Sunday, June 9, 2024

Basketball: Poor Coaching (Help from ChatGPT)

"Who died and made you king?" Nobody appointed me judge and jury of coaching expertise. I asked AI for an answer to "identify poor basketball coaching."

ChatGPT

Poor basketball coaching can manifest in various ways, but some common indicators include:

  1. Lack of Strategy: Coaches who fail to develop and implement effective game plans or strategies for their team are often ineffective. This includes not adjusting strategies based on the strengths and weaknesses of their own team and the opponents.

  2. Poor Player Development: Coaches should focus on improving the skills of their players over time. If players do not show improvement or are not being taught fundamental skills properly, it can be a sign of poor coaching.

  3. Ineffective Communication: Communication is key in coaching. Coaches who fail to effectively communicate with their players, whether it's about game plans, individual roles, or feedback, can lead to confusion and frustration among the team.

  4. Lack of Adaptability: Basketball games are dynamic, and coaches need to adapt their strategies based on the flow of the game. Coaches who are rigid in their approach and fail to make necessary adjustments during games may hinder their team's performance.

  5. Poor Motivation and Leadership: A good coach motivates and inspires their players to perform at their best. Coaches who lack motivational skills or fail to provide strong leadership may struggle to get the most out of their team.

  6. Negative Atmosphere: A toxic or negative atmosphere within the team, whether it's due to poor relationships between players and coaches or excessive criticism, can hinder player morale and performance.

  7. Lack of Game Management: Coaches should be able to manage game situations effectively, including timeouts, substitutions, and clock management. Poor decision-making in these areas can cost the team valuable opportunities to win games.

  8. Favoritism: Playing favorites and showing bias towards certain players can lead to resentment within the team and may result in less talented players not getting the opportunities they deserve.

  9. Lack of Preparation: Coaches should thoroughly prepare for each game, including scouting opponents and planning practices accordingly. Failing to prepare adequately can leave the team ill-equipped to compete at their best.

  10. Failure to Instill Discipline: Discipline is crucial for success in basketball. Coaches who fail to enforce rules and hold players accountable for their actions can contribute to a lack of team cohesion and underperformance.

Choose to be "lumpers" or "splitters." Lumpers organize by major categories. 

Begin with fewer categories and assign elements to them. 

Leadership and culture
- Poor communication
- Lack of adaptability
- Poor motivation
- Negativity
- Favoritism
- Lack of discipline

Preparation
- Lack of organization
- Ineffective preparation

Technical expertise
- Lack of strategy
- Poor player development
- Poor game management 


When programs fail, the coach generally takes the hit. Coaches are hired with the "presumption of technical and tactical expertise." That's not always obvious or true. 

Conversely, the fabric of leadership and culture forms a more amorphous and subjective arena. Doing what is best for the team may conflict with the perceived best interest of individual team members. 

Stakeholders (players, parents) more likely contest the leadership style or substance than organization and technical aspects. And our style and substance are hard to change. 

Lagniappe. Mike Reese of ESPN quoted Patriots defensive coordinator Marcus Covington, "I think about players, not plays. How can we use our players the best way? How can we use our strengths to the best of our ability? Once we figure out what players do well, we will put them in the right positions by the calls."

Lagniappe 2. Greg Berge rules for parents.

Lagniappe 3. A variant on the "rip" theme of serial screens. 

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