Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Basketball: Coaching and the Companionless

What are our conversations with players about their hopes and dreams? Technique and tactics work because of ties and trust. 

 The recent graduate comes in for a physical examination. Most have exemplary physical health. But what is their outlook on the present and the future. Where do you want to be in five or ten years and what are you doing today to reach that destination?

 Each of them needs a skill set beyond basketball - organization, learning, and communication. Education changes behaviors and we reinforce (or not) positive culture and a growth mindset. Our substance and style informs the value they derive from coaches as mentors. 

 You've seen the Mike Leach video lambasting his players. Leach's education and law degree haven't immunized him from controversy through the years. But as Mickey Mantle advised Roger Maris during his pursuit of '61', he could "hit 'em with your wallet."  

We invest time and effort to help young people become productive adults. It's hard and sometimes frustrating, competing for their attention - entertainment, relaxation, as well as family and academic demands. 

Young people deserve our attention not insults. National Public Radio shared a story about a final resting spot in Istanbul for the abandoned, refugees, suicides, LGBTQ citizens shunned. "It's called the Cemetery of the Companionless. Unlike any other cemetery, there are no names. There are no tombstones, no surnames - nothing personal on the graves, just numbers. It is a place where actual people are turned into numbers. And nobody goes there. Nobody pays attention. It's completely neglected."

We've seen players neglected and abandoned by their coaches. Maybe we've said something, maybe we haven't. Maybe some of us have experienced it ourselves. Is that the coaching we want our children to receive? 

 Lagniappe: Mystics turn a side pick-and-roll into a paint touch and ball reversal and the Sun are helpless. 
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