Hustle Basketball Team - Parent and Coach relationship

Latest Update Saturday July 29, 2023 at 6:15PM

Here is my thought on the #1 way parents and coaches can be good teammates to each other...

Thank the passer!

You're dribbling down the court and see me, your teammate, make a beautiful back cut. You fake a pass and than make a pass to me, setting me up for an easy bucket! I get the pass, wide open and DUNK IT!!! (jk, I probably hobble into a layup...hahaha)

But that's not the point, the point is what I do next can DRAMATICALLY influence our relationship and the team's energy...

What if as we back peddle into our defensive positioning:

1) I ignore you.

2) I look your way, we make eye contact and I smile as I nod at you.

3) I point at you, clap my hands and loudly yell "Great pass! That's how we do it!"

Now clearly the first one, is no good...Hahaha if I did that, man, I would not be a good teammate and it could very quickly negatively effect us and our team's energy...but if I did the second or third one, both of those options are good, with the 3rd one probably being the best.

I have played with teammates like that first option, and no matter their individual skill, they are not fun to play with b/c they tend to be selfish...and either grow into a less selfish player OR they ultimately fall off the team. Either way, the team just doesn't perform as well as it could until one of those two things happen...(I've seen this to be true in sports, in civilian work and on military duty...)...

I've also played with option 2 and 3 players and they are a lot of fun to compete with! I will always try my best to be option 2 and 3 for you & I think if you do the same, it's a great place to start to build from.

OR here is another scenario...

We are on defense and you're guard the ball. You've closed out on your person, and are intently pressuring the ball carrier. The person I'm guarding is off ball in the low post and starts to move toward you to set a screen.

What if I:

1) Don't speak up and you get absolutely hammered as the screen is set on you.

2) I communicate loudly to you a screen is coming.

3) I communicate loudly the screen is coming on your right side...fight through it, I'm here in help side.

Again, the first option is just absolutely the worse and painful!

Both the second and third are effective; and depending on the situation, the 3rd option is usually the best...

So how the heck does this apply to us as parents and coaches off the court?

Well, just like we expect our athletes to communicate with each other and respect each other...to "thank the passer", we need to emulate that off the court! We need to "thank the passer"...a simple acknowledgement to a text or email...even if you can't get to it right away, is a GREAT way we can build trust and respect with each other.

This is something a coach can do for parent and parents can do for coaches.

So as we continue to build into our young athletes and organize this fall hoops, I encourage you to lean into the communication with me and the coaches. I promise you, I will always lean back and acknowledge you and respect you!

With love and respect,

Jeff Sprick

P.S. When watching your kiddo play sports, smile. If they make a mistake and quickly look at you, (as many kids do b/c they want to make you proud), and they see you smile and you are encouraging them to keep going, they will have less fear of failure!

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse