Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Basketball: Bambi Might Be a Starting Point

Coaches believe in the alchemy of coaching. As Dawn Staley shared in her "Playbook" episode on Netflix, it's putting together pieces of a puzzle. 


Coaching isn't primarily Xs and Os and game management. The hard work comes long before that with roster management, player development, team development, strength and conditioning, psychology and more. Anyone who thinks, "any idiot with a whistle can coach," has dismissed every coach everywhere.

This is not a "smartest guy in the room" business. There's no prize for having the most basketball knowledge, nor should there be. Competence spreads across many domains including the ones listed above.

Here's a quote from Demarcus Covington, the Patriots new defensive coordinator via Boston Sports Journal, "I think, every day, trying to make sure that I do everything I need to do to make us successful, knowing that everything is not going to be perfect. So, it really is just learning from day to day. I'm making sure I don't make the same mistake twice. ...  I don't have all the answers. But I'm going to make sure I find out the right answer if I don't."

Break it down:

  • Self-reflection on process
  • Goal setting for team success
  • Knowing obstacles will arise 
  • Learning from mistakes 
  • Staying humble
  • Seeking the truth
Back to the Bambi analogy. Coaches seek transformation. 


We don't want "Bambi" on the floor in the big moments. Helping grow "Kiara" into "The Lion King" is our mission, our conviction. It happens a lot less often than we want and it takes a lot of inputs.  

Lagniappe. Self-control. 
Lagniappe 2. Good teams find ways to attack drop coverage. 
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