I don’t think about coaching as necessarily ‘monolithic’. Good coaches (if you’re at a high enough level) ultimately become communicators, communicating with players, parents, fans, media, coaches, and others.
Coaches have different responsibilities as well, which might be very different for different levels.
- Program organization
- Psychology and motivation
- Recruiting (yes, this even applies to lower levels, attracting athletes)
- Physical and strength training
- Practice organization
- Game management (strategy, ‘speed’ of play, substitutions, time out use, et cetera)
- Game preparation including scouting
- Fundamentals and skill development (my favorite part of the game)
- Transition (offense and defense)
- X’s and O’s
- Situational basketball (excluding end-of-game management)
- End-of-game management (an entire subject in itself)
- Fund-raising
“If you listen to the fans in the stands, then pretty soon you’ll be up there sitting next to them.” – Bobby Knight
Coaching young players differs greatly than coaching at high levels. Our job is first developmental, preparing players to play high school basketball someday. A high school or college coaches first priority has to be winning, as bottom-line/results-oriented coaches tend to have less job stability than volunteers.
But no matter what level you coach, your success will relate to the talents of your players. “Great players make great coaches.”
If you’re even considering becoming a coach, you’d want to learn more about the game. Some of my favorite books about coaching include:
Practical Modern Basketball, John Wooden
They Call Me Coach, John Wooden
Coaching Basketball Successfully, Morgan Wootten
Multiple Offense and Defense, Dean Smith
Coaching Basketball, Jerry Krause
The Smart Take from the Strong, Pete Carril
Coaching High School Basketball, Bill Kuchar
In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle, Madeline Blais (a generic book about girls basketball)
Seeing Red, Dan Shaughnessy (about Red Auerbach)
If you want to become a basketball coach, you probably start by playing the game, and receiving mentoring under a coach that you admire and respect.
Recently I received a brief note from a former player who thanked me for having helped make her a better player and allow her to make the high school team. Ultimately, the reason to coach becomes the chance to teach, to watch your players succeed in basketball and in life. Those moments don’t have a price.
