Reflection requires key questions and hard analysis. Forget the "Magic Mirror."
Teach to the students you have. You can't teach college courses to the usual eighth graders.
What went well?
- I developed great relationships with terrific young people and their families.
- Some players earned their dreams and several became exceptional leaders and achievers off the court.
- Appreciate the hard work of assistants.
- At times, players 'matriculated' to the high school and played effective, entertaining basketball.
- Most teams improved a lot during the season.
- Over six years of head coaching, I helped two players earn D1 scholarships. The biggest achievement was helping Lauren earn entry and graduate from Annapolis.
- Transparency got a lot of trust and loyalty.
- Former players earned two state championships and another earned a trip to the State Championship.
- My knowledge, appreciation for the game, and ability to share continually improved.
What went poorly?
- There was never any integration between the middle school and the high school program. The chasm between the youth program and the high school program became an ocean. I own some of that.
- Fewer players maintained basketball as their primary sport as more migrated to volleyball and other sports. Basketball is a harsh mistress that fewer players want to serve.
- Few, if any players adopted the important skill of mindfulness to acquire more mental clarity and composure.
- Work to understand expectations of players and families better. Inevitably, dissatisfaction arise with an imbalance of expectations and reality.
- Attendance at the twice weekly voluntary offseason program paralleled the decline in the high school program. It wasn't worthless. The one driven player became a superstar.
What could we do better?
- We needed more resources (specifically practice time). Three hours a week isn't enough.
- We need to keep more local talent local. It's the trend that the best players choose to leave or get spirited away.
- The fees have to come down. I never took a salary. But parents pay more than $400 a season. That's a lot and some parents inevitably will link 'playing time' to pay.
- Young athletes need a structured strength and conditioning program. That helps them regardless of sport.
- As Brad Stevens says, "we get more than we give."
- The most important lessons translate to life skills.
- Coaching changes lives...sometimes for the better and rarely for the worse.
- Never underestimate the value of feedback... get everyone on the same page.
- Work to get buy in.
- Be coachable. Less coachable players never flourished at the next level, regardless of how good their families thought they were.
- Keep learning... about basketball and life.
- Strive for work-life balance.
Lagniappe. "Chop wood, carry water." It's the process. In the wake of the NBA draft, it was great to hear Victor Wembanyama say, "Don't skip steps." He's already got the message from Coach Popovich.
