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Saturday, July 26, 2025

Basketball - Reasons Not to Love Coaching

"Invert, always invert." - Mathematician Carl Jacobi 

A post about reasons to love coaching merits a rebuttal. A senior Army physician once asked, "Why are you a doctor, EGO or MONEY?" I said, "Sir, I never had any money and the Navy won't change that."

Let's list some possible frustrations

  • Work-life balance
  • Player commitment
  • Player obstinacy (rare)
  • Misaligned interests 
  • Parents (occasional)
  • Money (it costs parents too much)
Coaching well consumes time. Family time competes with coaching time. If coaching is not our primary job, then it squeezes time further. 

Player commitment varies. Everyone deserves coaching. In the Harry Bosch vein, "Everybody counts or nobody counts." It can be frustrating to have 'hobbyists' who aren't as committed as others. 

Frank insubordination is rare. What makes it worse is that participation is voluntary. If a player doesn't want to be part of the program and chooses to do her own thing, why are they around? Invariably, it's a matter of maturity.

Misaligned interests. No scouts are coming to middle school tryouts, middle school practices, or games. The player consumed by numbers who puts the scorebook before the scoreboard doesn't make much sense. There are stories about players berated by parents because they didn't shoot enough or score enough. That's on the parents. 

"Snowplow parents." I rarely saw it. Advocate for your child's attention, playtime, respect. If you don't who will? Every child is a special person. Few children will be special players. Literally, no child with difficult parental input ever became all-league or above. 

Money. Over half a century ago, the cost of youth basketball and camps was reasonable. It's gotten crazy as the explosion of youth sports offerings drives the industry into the tens of billions. I was fortunate to be able to volunteer, sponsor tournament fees, and cater an end-of-season gathering. Still, participation fees for kids ran over $400 a year (gym time, league fees, officiating fees). Total that across multiple leagues, multiple sports, and multiple children and parents are paying thousands annually. 

With city budgets strained amidst inflation across numerous domains and tax overrides voted on regularly, the system feels unsustainable. 

Despite the issues, I always felt it was worth it, regardless of the wins and losses. 

Lagniappe. Discipline defines destiny. 

Lagniappe 2. Winning long-term starts with a commitment to win daily.  

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