Total Pageviews

Monday, October 6, 2025

Basketball - “In the Best Interest of the Team" (Print and Save?)

A coach’s job is to put players in the best position to succeed — and to take teams where they cannot go alone.

Parents, meanwhile, are wired to advocate for their children. Both instincts are natural. But sometimes, the best interest of the team and the best interest of the individual collide.

In his 1970 preseason letter to players, Coach John Wooden wrote:

“I will attempt to give each individual the treatment that he earns and deserves according to my judgment and in keeping with what I consider to be in the best interest of the team.”

That one line captures the tension coaches and parents still navigate more than fifty years later.

With millions of young athletes playing sports, these conflicts are inevitable. Most resolve through honest conversation and shared understanding. Some, unfortunately, leave lasting hurt.

Common Sources of Tension

  1. Playing Time. The number-one issue, season after season.

  2. Role. Disappointment about shot opportunities or usage.

  3. Recognition. Parents who feel a coach isn’t promoting their child for awards or scholarships.

  4. Opportunity. Concern that some players receive more attention or coaching.

  5. Strategy. Differences over style of play, substitution patterns, or system philosophy.

  6. Evaluation. Differing opinions about a player’s current ability or ceiling.

Each of these begins from a caring place — parents want fairness and success for their child. The friction arises when definitions of fairness differ.

Constructive Responses

  • Hold a preseason parent meeting. Explain your program’s philosophy, expectations, and playing-time approach. Clarity now lessens confusion later.

  • Define merit-based roles. Roles grow from performance, attitude, and consistency. Players who improve their reliability earn expanded opportunities.

  • Coach everyone. Make visible that all players receive instruction. Invite parents to watch practice. Transparency builds trust — even if few take you up on it.

  • Decline to debate strategy. Scheme decisions belong to the staff. Keep those discussions professional, not personal.

  • Use data where appropriate. Over time, objective statistics help reinforce consistency and accountability.

  • Communicate with care. Email progress reports or use the “sandwich technique” — praise, need, praise — to show balance and support.

  • Have hard player conversations with another adult present. Protection and professionalism go hand in hand.

  • Keep private records. Document attendance, stats, and communications. Transparency protects both coach and player.

Perspective

Even when you hear no complaints, don’t assume none exist. Every coach learns that silence doesn’t mean satisfaction — only that some choose restraint.

Every parent, too, deserves respect for their investment in their child. They see the hours, the rides, the emotions. Coaches see the larger picture: group chemistry, fairness, preparation for competition. Both sides care deeply — and that shared care is common ground.

Closing Thought

Clear philosophy is the antidote to confusion. Transparency is the antidote to mistrust. And empathy — from both sides — is the antidote to conflict.

Every coach, like every parent, wants what’s best for the players. The difference is scope. The parent sees one child. The coach must see them all.

Lagniappe. Man up. 

Lagniappe 2. Teach creating and exploiting advantage.October 5, 2025

Posted by at