This is an excerpt from Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Basketball-2nd Edition by Keith Miniscalco & Greg Kot.
Managing Pregame Details
Before you talk to your team about the specifics of playing the game, take care of a few
This is an excerpt from Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Basketball-2nd Edition by Keith Miniscalco & Greg Kot.
Managing Pregame Details
Before you talk to your team about the specifics of playing the game, take care of a few essential tasks. These may seem mundane, even distracting, but they're critical for ensuring that the game is played in an orderly and, above all, safe manner.
- Add your player roster and player numbers to the scorebook. Keep a copy of the roster with you so you can quickly copy it for all games.
- Check that all players are wearing kneepads and that their jerseys are tucked in. Players who forget their kneepads should not play without knee protection. As a last resort, have them borrow pads from a player on the bench and return them when they come out of the game.
- Look to see that no one is wearing jewelry, bracelets, or metal hair clips. Use tape to cover up pierced-ear studs if they can't be removed easily.
- Ensure that every child has brought water for the game. Always have a few extra dollars in your wallet to buy a drink from a beverage machine or concession stand for a player who has forgotten to bring water. Locate any nearby drinking fountains that the players can use.
- Remind all players to take a bathroom break in plenty of time before the opening tip-off.
- Greet the opposing coach and referees. Identify yourself and wish everyone a good game. A brief, friendly icebreaker conversation with the adults supervising the game will help create an atmosphere of cooperation. Yes, you're there to compete, but not at the expense of sportsmanship and safety. If a dispute arises in the game, you'll all be better equipped to deal with it in a civil manner.
- Ensure the scorer's table is staffed. The referees may ask you to enlist a parent to run the scoreboard or keep the scorebook (keeping track of the individual scoring and team fouls). These are relatively simple tasks, but they may require a minute or two of training. The referees usually handle these little primers before the game with the volunteer scorekeepers, but coaches should familiarize themselves with these tasks as well.
- Ask the scorekeeper to inform you about individual and team fouls so that you can better manage your substitutions.
Managing the Game Positively
Coaches arrive at the gym on game day full of anticipation and anxiety. What are you going to say to your team? How are you going to keep them focused once the game gets rolling and the nerves kick in? It's best to think before you get to the gym about what you want to tell your team. Plot out the things you want to convey and how, so that you can keep things simple and to the point. Weed out everything that isn't absolutely necessary to convey.
The following list provides the essentials of what you'll need to communicate to the team before the game:
- The starting lineup. You'll want to prepare the lineup ahead of time so you aren't fumbling for names seconds before tip-off. Coaches will be tempted to start their best players and sub in the weaker players all the time. But in youth basketball, it's much more important to give every player a chance to experience being a starter, so rotate the lineup every game.
- Defensive set and court direction. If you're playing man-to-man, make sure each player knows which opponent he's going to cover. If you're playing zone, make sure players know the zone set and what area they are to cover. Remember to use your dry-erase board. In addition, be sure your players know which way they are going on offense and which basket they will be defending. It's not as easy as it looks.
- Out-of-bounds plays. Review the out-of-bounds plays with the team on your board. Remind them that the player inbounding the basketball is responsible for calling the play, but that you will help them out during the game with timely reminders
- Pep talk. It's always a good idea to remind the players what's coming up. It's a game. The object is to have fun. There's no reason to be nervous or scared. But there is one requirement: Play hard. Mistakes will be made, but every player, no matter what her ability, needs to play with energy and passion. That means hustling back on defense, diving on the floor for loose balls (while wearing kneepads, of course), scrapping for rebounds, and loudly encouraging teammates.
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