Blog Posting #37, March 5, 2009

Category: Teaching

A coach during a game:
“Shooter over here! Cover him! Don’t let him drive! Help him! Rebound! Time out! Time out!”
In the huddle:
“That pick and roll is killing us. Reggie, #23 can’t shoot from out there. Go under the screen. Billy, open up and let Reggie through. Hedge a little but recover. Your man is rolling and they’re getting him the ball. Now here’s what we’re going to do. We need a stop and we need a score. We extend our defense and get into the passing lanes. When Williams gets the ball, put a loose double on him. Don’t let him split the screen and drive. Contain him. Help like crazy and keep the ball on the perimeter. Then block out and rebound. Try not to switch or they’ll have a rebounding matchup. We can’t afford a put back. On the other end, run Indiana and get the ball to Smith underneath if you can. Make the play look like it’s going the other way, and then bring it back, just like we practiced. Got it?”

Believe it or not, all of the things the coach asked the players to do, they should have been able to do without being told. Coach Wooden was once asked, “Do you run your family like you run your team?” to which he replied, “No, I run my team like I run my family.” He went on to say, “Never do for your children what they can and should do for themselves.”

For parenting, that means:
1. Eating
2. Dressing
3. Cleaning
4. Homework
5. Resolving conflict
6. Getting a job
7. Deciding what is right and wrong

For a basketball team, that means:
1. Teamwork to stop a hot player
2. Adjust the press offense
3. Pass the ball into the key if the dribble drive is not working, and visa versa
4. Increase defensive pressure when the other team does
5. Penetrate the defense with “early offense” if it’s not happening in the half-court offense
6. Begin to score off the defense if it looks like the set offense is not going to produce enough points to win
7. Get more aggressive on the offensive boards if the outside shot is not going in
8. Increase full-court pressure if the opponent is not looking to score on the press break
9. Get the ball to the main scorers down the stretch
10. Foul the poorest free throw shooters if the clock must be stopped
11. Look to drive and get fouled during a comeback situation

The goal of child-rearing is to raise young adults that can function well without parental assistance and intervention. Sounds like common sense, doesn’t it? But many parents have a very difficult time weaning themselves from being needed. The same is true for the coach. Unconsciously, many coaches think the team needs them as much during games as they do during practice. What this really means is, they don’t feel the players are capable of being trained to make decisions and adjustments without them. 

Never do for your players what they can and should do for themselves. Like little children, at the beginning of the basketball season, teach your players how to make decisions. But, every time you give a lesson, make it clear to the players they should not have to be told twice. This communicates expectation and trust. Slowly wean the players from your intervention. Then, get out of the way and let them mature as a team and as individuals. They will learn some hard lessons but be the better for it. After all, isn’t that what is best for the players?

While I attended UCLA, Coach Wooden never called one timeout. Of course, if you had point guards like Mike Warren, you probably wouldn’t have to either. So why not develop some Mike Warrens?

Related Blog Postings:
Creating a Forum for Ideas, Category: Teaching
Leading a Child to Successful Adulthood, Category: Teaching
The Coach Within You, Category: Philosophy