Coaching High School Basketball: February 2017

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Coach's Note Issue #5 Feb 2 2017

Coach’s Note –

We are 1 – 3 since my last note. On paper that sounds horrible. In reality, I am happy with our progress. Our 1 win of course came in a great game at Williamston. It was a very exciting night for our program and probably the biggest win we have had this year. Of the other 3 games, we had a terrible night against Fowlerville but competed and did some good things against Waverly and Jackson. The boys are developing a group confidence that is going to help them in the tournament. Now that we are in the “meat” of the season and playing 2 games a week, I would like to address an issue that I play many roles in; the issues of helping your son appreciate the amount of playing time they are getting or trying to increase the amount of minutes they get on the court.

I am very aware that we all want our kids to play and it sometimes seems irrational or unfair that our child does not get into a game. I have and am, part of that right now. My son played for me and started as a sophomore at Olivet, transferred to LCHS and had to sit out a semester and then did not get much playing time his junior season. Even in his senior year on a team that I was an assistant coach, Connor had 2 games during which he did not even get into the game. Now he is playing at Dominican University in Chicago where he has started in a game and not played a minute in another. He has been in games to hit game winning shots and also, has played in games and not taken a shot. So please believe me that I understand and have empathy for any of you parents who would like to see your son play more. The intention of this coach’s note is to help you enjoy the season more.

With that said I would like to thank all of you for your continued support of the program and appreciating the program for the opportunity it provides for our children. I see a lot of very positive interactions between parents and sons. Nothing has happened and nobody has acted in a way that provided the catalyst for this note. I do know that at this time of the season, playing time has shifted and it’s really common to have questions and concerns about kids’ playing opportunities.

The following suggestions are meant to help all of us enjoy the games and season while also supporting the players. A big part of educational athletics is developing a young person’s ability to handle adversity, build emotional and physical strength, learn about positive communication techniques and create a foundation of discipline that will serve the athlete in the “real world.”

Coaches and parents are often overwhelmed by so many Little Pictures that they miss the Big Picture entirely. How our children perform in a sporting event is a Little Picture. Whether they win or lose, play well or badly, laugh or whine after the game – all Little Pictures.

What children take away from sports to help them become successful, contributing members of society is the Big Picture. Whether they remain physically active throughout life, learn to bounce back from difficulties with renewed determination, discover how to support other people within a team context – these are the Big Picture. - (adapted from the Positive Coaching Alliance organization)

With that in mind, here are some concepts and ideas that I have tried (with varying success ;-)) to implement with my own children and things I have suggested to other families.

Instead of going to the coach to request more playing time for your child, consider any frustration they have around playing time as a teachable moment. Explain what motivates a coach and encourage your son to focus on what parts of the game they can control and how they might earn more playing time.
If your child complains about playing time, talk to them about what they can do at practice to get their minutes to go up during game situations. This might involve working harder or spending time outside of practice to work on a skill.
Encourage them to have an honest conversation with the coach. Help them learn the style of conversation that will be helpful in this situation.
From my perspective it is important for all of our players and children to earn their playing time and parents to understand that they can help their child by focusing on the skills necessary to earn the time as opposed to talking to the coach on the player’s behalf.
Some advice for parents and players of athletes that get to play a lot of minutes. Be the biggest cheerleader of your teammates that get limited time! Be aware that many players would love the game opportunities that you or your son gets. Recognize that this is a zero-sum game; when one athlete plays; another must be taken out of the game.

If we support, search for and seek positive moments to cheer for each other, we will have created a positive environment where each athlete has the opportunity to develop to their potential.

Please note! This is not a correspondence to tell parents that they shouldn’t or can’t talk to me or other coaches about your son. We all want what is best for this team and will gladly discuss any topics with you.

Upcoming: We play @ Eaton Rapids this Friday at 6pm.

Thanks for your time!

God Bless…

Coach Dartt

@coach_dartt

Coach's Note Issue #4 January 10, 2017

Coach’s Note – At the end of the last newsletter I mentioned that we are developing and improving with a “growth mindset.” I am happy to focus your attention on the team’s continued improvement. Sometimes we are outscored by an opponent but still are successful. On the other hand, sometimes we will outscore an opponent and fail miserably because we really did not improve or play as a group. Our game against Portland was a success on many levels. The players were challenged at half time to play with intensity and enthusiasm and not let the opponent come back. We have a group of very nice boys that sometimes lay back a little if we are beating someone. We want to be classy but also make sure we are getting better at different aspects of the game. So, beating someone by 13 at half like we were at Portland is not good enough if our desire is to continue to develop into a team that can compete with better teams. To their credit, your sons responded really well and ended up winning by 37 points by playing aggressive, selfless basketball.

What your son and our team have been working on: We have been working on adding a zone press to our toolbox. Our zone press is a 2-2-1 and is called “22.” We will be utilizing this press in the next few games. We want to be able to pressure our opponents into uncomfortable spots and force them to play at a pace at which they make mistakes. It may give them some easy baskets at the beginning of games (we will try to stop this) but if deployed properly, it will force our opponent to wear out by the end of the game.

Some of the concepts to look for when we are pressing in 22:

· Keep the ball out of the middle: We will work to deny the inbound and then force the ball up the sideline. If the ball gets thrown forward, into the middle, someone made a mistake. We will also try to keep them from dribbling into the middle.
· Transition to man-to-man (M2M) : Once the opponent has gotten the ball over half court into the scoring area and the ball is moved to the middle of the court you should hear our kids yell “Man, ” which triggers our transition from a zone press to half court M2M.
· Trapping: You will also witness our use of our “bigs” at the front of the press. This is to cause trouble for opponents. Our up front traps are designed to force a bad pass or dribble that can be picked off. The “bigs” can force these terrible passes that we may intercept.
· Pace: Mostly the purpose of the press is not to force turnovers but to force the other team to play at a pace at which they are not comfortable. You will notice that they will take quick early shots and miss them because they were going too fast.
· Getting into and out of the press: In our upcoming games against Ionia and Fowlerville we will be pressing with 22 on made baskets and dead ball situations and with M2M when we miss or turn the ball over.