How to track the Olivet High School Boys Basketball Team

Media coverage may seem like a minor issue when dealing with a high school athletic team.  However, coverage can add a different dimension to a program because of increased community involvement.  If the community is informed about the good things that are happening then a sense of pride and enthusiasm becomes the prevailing attitude surrounding your team.

We are currently in a league that is not covered by the area media.  We previously were covered by the Lansing State Journal and the Battle Creek Enquirer.  Even though they post our scores, sometimes, we are really not on their radar.  So in an effort to inform the community of our efforts I have been posting team information and links to any articles that are published onto Max Preps.  The direct website to our page is:

http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/zkIXKjIXgka9_bQpgRPMlg/olivet-eagles/basketball/home.htm

You can also just go to http://www.maxpreps.com/ and lookup Olivet.

Team Captains

A Team Captain
A team captain is an integral part of a successful team. The good captain has the ability to motivate, encourage and keep in line the entire team. Without a good captain it is easy for a team to spiral into negativity when adversity hits. The coach should always have a finger on the pulse of his team and he can only do that if he has a trusted captain to help him lead the group.
Our captains have come in all ages, abilities and personalities. Even though they may go about it in different ways a good captain will have the following:
1. The respect of his teammates which will let them guide the team to do the right thing on and off the court.
2. Knowledge of the program and its nuances and rules.
3. The ability to communicate at various levels, being able to discuss important issues with fellow players, coaches and the media.
4. The desire to push his physical limits, thus leading by example.
5. The confidence to be unafraid of ridicule if he says something unpopular.
A captain can accomplish the above through words or actions. Most of the best leaders will lead by example AND be vocal. A successful captain is modest and humble yet very enthusiastic about the team.
Our captains in Olivet are developing. We have 3 captains who have very different personalities. They all understand the game and our system. They all do a great job of communicating with the coach. Best of all, they all work to make us better.

Championship Ramblings

Tuesday Jan 12, 2010: We lost a heart breaker last night against the number 2 team in the state of Michigan. Schoolcraft showed all the poise, skill and confidence of a highly ranked team that had been in the state championship game the year before. The final score was 80 – 66 but everyone who witnessed the game will tell you it was a lot closer than the score at the buzzer. Early in the 4th quarter we actually held a 3 point lead.
I have been asked many times by fellow coaches, “How does someone get a team from being average to playing like a champion?”. The thing that I have realized more than anything is that the answer to that question is always changing. It depends on relationships with players, physical and mental ability of your athletes as well as the system of play.
One of the keys is to get kids to believe they can be champions. Championships can be relative; one team thinking that winning a league title is a great accomplishment while another may think that only winning a State Championship is success. Each coach and team must define their own success.
To get a team to believe they can be a champion they must witness a team playing at that level. We purposefully go to Hope Team Camp each summer so that we can witness and play against championship caliber opponents. This gives our kids a feel for what it will take to get to that level.
We are currently competing with the upper level teams in our league but our record is only 2-5. All five losses are to good teams that deserved the victory. However, all five losses could have been wins IF a few little things could have been taken care of. The number one thing we are struggling to achieve is leadership. Our leaders are not getting the most out of their teammates.

Possible Letter to Parents

The following is a modified example of a parent communication from the MHSAA.

Dear Parent:

I have been entrusted with your child for 2-4 hours a day for the next four months. During that time they will run, jump, shoot, dribble, sweat, laugh, cry, pout, push themselves to exhaustion, learn sportsmanship, learn the rules of the game, learn something new about basketball or themselves each day, get angry with themselves, get angry with a teammate, get angry with the coach, learn to deal with their emotions, learn teamwork and go home in a good mood or a bad mood each day.

As their coach I will learn that my players are either in shape or out of shape, leaders or followers, good shooters or not so good shooters, good ball handlers or not so good ball handlers, aggressive or not very aggressive, able to follow directions or not able to follow directions, good sports or not so good sports, able to deal with disappointment or not able to deal with disappointment, quick learners or not so quick, able to accept their role on the team or not able to and I will go home each day in a good mood or a bad mood.

We are in this together. There will be extreme highs after big wins or outstanding individual performances. There will be extreme lows after heartbreaking losses or dreadful performances. I will have to deal with each player in a different way in all these situations since they are all different individuals. I have experience as a coach. I am not a psychologist although at times I must try to be one. I do not have all the answers. I will not be able to push all the right buttons at the right time. But I will make decisions based on what is best for the team. It might not be best for an individual, but since that individual is part of the team, he must understand and accept it.

I will make my decisions based on hours of contact with your son. I see them in school. I see them in the gym. I see them in the locker room. I see them on the team bus. I get to know them very well. I know their strengths and their weaknesses when it comes to basketball. They will know their place on this basketball team. They might not be happy with that place, but they have an opportunity every day in practice to bring about change. Their playing time will be in direct correlation with how well they do in practice. How they perform in practice will determine how much playing time they get.

Direction: Where are we heading?

Below is our program's mission and goals.

Olivet Eagle Philosophy

1. Coaches will possess the ability to connect with kids and have a deep understanding of the game. Throughout our program we should create an environment which allows for maximum learning.

2. We are committed to the continuous and systematic development of specific basketball skills. If you are not good at something it is hard to have a good time doing it. Without the proper development of these specific basketball skills, good athletes will drop out of our program.

3. Success for athletes and teams will be defined together by coaches and athletes and will include individual and team goals beyond the win-loss record. Winning will never be the sole goal of this program. Competition will be utilized to create better players and better teams.

The Program

The Program includes all male athletes that compete in basketball for Olivet Community Schools from 7th through 12th grade. It also includes all coaches, managers, statisticians and cheerleaders. For the purpose of this handbook the term “Program” will refer just to the players unless otherwise noted.

Creating a consistent and cohesive program is fundamental to the Olivet Tradition so that we take full advantage of the opportunities we have with these athletes to help them become the best athletes they can be. More importantly helping them become the best person they can be.

A consistent program will also help perpetuate itself. The longer we have athletes in our program, the more we can teach them about our philosophy, methods and principles. By doing this we help future community members understand and appreciate Olivet Tradition and create a desire to have their children play in the Program.

Mission

To nurture the young men in our program and to help them understand the value and responsibility of being an Olivet Eagle.