Basketball Coaching Expectations & Culture

 In the next week or two, most basketball teams in Illinois will be starting up with their practice or camps. The great thing about the summer is that it is a chance to start fresh with the players. In that first week of camp or practice, it is the time emphasize specific expectations of players- how you want them to practice, skills you want to emphasize, how you want them to communicate on the floor, etc. It is a time to establish your team culture- it is a “fresh start.” Last season, anything that was either minor issues or major issues can be cleaned up. 

It is also a great time to establish your coaching expectations, and your coaching culture. It may be a time to develop “jobs for each assistant coach.” I am often frustrated when a ref will say,”That’s not my area.” But as coaches, we might learn from the method of refs. In officiating, three sets of eyes all have a specific area to focus on, not all three sets of eyes are looking at the ball. They may miss a call, but the idea is that they each have an area of focus. In coaching, instead of having three sets of eyes all following the ball, it is valuable to have each set of eyes have an area or skill or players to be watching. 

I attended a college practice where when the players took the floor, each coach was walking around as they did prepractice connecting with each player. It was obvious each coach touched and talked to each player by the time they got down with their prepractice warmup routine. It could not have been an accident. The coaches each exhibited “purposeful behavior.” 

I am a firm believer that we as coaches help establish the team culture. If we want the players to be loud and verbal in practice, the coaches need to be loud and verbal. If we want the players to have high energy, the coaches need to have high energy. If coaches are sitting in a chair on the sideline, it is pretty tough to sell your culture is going to be high energy. Coaches need to establish what their “coaching culture” will be, and how it will positively impact the “team culture.” High energy coaches help establish high energy players.