Basketball: Growing as a Coach

Popeye, by Jeff Koons

"An artist that's really committed to their work, they get better (with age)." - Jeff Koons

Being different doesn't make us right or wrong in matters of taste. Every day gives us a chance to grow, whatever our age. Find the buttons to push to motivate ourselves and our players. 

The pandemic is both danger and opportunity. Become a learning machine. Let's review some tools available to us. 

• Find a mentor. "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." In his MasterClass, Usher discussed learning from his mentor's mentors. He learned not only from Michael Jackson but from James Brown. Rick Pitino has a Personal Board of Directors to share input. 
• Be a mentor. Share knowledge and experience of what went well or poorly. Ask "what if?" Be willing to drop a "truth bomb" on our mentee.
• Read. Read basketball, history, psychology, literature, poetry. Discovery doesn't obligate us to use the new information. File it away for review. Basketball is about space and time. 

"To see a world in a grain of sand

And a heav'n in a wild flower. 

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand

And eternity in an hour." - Blake 

• Write. Write about basketball or another domain. Write truth or fiction. Write a thank you note, a few lines to a former player, a note to your younger self. Writing every day teaches me how much I don't know. 
• Build your teaching skills. Skim Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov. 
• Create a teaching film and clip library. Google Drive is a great storehouse. 
• Watch film. Services like Coaching U offer great teaching video but the Internet (e.g. YouTube) hosts an abundance of free video from FIBA and the Cross Canada Coaches Clinic among others. 
• Expand your coaching source library. Build your Drill Book, Practice Plans, adding new and editing outdated material. 
• Edit your play library including base offenses, set plays, ATOs, SLOBs, BOBs, and Game Winners. 

• Go nuclear. What's your best 5 package - best ATO, SLOB, BOB, Man play, Zone play? Even better, have your best five of each.
• "Say YES." When someone asks for help, carpe diem. 

Think. Ask ourselves, "is coaching making me a better person" and "is coaching helping make my students better?"

Give it our best. "Make the big time where you are." 

Lagniappe. Frank Martin shares his insights into the youth sports culture and dysfunction. It's worth the few minutes.