Players: Enjoy your HS playing days. There’s nothing like playing in front of a crowd of your community members, friends & family & playing alongside classmates. The sense of community & school pride is unbeatable. Relish it; rejoice in it; respect it. It’s over before you know.
Very proud to be the son & grandson of some great veterans. To all the great men & women out there who have served & are serving our great country & to all those who have fallen, you have my utmost respect. I sincerely thank you for the ultimate service & sacrifice you make. 🇺🇸🙏🏻
Coaches can tell when you’re not all in, when you:
Act above others
Make excuses
Don’t listen with your eyes/ears
Complain
Shut down when coached
Stop communicating
Think rules don’t apply to you
Skip the extra work
Pout when benched
Don’t support teammates
Play for me, not we
Years of coaching experience don’t automatically make someone an expert in player development. Many coaches simply repeat what they know. The game evolves. Research evolves. Our understanding of learning evolves. Our coaching should too. Players deserve coaches who keep learning.
Your team practice is just a small part of your development.
Most of your improvement will come from the work you do outside of team training.
The players who improve the most are the ones who understand this early.
You can’t define someone else’s potential, dictate their path or measure their growth by your own timeline. The goal is to help people become the best version of themselves. That journey is personal, imperfect and shaped by experiences only they can live. Give them room to grow.
Some athletes stop developing when practice ends. The ones who separate? They make development a top priority. Team practice isn’t enough to build greatness, there’s not enough time, reps or opportunity. If you want to rise above the rest, keep leveling up when no one’s watching.
Shooting practice isn’t about chasing perfection or eliminating every variable. Every shot is slightly different anyway. The great shooters aren’t flawless with their technique, they’re the ones who can adjust & change their technique to stay consistent no matter the conditions.
Great leaders make every team member feel valued, not just for what they contribute, but for who they are. When differences are seen as strengths, people are empowered to bring their best. Teams grow stronger when everyone has a place, a voice, a purpose & they know they matter.
Great leaders don’t rely on yesterday’s reputation, they earn trust daily. They don’t need a title or attention to matter. Their focus is on the mission, the work & the people around them. They raise standards, build belief & make everyone around them better. That’s leadership.
@CoachJonBeck PTGS, pass to good shot. The assist is a misused stat. Its used to measure ball distribution but what it really measures is a teammates ability to make the shot. Miss the shot no assist. I kept both stats when I coached BB. If PTGS > than assist we have a finishing problem.
Great question, Coach and I am a firm believer of the question you asked. I am big on tracking and managing and they belong under the same player-development umbrella, but they serve different purposes.
Tracking tells us what is happening. Managing it is how we create growth.
The above mentioned nowadays are skills that must be taught, practiced, coached and reinforced within the system just like the physical part of the game.
I've always emphasized player contributions when grading out players and have called it "Positive Power Points".
Positive Point For: Pts, rebounds, steals, diving loose balls, 2pts per assist, 2 pts for a charge (Negative pt for missed shots, missed FTs, TO's) Goal is finish w/ Positive points.
We track points, rebounds, assists & shooting percentages. But what about how players respond to mistakes, handle adversity, communicate, make decisions or respond to coaching?
Coaches: Would love your help & thoughts.What do you wish you could track that traditional stats miss?
Starter or role player. Varsity or JV. Practice, scrimmage, or game. Exhibition or playoffs. Doesn’t matter. The mindset never changes: Prepare. Compete. Dominate. Circumstances don’t dictate your standard or your preparation, your habits, and your mindset do. Every. Single. Day.
Giving feedback directly correlates with the type of relationship you have with your players. Each one learns, listens, understands, manages & problem-solves differently. The best coaches adjust their approach to fit the person. Real teaching happens through real relationships.
HS sports should be about competing, representing something bigger than yourself, being part of a team & growing through the game. When the bling, ind. attention & spectacle overshadow the team, competition & love for the game, we’ve lost sight of what makes sports meaningful.
The team you’re on matters way less than the attitude, effort & energy you bring daily. Freshman, Soph, JV, Varsity, starter, 2nd string, role player— that doesn’t define you. How you respond to your role, work for the role you want, & help your team WIN does! Team first always.