 10 minutes and expect them to say "yes sir". You can't resolve conflict with more conflict, it simply doesn't work. You have to mediate and understand the nature of conflict and initiate dialogue.
Coaching is basically managing a series of ongoing crises every single day. There isn't anyone better at it than Phil Jackson who I bet could fix the middle-east peace process and the health care crisis. The man is a psychological genius.
