Category: From the Bench »
Take advantage of free professional development courses
Athletic directors and coaches across the country feel overworked, overwhelmed and totally maxed out the majority of the time. This is simply what they face day-to-day and week-to-week with increasing expectations, responsibilities and things to do. ...
Eight ideas to help fund coaching education
Even in good economic times, athletic budgets are usually strained and pushed to the limit. Considering all of the necessary safety equipment, team travel and other expenditures associated with operating an athletic department, this is understandable...
Three tips for young basketball coaches
This year, at 32 years old, I completed my 10th season of coaching. During that time, I quickly went from coaching junior high basketball to spending two seasons as a head coach at a small school before arriving at Conway High School (Arkansas), ...
Team captains must not be normal
We expect captains to hold teammates accountable and unite players at difficult junctures of the season, but that’s not what makes them remarkable leaders — that’s just doing their jobs. To be special, team captains must go above and beyond the...
Effectively using brush screens in your offense
The brush screen is more popular in the college game and has been modified from its original form: the downscreen. With a brush screen, the cutter breaks from a screen that is in motion and stays in motion. There is no jump-stopping by the screener b...
6 keys to maximizing your assistant coaches
A characteristic of good basketball programs is that they have great assistant coaches on all levels. Assistants play a vital role in a team’s success. There were certain qualities I looked for in assistants, and it’s imperative to have a meeting...
10 ways to improve before next season
When basketball coaches talk about the offseason, usually we think of what the players will be doing. This is an extremely important aspect for any program, and there is a lot that can and should be accomplished from March thru October. Many coaches ...
Delivering criticism to athletes
I recently asked a group of coaches to give me their main challenges with athletes. Almost immediately, the majority of coaches agreed they see many athletes shut down upon receiving negative feedback or criticism. They believed the biggest influence...
