OT: Coaching basketball/two sports
I have recently been offered the opportunity to coach high school basketball as an assistant. I have only coached football in the past, but I've always wanted to coach basketball and/or baseball, too. I haven't made up my mind yet whether to add basketball coaching to my duties, but I'm strongly considering it. There are lots of positives (spending time coaching kids, the competition, learning more about the sport, etc.) and some potential negatives (basketball teams seem a little more prone to pre-Madonna attitudes, it's right after a very taxing football season/work schedule, etc.).
Does anyone have words of wisdom or advice on coaching a second sport, coaching basketball, etc.? Thanks in advance.
It's pre-Madonna or my name's not Roll Damn Tide.
These people?
Yeah, probably about 9 of the basketball players are football players, too, so there's a lot of crossover.
This is excellent advice. I know we are talking about you doing basketball, but you mentioned baseball as a possibility in the future. Baeball parents are HORRIBLE. They are heavily involved and their kid was a little league all-star...because everyone who is decent is a little league all-star.
just curious, how much do high school football coaches make? is it pretty similar to a teacher's salary?
so you usually get an annual stipend of $10k or so on top of your teacher's salary teaching some other subject.
I have heard that you tend to start higher on the teacher salary ladder though.
Might not be a bad thing.
I used to coach two sports every year. The first two years of my teaching career, I coached basketball and baseball. The next two years, I coached basketball and golf. It was A LOT but really enjoyable. The golf was a really nice break compared to the team sports (despite the fact that you technically play as a team...you know what I mean).
Basketball is a really long season compared to the fall and spring sports especially if you get into doing the holiday tournaments which completely kills your xmas if you have any traveling to do. In terms of coaching, I think basketball is one of the hardest sports to coach, although not as difficult as football. There are a lot of intricacies to the game that need to be taught. I am not sure what level you would be coaching but the higher the level, the more complex it is. Coaching JV or a Freshman team may be a good place to start. The kids move so much slower and a lot is done with player/skill development rather than running an team offense and defense.
I think where you may run into an issue is the offseason conditioning. I imagine there will be a bunch of overlap during the spring and summer. That was the main reason I switched from baseball to golf. Yes, I took the easy way out.
Yeah, that's one of my concerns with coaching football/basketball. They do offseason conditioning at different times in order to get kids at both, but obviously, that means I'll be doubling up on it, too.
Thanks for the feedback.
I would ask Mike Rice for some pointers.
Head to the local playground wearing high shorts, higher socks, a sweatband and the most neon colored tank top you can find.
Challenge the local ballers and shot callers to 3-on-3. Find two of your friends, the older the better, and have then dress appropriately. Tell the haters that you will "break their ankles" and to "come see you in the streets".
Take it to the hoop with that old man speed and strength. Inform them that this game is and always will be about buckets. Once they start yelling "Damn Gramps!" and "Man, this old cat got skills yo", you know you're doing it right.
Once you rehearse that performance, repeat it with your players. They will be blown away at your wisdom and old-sageness. They will respect you for life. You will compete for the state championship.
Basically, be Uncle Drew.
That sounds doable.
and if that's your chosen career (besides uber-blogger), then what are you waiting for? lots of high school coaches do just what you are contemplating and it works out very well. with a team of cross-overs from football, your b-ball duties will be easier, not harder. you obviously have the mental capacity and football knowledge, and i can't imagine you wouldn't be an excellent b-ball coach too.
lastly, the biggest thing you teach kids at those ages is character. they'll get X's and O's, chalk talks, play diagrams all day long, but you teach them character and all the other stuff falls into place. well, and you'll have to make sure they can sing 'The Victors'. then definitely you'll have done your job.
attitude with every player. I've coached both sports and I have noticed basketball players tend to look to be "coaches pet". Every coach has a player that they will bond with easier than others. Try to bond with every player on your team and remind your team that everyone is equal and everyone must work together to win games.
Lots of basketball players slack off in practice as well. This made me livid. Keep practices fun and exciting and VERY competitive.
You should be fine..Head basketball coaches like to be in control. There arn't as many coaching specialties as football, which means your drills and lessons will have to be ok'd by the head coach more so than in football.
I was about to say the same. If you've got a full teaching load, do you want to spend two-thirds of the school year coaching on top of it? That's a lot.
If you love it, I don't see why not. And it can't hurt too much to try it one season to see how it goes. Do it now before you get too old.
Also, there isn't as much basketball players are this and football players are that, kids are kids and they will rise to the expectations you set in practice (as I'm sure you know from football). It's easy to send a message to a basketball player - sit him.
Yeah...the basketball coach is well aware of my football commitments, so he should be prepared for my lack of availability until the end of football season.
Wow. Now you will be a "know it all" for basketball too. Just kidding. We love you Magnus.
Former High School varsity head basketball coach, and I was also the assitant high school soccer coach, so I have some experience. My thoughts:
- do you love basketball, or just coaching? Adding that 2nd sport, if you are busy, is pretty tough unless you really love the sport. I'm assuming you love coaching, but if you don't love the sport, it becomes tough.
- coaching basketball is the single BEST sport to coach (yes, I'm biased). But if you don't really know the sport well, it can be pretty hard. If you are the assistant and the head coach knows your abilities, you don't have to be a technician, etc. You can be helpful with the knowledge that you already know. After even one year as an assistant, you will know much more. But if you come in really knowing the game - both strategy but even more importantly the individual body positioning, etc - it is a blast to coach. Unlike football, there are fewer players, fewer things happening, so you get to work a lot one-on-one with kids and really see dramatic improvments. I feel that you can see kids' improvements with good basketball coaching more clearly and faster than any of the big five sports.
- There is a TON of info on the internet about basketball coaching - team strategies and skill development. As an assistant, you won't have to lead with this stuff but rather follow, so it shouldn't be too hard. I assume the head coach would clearly define your role, and if so, you could really find the info online you need to coach your role. Until this year, I had only coached high school kids. This year I started coaching my 6th grade son's team. I had no idea really what to do. I didn't understand that level of basketball well. I went online and was amazed at how much info there is now (wasn't there when I started coaching almost two decades ago).
- coaching is coaching is coaching. If you are a good coach, you don't have to be an excellent sports-skills guy to be effective. You can assume that is covered by the head coach. A lot of these kids are already your football players, and your leadership is already part of the coaching role.
- Back to coaching basketball - while football you can call the plays, and so strategy is very direct, in basketball you are right there in the action - a lot more discussion with players, more small tweaks to the game, in vocal range during the game to call plays, remind players of things they have learned, etc. A ton of fun to coach.
One more thing:
- I haven't found any prima donna problems at all with basketball. I would guess it is no different than any sport - it will always exist if the coach allows it, and it won't exist if the coach can learn to earn the respect of the team (and this does NOT only come through knowledge of the game). Unlike football, you work more directly with the kids individually, and this tends to build strong relationships with players and decrease problems with players who think they are all-important. Anyway, this is the last concern I would have about coaching basketball. It is the same in every sport
I've coached varsity basketball at a very high level (had John Beilein in the gym for a recruiting visit, for example) and at a much lower level. At the lower level, I coached three sports seasons a year.
Are you a teacher? That makes it easier - seeing the kids during the day, getting to know them better, knowing the school better, holding academic practices or study halls before practice, etc.
1) I don't think basketball kids are more prima donna than football kids. I haven't coached football, so that's just my opinion (I've coached basketball and soccer at varsity level; also baseball and lacrosse). At the schools where I've worked, it just depends on the head coach. The character of the team follows from the character of the head coach, almost always.
2) You say the b-ball position is an assistant spot. Definitely base a lot of your decision on what the head coach is like, how you two get along, etc. I've worked as an assistant for a head coach who was not worthy of his players, and it was a nightmare. I'll never repeat it. I was constantly caught between the parents, the players, the AD, and the coach, who was a super nice guy, but just not cut out for the job, even though he really wanted to be.
3) I would 100% reject the advice of whoever it was that said ignore the parents. Sports parents are like teeth. If you ignore them, they might eventually go away, but it's likely going to be very painful and messy before that happens. Absolutely do not ignore them. Cultivate relationships with them. Make sure they know you're in charge, make sure they know boundaries, but talk to them. For god sakes, who's going to cover that summer scrimmage when you and the head coach have a wedding to attend and your jv coach is camping and your freshman coach is John L Smith only less stable? Who's going to spend $2000 on team fleeces? You need parents in your program.
4) I guess compared to a soccer team, and probably a football team, the basketball kids get more individual attention. So if you only like group drills, platoon work, etc. then maybe b-ball won't be to your liking.
5) Depending on what state you're in, yeah, the winter sports high school season is by far the longest. Not fairly compensated for, either.
6) Make sure you stay on friendly terms with the maintenance staff and the cheerleading coach. Bad things can happen otherwise.
7) Preview the warm-up music ahead of time.
Now I'm probably just rambling useless stuff you already know; fire away with questions in the event you want to hear more. Bottom line for me is that it's great, but it's very time-consuming, especially at a high level when you're flying around the country for tournaments in both the winter and summer.
Thanks for the feedback...especially #7.
When you can get on the same level as a kid. They'll respect you more and play for you. I
I coach basketball and I love it. It's funny, because when I was playing, basketball was the lowest sport on my priorities. I was a serious baseball player, kinda serious soccer player, and played basketball because my friends did.
Now I coach basketball and soccer and absolutely unequivocally would give up soccer if I had to in order to keep basketball. I LOVE the one-on-one coaching you get to do. Someone mentioned it already, but seeing kids develop so much over the course of the season (the longest season in Michigan high school sports, as many have mentioned) is so rewarding.
Something nobody has mentioned:
Those late Tuesday/Friday nights can be brutal. JV/Varsity double header away games that run late or are an hour+ away are tough. There have been times when I get to work (school) at 7:30am and we get back to school from the games at 11pm. You are definitely not compensated by the hour very fairly, but you already coach so you know this.
I've never had any issues with parents, though this season it is one of my personal goals to develop better relationships. Our basketball program is very well run, the parents recognize this and let us do our thing for the most part. But that respect was earned and built over long periods of time. It's something I'll be working on with our soccer program.
Head coach-assistant coach relationship. It's crucial. If you're an assistant coach and you don't work well with the head coach, you'll be miserable. If you work well with him, it's great. Obvious, but I think it is even more important in basketball because of the smaller numbers and more intimate setting.
Don't get a tech as an assistant coach. I am definitely not speaking from experience....