Basketball season has arrived which means it’s time to get the DreamTeam back together. For the past two seasons I’ve had the pleasure of coaching a group of boys in a YMCA youth basketball league.
It’s amazing how quickly the boys are growing and maturing. They are getting stronger, faster and generally have a better feel for the flow of the game. Fortunately many of the boys playing basketball also play summer and fall baseball with us so we get the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with the players.
This is going to be a tougher season for the boys. One of our more experienced and skillful players has moved on to a more competitive league so we’ll be relying on new players to assume leadership roles on the court. Over the past two seasons of coaching basketball and baseball we’ve been introduced to some great families and as a result we needed two teams to accommodate all of the boys. I just couldn’t see telling an 8 year old there wasn’t a spot on the team for him, so instead of differentiating at this stage I elected to coach two teams so everyone had an opportunity to participate.
In a YMCA sponsored program we aren’t given a lot of time with the boys. Practices last 45 minutes and we’re given one night a week to get the team together before playing our next game the following Saturday. My philosophy in coaching kids of this age is centered around the priorities of fun, learn and compete. I want the boys to have every opportunity to fall in love with basketball. As they begin to enjoy the game and the challenges inherent in playing basketball I want them to have every opportunity to learn the skills needed to play the game well. Lastly I want them to understand what it means to compete, to give their best effort and be a good teammate.
These three priorities drive my decisions in planning our practices and positioning the boys for success on game day. I see game day as an opportunity for the boys to showcase the skills they are learning while competing with their teammates. While winning is always fun, success isn’t defined by the final score on Saturday. A successful week is one in which the boys individually and collectively demonstrate a better understanding and execution of the fundamental skills we introduce at practice on Monday night.
