Team Characteristics vs Program Characteristics

I spent my entire coaching career in basketball as a head varsity coach. For better or worse my perspective on almost all my blog posts have been influenced by that perspective. I was not the fastest learner. Because of inexperience, naiveness, and lack of confidence it took me much longer than it should have to institute a plan

for building a consistently competitive program. I remember John Wooden being interviewed and saying it took him awhile to win a NCAA Championship but once he won the first he got to be pretty good at it! (Probably the understatement in the history of men's collegiate basketball.)

This blog, like almost all of the other 100+ posts express my opinion on some aspect of coaching high school basketball. Fortunately, or unfortunately, this post will express my observations and opinions. As always I am not trying to "sell" anyone on this post.

Now before I go any farther, I understand how fortunate I was to have finished my coaching career with eleven consecutive twenty win seasons. Talent levels fluctuate from year to year. The strength of your schedule also is not the same every season. There are also any number of distractions that may have a negative impact on

your team. If you are not the lead coach in your program, your team's success can be significantly impacted by players moving up or down a level. One of the reasons we had the level of success over the final eleven years I coached was the loyalty and dedication of the coaches we had on staff.

Now maybe it makes no difference to you but my goal was to develop a program not just a team.

These are what I believe contrast a team approach from a program approach"

CHARACTERISTICS:

Team: Each team level determines the offense and defense that level will use.

Program: An attempt is make to play similar style of offense & defense at all levels.

What's worse .... black & white images, those shorts or the player's ugly shoes?

Team: Team success is more important than player development.

Program: Player development is a priority whenever possible.

Team: Coach's speech often contains the pronoun I. Focus is self centered.

Program: Emphasis on doing what's best for the team.

Team: Isolated attitude very little interest or concern with what is going on at other levels.

Program: Big picture approach. Each level is important.

Team: Coach resents players being moved from one level to another.

Program: Primary consideration for moving players up or down is what is best for the player(s)

involved.

Team: Style of play based solely on what will give the team the best chance of winning.

Program: What style of play will benefit player development over the long haul.

I remember an incident that happened while I was still coaching. We were hosting a 9th grade tournament. We had a 9th grade player who was a starter on our JV team. One of the competing teams in our tournament had a 9th grader who saw varsity minutes but was going to play in the 9th grade tournament. This team was surprised

that we haBd decided NOT to allow our starting JV 9th grader to participate in the tournament. For me, it was an easy decision. Winning the 9th grade tournament was

not my primary objective. By not allowing the before mentioned 9th grade JV starter

from playing, allowed our program to give more playing time to the other 9th graders

on the ninth grade team. It was about player development and what was best for the

program not about winning a 9th grade tournament.

Another example of making my point to have a program not just a series of Individual teams shows up on defense. Yes, you can win more games at the younger

levels in your program if you play what I sarcastically call 7-11 defense. Put your hands up & don't move! (You know convenience stores often are targets for holdups.) I did not believe our younger teams should play any type of zone defense.

Programs will not place winning over player development.