To find solutions, state the problem clearly. Find areas to improve. Where to start, especially if you can't aggregate talent (recruit)?
Usually it's a multitude of problems not a "point source."
Every aspiring coach needs a blueprint, understanding that's an outline, not key details. The "any idiot with a whistle can coach" fallacy gets coaching transition.
Player Components:
- Skill
- Strategy/game understanding
- Physicality
- Psychology/resilience
Offensive organization:
- Spacing
- Creating advantage (player and ball movement)
- Finishing/offensive rebound (the scoring moment)
Defense:
- Transition defense
- Ball containment
- Interior defense
- Perimeter defense
- Pick-and-roll defense
- On and off-ball screens
- Possession ending (rebounding)
Game Play:
- Handling pressure
- Limiting/Forcing Turnovers
- Special situations
- Closing out games
- Fouling (Loyola of Chicago made a priority of limiting fouls)
Leadership and Organization:
- Unifying philosophy
- Coaching
- Player development (subset of coaching)
- Culture/Communication
- Offseason development program
- Youth program
- Community and media relations
- Building and maintaining tradition
Intangibles:
- Toughness (toughness is a skill)
- Effort
- Character
Highest priorities:
1) Player development (skill)
2) Identify and support leadership
3) Clarity of philosophy, identity, system (style of play)
4) Implement culture: team, sacrifice, improvement
5) Emphasis on key play areas:
- Half-court offense
- Half-court defense
- Pick-and-roll
- Defeat pressure
- Transition defense
1) What is your basketball philosophy? (Be prepared to defend it.)
2) What is your philosophy on playing time? (If the committee wants democracy of playing time are we prepared to buy that?)
3) Parents pay "user fees." What is your responsibility to them because they pay for their child to participate? (Players earn minutes. You can't buy playing time and everyone gets opportunity to compete for roles in practice.)
4) What makes you qualified for this position? (It's the "why do you want to be President" question plus more.)
5) What are the overarching lessons that high school athletes should learn from participating and how will you fulfill that teaching responsibility?
- Bring your best self to the court every day.
- We can't hide who we are on the court.
- Do more to become more. "Do the unrequired work."
- Earn buy-in by adding value.
- Leaders create leaders.
Lagniappe. Study others' work.
