During the spring and summer season, basketball teams roam the continent, pursuing elusive scholarships, hype and respect. Camps, travel teams and training camps hold tryouts to determine which athletes should be selected and parents and players attend these sessions en masse. Consternation abounds but is this energy directed in the appropriate direction? Following some simple guidelines and putting forth one’s best effort will enable athletes to make the programs that they desire. Athletes succeed not only because of their bodies but also their minds. It’s not necessary to solve any mystery in order to make a basketball team but a …
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Coaching young players, it is important to look on the bright side of things. Focus on what might happen in the future, rather than what didn’t happen or what went wrong. Emphasize what the team can start doing now do improve later, not what they can’t do or must do. Maintaining the balance between a positive team culture and an expectation of high standards tests a coach’s ability but it can pay dividends down the road. The regular season is not a final exam but a homework assignment to prepare for the end of the year. As long as the …
Tryouts
Tryouts often seem more stressful than they need to be. Working hard and pushing one’s self is a key criteria for success, as is arriving on time (look the gym up on a map ahead of time), working hard and staying hydrated (bring a water bottle). Although a drill may have a particular focus, such as ballhandling or shooting, there are numerous other elements involved in the performance of those skills. Perhaps the drill starts or stops with a well-placed pass or requires a player to visually scan the court as they move. Athletes who take care to execute all …
Star Trek Leadership, Part II: The Wisdom of Captain Picard
College coaches may send envelopes full of money via Emery Worldwide, professional coaches may be found guilty of sexual harassment forcing their organization to pay $11.5 million in damages, and international coaches may enter a non-disabled team in the Special Olympics but one person can always be relied upon for his leadership is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise. During a recently rerun episode of The Next Generation, Chief Engineer La Forge and Commander Riker submitted and unsatisfactory performance review for Lieutenant Barclay to Picard. The captain ordered the pair to reconsider their evaluation of the socially awkward lieutenant. It was …
Teaching and Coaching
As coaches, we endeavour to guide athletes to the next level. As teachers, we strive to do likewise for students. Along the road to success, the court and the classroom provide parallel paths. What student-athletes learn in one environment is reflected in the other. Coaches value basketball ability and skills such as initiative, teamwork, mental training, leadership, and work ethic. When athletes demonstrate that they have met these expectations, they are rewarded with minutes and touches (along with praise, constructive feedback, and self-confidence). These rewards are not equally distributed; coaches allocate burn and ball based on most consistent and most …
What I Learned this Summer, Part III
Earlier, I wrote about trying to learn as much as possible from other sports. According to a moderately recent study, the skills and attributes that volleyball coaches believe are important to success are not necessarily those that determine the winning team during each match. For whatever reason, the coaches put more value on physical attributes and experience when victory was actually primarily determined by the ability to pass the ball, agility to change direction, and shoulder flexibility (Marey, Boleach, Mayhew, & McDole, 1991, p. 163). This is not merely an indictment of volleyball coaches but an advisory that coaches of …
Superbowl XLIII
Most people would say that Superbowl XLIII was an exciting game and largely well-played. Is that true? How do casual fans evaluate success? Kurt Warner likely performed better than Ben Roethlisberger (112.3 to 92.3 passer ratings) and Larry Fitzgerald likely outplayed Santonio Holmes. Yet the Steelers’ performances will linger in the memories of the masses because they succeeded under pressure and created defining moments. A more arbitrary P.E.R. might have shown that the Cardinals played more consistently. If Arizona assesses their season properly and plugs the right holes, they have many building blocks for future success. Why do teams play …
Information, Uncertainty, Game Theory, and Quality
Tryouts are a case of adverse selection because coaches rarely have the opportunity to see a player’s complete skill set. It’s certainly a matter of imperfection information and coaches must develop signals that reliably reflect the ability of perspective team members. Sometimes teams make a draft pick because of “unlimited potential” or a “high ceiling”. This logic becomes absurd if it causes players who have been seen in greater detail (therefore exposing all of their skills and flaws) to be overlooked. In 2005 and 2006, Chris Paul and Brandon Roy were seen as the collegiate players most ready for the …