Whether you agree with me or not, let me know what you think of my philosophy on playing time for my basketball program. Feel free to add to it if youd like. Its a work in progress, so Id love for any of you to help me forge something that will most efficiently help create a program that produces successful players and people. Thanks! found at: 50allstars/p/playing-time.html -------------- Theres no pleasing everyone, but our goal in this regard is to eventually please everyone by providing each player with the most efficient strategies for success on and off the court. ............................................. Games are emotional challenges that are full of pressures and intense realities for us all. If your child isnt ready, please realize everything else we offer is more than enough to get them to the point where theyll one day be able to handle it. We have 20 players per team, and the top 12 in monthly attendance will have an opportunity to play in each game. As in life, the hard work we put in on a day to day basis merely affords us the chance at success; but we know that nothing is guaranteed. We tend to exalt games, and let me be the first to say there is absolutely nothing wrong with that exaltation. Where we fail ourselves is when we choose not to exalt all the other aspects and avenues of the sport. We have practices, clinics, workouts, conditioning, scrimmages, combines, and camps. Even if you play the entire game, that is an extremely small percentage of what it will take to make you the best player you can become. The problem with most players is that within just a 5 minute stretch of a game, they are more enthusiastically focused and more physically exhausted than any hour of the other events. Herein lies the shortcut to greatness. Quite simply, the greatest become the greatest by not differentiating between all the different facets and avenues. And while thats easier said than done, that must be our goal. We need to have players that put as much effort into a simple drill as they do the last minute of a championship game. And if we have enough of those players, well end up having a lot of championship games! We have our talented and we have our hard workers --- every program does. With us, wed like for our hard-workers to push our talented to work harder. We actually want our hard-workers to constantly push the talented until they too become talented. And then once that happens, we want these now talented hard-workers to push the other talented ones to either become hard-workers themselves or to replace them altogether. This takes time, and this takes an extremely unique perspective to accomplish. The slow-moving barometer of this inevitability will be made evident in games, but it will be created in the countless hours prior to those games. With any aspect (whether it be shooting, defense, dribbling, etc.), practice is the time to improve and the time to learn how to improve further while on your own. Games are there to showcase the areas at which youve improved, but only when youve finally reached that point. We all must selflessly compete on our teams within our given roles, and its the same with life. Showing up gives you an opportunity, but doesnt give you everything. And having everything doesnt give you the right to not show up. I wouldnt mind having a team where those who play the most also have the fortitude and perseverance to handle being benched, or those who usually dont play could also handle the pressures of playing an entire game. During our time, hopefully there will be opportunities for all players to try both. Coaches will make great decisions, difficult choices, and obvious mistakes. You prove which is which by how you play when you next get the opportunity. So basically well play any of the 12 players that will help us win that game. If we need bigs, well play bigs. If we need shooters, well play shooters. If a kid is randomly on fire, well play that kid. If our best player is off, we might sit that player. Once you get playing time, youll know youve earned it. I expect every player to love practice and to play as hard in practice as they would in games. And Id like for everyone to one day come to the realization that everything we do is a practice... even games. Steve Nash, Chauncey Billups, Steve Young and so many others didnt play their first few years in their respective leagues. Know that - no matter what - better players than you, who have been done worse to, have achieved more than you ever will. Our goal is to create players and people who are able to handle whatever is thrown at them. Cheer for your teammates, handle the ups and downs, and practice each minute like it may be your last. This is what will make our program great. Thank you for being a part of our program.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 17:23:13 +0000
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