Coaching Philosophy

Coaching is a privilege. To be in a position to influence young people is a tremendous responsibility. A coach should be committed to providing her athletes with every opportunity to improve, as well as create an environment that elicits a disciplined lifestyle in order that her athletes may attain their greatest and fullest potential, both as players and as people.

1. Perspective – It is important to maintain the proper perspective in life, which includes a good balance between life and work. It is also important, as a coach, to teach the proper perspective to players. Immediate family members and team members should be their highest priority, then, and only then, should basketball be a priority. 

2. Communication – It begins with the coach. A coach must let her players know she cares. Having an honest relationship her players, whether good or bad, is the foundation of healthy communication. With honesty a coach develops trust and her players feel that they can always come straight to her. In order to develop open lines of communication, captains are designated to help share the team’s concerns. Coaches make it a priority to formally or informally meet with each player individually each day. If circumstances arise, weekly staff meetings ensure that the entire coaching staff is aware of concerns. 

3. Respect from the players – Players should show respect for coaches and follow the rules/orders of the club and the coach. Players should be organized on and off the floor. They should show their loyalty for their coaches, teammates, and club by exhibiting common sense and social responsibility. 

4. Teaching – Basketball is played by individuals and the primary responsibility of the coach is to teach these individuals how to play as one unit. This can be achieved by using the whole-part-whole method of instruction in addition with immediate reinforcement. 

5. Practice – The coach should meet with the staff before and after practice. She should allow the players to feel ownership by discussing areas of improvement in individual or team meetings. Players should know and understand the offensive and defensive emphasis for the practice of that day. 

“Begin together, finish together. Use players as teachers. Expect improvement. Be demanding.” 

My quotes in coaching:

• If we win a championship or lose in the championship - We do it all together.  That way we have no excuses.
• If you win – act like you do it all the time.  If you lose – go back to work and do it better.
• We start our training camp with fundamentals.  We do jump stops every year.  The pride in our work is what helps us prepare to win.
• If you cannot talk it, you cannot execute it – players must be able to talk the action.
• It is not the number of plays you have but the number of plays you can run with perfection.
• You cannot be a great player if you avoid contact.
• ANY FORM OF SELFISHNESS MUST BE ELIMINATED, CUT OUT.
• Be a high energy defensive team every night and outlast the opponent every possession.
• Defense is successful when each player concentrates each possession on recognizing, anticipating and executing.
• Ball is more important—talk the switch—no penetration.
• Make your practices as game-realistic as possible. Have fundamental drills and breakdown drills incorporated in all phases of the game you are coaching. TEACH at your practices.
• Get excited as a coach. Be enthusiastic. You must love to come to practice for the players to love to come. Players must be able to see you love to teach the game. Be thorough in your teaching.
• Assume that your players know nothing. Be a stickler for the smallest of details (in a positive manner). Do not ask for, but demand full efforts from yourself, your coaching staff, and your players
• A good coach is a GREAT teacher and motivator.
• Do NOT ask for–DEMAND your players’ attention. They must give you their eyes and ears at all times.
• A drill is not a GREAT drill, unless the coach TEACHES the drill in a GREAT manner with GREAT enthusiasm and energy.
• Practice does not make perfect, but perfect practice does make perfect! Perfect practice comes from well-planned practice plans by the coaching staff. The practice plan is the coach’s lesson plan
• Remember to teach the following phrase by preaching it as well as by example: failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
• You must be able to dribble, pass and shoot, screen and cut – ON THE MOVE UNDER PRESSURE. The quality of your passing determines the quality of your shots! You must dribble with a purpose and the other four players must read the dribbler.
• Think change of direction–think five players high. Five players must work together.
• Five players must work together. UNSELFISHNESS is more important than brains–must couple this with discipline.
• Focus on the play like it has a history and a life of its own
• We don’t have one individual on our team that can make our team great, but we can have one individual who could destroy the team chemistry by making bad decisions and destroy all the things we’re talking about.
• Discipline is not punishment. Discipline is changing someone’s behavior.
• Influence: Thoughts, Habits, Priorities. Influence these 3 (IN THAT ORDER!).
• Everything for us goes back to trust and respect. Trust and respect the principles of organization, trust and respect each other.
• Make all your decisions based on winning.
• Locker room sign: Don’t Come Back Until You’ve Improved.
• The one thing our program is based upon is finishing. Finish games. Finish your reps. Finish your running. Finish practice strong. Finish the fourth quarter.