Fundamentals of Basketball Coaching

Philosophy

• A basketball coaching philosophy is a coach’s road map through the playing season. According to Morgan Wootten, author of “Coaching Basketball Successfully,” without this road map “you will lack...the direction necessary to achieve your goals." To create his coaching philosophy, a coach may think back to his playing years. What aspects of the game were important to him? What were his strengths and weaknesses? How did his coaches and teammates affect him, for better or for worse? Most importantly, Wootten urges the new coach to talk with coaches that inspire him and/or have successful teams. There are many books available written by the top basketball coaches from middle school to professional leagues. After collecting information from other sources, the new coach should remember to put something that is uniquely him in his philosophy statement. This statement should be created and communicated to his team at the first practice. He should observe that these ideals are upheld throughout the season.

Basics

• Young basketball players may feel an urgency to learn advanced techniques—eye-catching moves like dunking the ball. However, if a coach does not repetitively instill the basics, his players will never be as successful on the court as they could have been. Dribbling with both hands, shooting free-throws, passing and completing successful plays are perhaps the most important aspects of basketball. Each player must be individually strong with the ball and at the same time be capable of seeing opportunities open up on the court.

Playing Hard

• Playing hard, according to Wootten, means playing with 100 percent effort every second on the court. To achieve the attitude it takes to make a successful team, players must know to play at their best even in the most hopeless situations. When teams are evenly matched, consistency and stamina in both mind and body will set one team apart from the other. Players practice this philosophy not during an easy win, but when they must fight an uphill battle. Teach players to pridefully struggle to close a large point gap, or lose a game with pride if necessary.

Playing Smart

• Playing hard isn’t always valuable, especially if the team isn’t simultaneously playing smart. In order to play smart, Wootten says that “players must fully understand their roles on the team, and that starts with the coach." After several practices, a coach should know the strengths and weaknesses of each player. He should place them according to their physical abilities and limitations, working to improve what each player is naturally good at rather than forcing a player to adapt to something that may be against his biology. If the coach focuses on and highlights a player’s strengths, he will make his best possible contributions to the team while gaining confidence.

Playing Together

• Wootten believes that, on a successful team, “No one should care who gets the credit." Communicate to the players that if one person does well, the whole team does well. Once each player knows his place, he should see himself as one part of a much larger unit. Play mock-games during practices to illustrate the concept of teamwork. Make sure each player touches the ball many times by assigning a minimum number of passes that must occur before a basket can be shot.

Fun

• As basketball players progress to high school and college leagues, they may begin to feel more pressure to win. If a player goes into each game with an incredible fear of losing, he will not do well. All coaches want to win, but to make this the dominate goal of the season is to handicap the players before they have a chance to grow. Remember that it is possible, and perhaps even necessary, to have fun while playing hard.