A LOGICAL, OBVIOUS AND RESOUNDING YES!!! But not for the reasons you might think. Of course, according to me.
First of all, I know that I am supposed to continue with my "Defense" talk but things are happening and I am seeing myself get taken over by these events. I will get to my reflection on "Defense" as some point but for now, I must do a bit of writing as it pertains to my very elementary experience with a new level of play in the game of basketball.
So this is year 19 of my coaching career (if I include my middle school experience). In my 19 years, I have had the opportunity to coach Middle School, Junior Varsity, Varsity, University, Provincial, National Program (Centre for Performance) and now Professional. I have coached the boys and the girls. I have done most of my coaching in Canada but do have a little bit of experience in the U.S.A as well. For the most part, my experience is limited to a Head Coach's viewpoint but with the new pro team I am with now, I am in an assistant's role. Although being an assistant has its rewards, I do miss being the person responsible for planning a season, developing players, making decisions and the stress related to all of that....I'll be honest here :)
Now that I've got all that out of the way, this blog will be about the differences to the levels at which I have coached. These are my opinions and as usual, if you agree with them or not, I would love to hear my reader's thoughts (good or bad) on my reflections.
Coaching Middle School
In Middle School, it's all about the Love of the Game. A coach’s main goal should be to involve as many players as he or she can to the game of basketball. Keep things fun at all times. Time and score are two things that should not be a focus at all while in practices. Having said that, what the focus should be is playing games that address spacing, dribbling, passing and shooting is the way to practice. At this level, it's all about building the base of the pyramid. Get kids to fall in love with basketball.
Junior Varsity
At this level things start getting pretty serious as far as skill development goes. Now that the player loves the game, he must now focus on getting better. The big three is still dribbling, passing and shooting. A coach at this level must be very technical and should have his practices be dominated with skill development. The more skill you have, the less tactics you need. If all your players can understand spacing, can shoot, pass and dribble the ball, you will win your games. Concepts should be very minimal. However, the fundamentals of defensive play should be reinforced (help side vs strong side and on ball defense vs off ball)
Varsity Level
At the Varsity level, skill development is still priority. A coach must now start thinking wins but not to the point of going crazy. A coach must be very good with different systems as in the High Schools, your team will change regularly. Therefore, a coach must be very good at figuring out how best to use what he has to work with. A coach at this level must also be good to train his players in order to give them a shot at playing university basketball (or college). Networking with the next level coaches is essential and necessary. A high school coach must pick the brain of a university coach as much as possible.
Provincial Basketball
This level is very interesting. A coach at this level usually has limited time and money to build a confident and efficient team. A coach here must be a motivator and strong tactically. He must be highly organized and able to facilitate an understanding among all his players that "just because you are the best player at your high school does not necessarily translate as being the go-to-guy for the provincial team". A coach must be very good at identifying individual skill set and creating a system that will best use that skill set. In addition to that, the coach must be very good at convincing each player that they all have a role to play. Not everyone will be looked at to score the ball. Not everyone will be looked upon to bring the ball up. So on and so forth. Not much time here to develop skill. However, it can still be 20% of any practice (use the warm-up for instance).
University \ College Level
At this level, I have been both an assistant and a head coach. In both experiences, I have noticed some similarities and some dramatic differences. A coach at this level needs to be a skilled salesperson. Forget Xs and Os! It's all about selling your program to not only potential players but alumni and the community as well. Once the player decides to embrace your program, then it's all about making sure that player is happy with his role and sustaining the culture you are trying to create with said program. Influence from Administration, alumni and many other people that have absolutely no business in what you are trying to do with your team is another aspect a coach needs to be able to manage. It is also an essential part of your program because these people control the money which in turn makes a coach's life much easier when recruiting time rolls around. University \ College coaching is a constant juggling act. Peace is when the game is actually happening or better yet, practice! I loved coaching at this level and did enjoy the relationships I have established in doing so. However, I have come to realize that my expectations for my program (or type of program I want to have) are non-negotiable. Because of that, I have been pinched. I plan to coach for another 25 years at the very least and very much do not plan to change that mindset. I know what wins and I know what loses. Period! I guess if I am ever to coach at this level again, it will come down to the type of institution it is. I could go on and on but I won’t. It’s not that kind of blog J
Pro ball (or Semi-pro ball if you prefer)
This is a business and business first! In business, if things are not profitable (and that word has many different definitions), then things change. When they change, there is little warning and it is swift. A coach at this level needs to be sure that whatever his job is, he needs to get it done. No excuses! At this level, players are drafted or signed and each of them have a very specific skill set. There is very little room for any improvement with that skill set. Not because skill development does not happen in practice but rather because these players think they are done getting better. Asking a player at this level to do something that is outside his comfort zone can be like trying to open a door by pushing it when that door is a "pull to open". It's not that the door "doesn't want to open". It's just that it wants to open its way. A coach at this level needs to be a tremendous communicator and very good in the Xs and Os department. A coach at this level needs to be very good at identifying what his players can and cannot do. From there, he needs to set a system that best utilizes the strengths of his players (and hides their weaknesses).
So there it is. My two cents on the different levels a basketball coach might find himself in. I guess the moral of the story is this: Understand the level of basketball you are coaching at and the things that must happen for your situation (and your players') to be as beneficial as possible. If you are coaching Middle School and have a Pro approach, it will not work. Understand your context and pay attention to the culture you are creating. Few cultures lead to success. MANY cultures lead to failure.
