Category: From the Bench »
Setting expectations on and off the court
The accomplishments of your players on the basketball court only represent half the battle. Part of a coach’s job is to help players develop character and prepare them for adult life. Here is a list of 10 expectations that you can give each of you...
How varsity coaches can help their junior high counterparts
Great Expectations is a novel written by Charles Dickens. Expectations — great or otherwise — are what every high school varsity basketball coach should have for the middle school coaches in their program. These should be clearly spelled out, be...
The 12 attributes of elite point guards
Great point guard play is easy to recognize, but can be difficult to define. You can talk about John Stockton, Magic Johnson and Chris Paul, and everyone would agree they’re all great point guards. However, if you asked coaches what they want most ...
Making time for skill development in practice
At the beginning of the season, you have many different things you must implement into your basketball practices, and unless you are fortunate enough to have a core group of returners to your program, you may have to reteach everything. You have to b...
Column: A challenge to get better every day
One year ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to read 25 books by the end of 2017. It was an ambitious goal, and one that came with a high probability of failure, but I didn’t let that discourage me. If you’re not willing to set your sights high...
Scouting the opposition
Tips for gathering and dissecting information that matters Scouting is agonizing for some coaches and simple for others, but the process of identifying tendencies of upcoming opponents is a lot easier for everyone if they have a system. Honey Brown,...
Psychologically healing injured athletes
Because of the high demands placed on elite athletes, injury is virtually inescapable. With increasing early sport specialization comes a particular vulnerability to developmental and overuse injuries. In 2013, an estimated 27 million athletes betw...
Three strategies to battle the conference grind
Conference season can be one of the toughest parts of the year. I like to call it the “conference grind.” It’s the same routine every week: Play Tuesdays and Fridays, while practicing on a regular basis. It's our job as coaches and leaders of ...
