Advice for coaches in selecting parents

[personalogic]

As coaches, we all have a pretty good idea how to select players for our teams. What's more problematic is screening parents, particularly the dads. So here are a couple of tips that may help.

Find out if the dad ever played ball and, if so, at what level. If he was a high school varsity starter or played college ball, you are probably ok. However, if he never made it higher than junior varsity or the end of the varsity bench, he will almost certainly be a chronic pain in the ass. The principle being that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Of course, if you find a dad who never played at all, has no personal theories, and just wants his daughter to enjoy doing her thing, that kind of dad is golden.

But regardless of the dad's experience or lack thereof, if he has Warriors season tickets you are definitely screwed.

 

[Norcal_Fan]

I'm not sure I follow your personalogic? I'm not a basketball guru but I'd find it hard to believe that coaches screen parents when selecting kids for a team. Are there wackos out there? HECK YES! But if a coach sets the expectations early, all problems can be dealt with pretty easily. Back in the day our coach would tell parents that if they had issues of playing time, they could keep their own opinions. If they had other issues, they would have to wait 24 hours after they wanted to talk. They ran this agenda past the AD and Admin and was fully supported.

Rick Majerus, Tom Crean, Scott Drew, Mick Cronin never played college basketball and damn good coaches. Don't hate on people just because they never played and even more so, because they have season tickets to NBA. A lot of people find other passions in the second part of their life.

 

[RespectBBGame]

I think coaching has many parts. One is knowledge of the game whether you play or not. Second good communication skills with parents and players. Last is connections with other coaches. These are the main pieces to coaching.

First of all, knowledge of the game is the most important part of coaching. Coaches who played the game have a little edge on the ones that study the game. For example, coaches that played the game know alot of the ins and outs of the game that a coach thats hasn't play wouldn't know unless they were on the floor. But coaches that haven't played the game can learn the game as an assistant coach so they can learn why things happen and how to make things happen from an experienced coach. But there are coaches that played the game can't coach either. Perfect example, MJ one of the greatest player that play the game cant coach the game.

Secondly, coaches have to have great communication with parents and players. Coaches have up front talking to parents about their child and not lie to them and sale the dream that wont happen but that just might be one coaches opinion and not another. Coaches need talk to their players and tell what kind of role they will pkay on the team that they are coaching. In the end just be honest with parents and players so it wont be hard to tell them you told them in the beginning.

Last of all, coaches should have connections with other coaches for help when the need to send a player to college. Coaches need the connections so they are not sale false hopes to their player that have a chance to play at the next level. But saying this not all players will play at the next level. Coaches need connection with other coaches for their players that have a chance.

In the end, caoching is no cake walk at all and if coaches not in all the way the need to get out. In other words don't take on a coaching job just for a check but for the kids. This is my opinion on coaching and what u need to be a coach and if a coach stop learning about the game they need to get out of coaching.

 

[personalogic]

I'm not sure I follow your personalogic? I'm not a basketball guru but I'd find it hard to believe that coaches screen parents when selecting kids for a team. Are there wackos out there? HECK YES! But if a coach sets the expectations early, all problems can be dealt with pretty easily. Back in the day our coach would tell parents that if they had issues of playing time, they could keep their own opinions. If they had other issues, they would have to wait 24 hours after they wanted to talk. They ran this agenda past the AD and Admin and was fully supported.

Rick Majerus, Tom Crean, Scott Drew, Mick Cronin never played college basketball and damn good coaches. Don't hate on people just because they never played and even more so, because they have season tickets to NBA. A lot of people find other passions in the second part of their life.

My post was of course mostly tongue in cheek. But, yeah, you do need to screen parents these days, whether in the club or high school context. A chronically disgruntled parent will not only make your life miserable, but will work day and night to turn other parents against you. It would be nice if we were talking only about a handful of "whackos" but these folks are everywhere. And the higher level the team, the higher percentage of problem parents.

 

[ClayK]

Clubs can not take players, for whatever reason; schools do not have that option.

 

[CityVibesII]

Yes, tongue in cheek (sort of). A lot of these parents are veterans of the AAU circuit and cant distinguish between the two. It is tough being a high school coach nowadays.