“If you are idle, be not solitary; if you are solitary, be not idle." - Samuel Johnson
Everyone has obligations. Administrators oversee and support programs. At some levels coaches labor to win; at others we garden growth. Assistants reinforce the teaching and doctrine of the head coach. The player’s task is continual ascension, steady rise toward a desired end. The global experience assembles the puzzle.
Coaches fail absent organization, preparation, communication, and teaching skills. What did I do to enhance my teaching today? And good players don’t drop like manna from heaven. The development process can never rest or arrest. “My players aren’t good enough.” Help them help us. Tip reminder: if a player misses an outside shot during practice, the next shot must be closer in.
Learning belongs to everyone. It encompasses mindset, philosophy, basketball IQ, and the details of technique and tactics. Nobody executes what they don’t know. Get feedback. “Trust but verify.” Call timeouts during practice and question players about the timeout messages. Draw up a play during the timeout and check its real-time implementation.
Players won’t succeed without structure, commitment, and competition. Teach a lesser player, compete against an equal, and challenge a better player.
Think out of the box. Devise strategies and drills to simulate challenges face. It’s not enough to teach the post to look for double teams but to know where opportunities arise.
We own the explosion of joy. Players feel joy in mastery; parents experience joy watching their children; teams radiate joy through shared achievement.
The head coach informs the energy of daily practice. Channel that energy through team leaders. Coaches cannot accept energy vampires.
Samuel Johnson added, “The first step to greatness is to be honest.” Praise the praiseworthy and comfort while correcting failure. “Never be a child’s last coach.”
Lagniappe: cut to score on baseline drives