HOF Insights: Handling the Unmotivated Athlete

This past month, the Chicago Sky disciplined Angel Reese by making her sit for 1/2 of one game. Unfortunately probably all of us have had a talented player who may lack work ethic, not understand being a good teammate, or were disrespectful. How did you balance handling the “unmotivated player with talent” in such a way as to try to get them on boards vs not letting them disrupt the team? Were their techniques or methods that seemed to work and not work for you? 

Mike Tracey- Alleman, UTHS

The unmotivated, talented player is a big challenge. I think first and foremost, we have to examine why were coaching. This is the perfect problem to go back to the basics of your coaching philosophy. I honestly believe the team comes first . I also believe each individual deserves the attention that he or she needs.

I was a terrible loser. I hated it. If l didn't get the best from our best player, then I did something wrong. 

Some of the scenarios within this problem are not really factors to me. I believe the IHSA spells out the fact that you cannot hold summer non-attendance against a player. That eliminates a lot of potential problems for the coach.

As I look back, I have honestly tried to put the best players who worked the hardest and fit our scheme on the field. I definitely weakened some teams with this approach. 

But you also have to make an honest effort to reach the talented player in a positive way. I found that one on one conversations work best. I hate to sound soft, but maybe this is the first time the player has been told no by an adult. I took the time to explain to the player why he was not on the field. Often times that wasn't enough.

I never had a set number of times or how many chances I would give to a player. Search for something you can praise the player for during practice praise in front of the team may work for this individual. 

The other thing that had really helped me over the years was to have another player or two on the team speak with the individual. I think a conversation between players often times had more effect than the coach being involved. 

The difficult player must realize that his teammates and coaches value him as a person and team member. The ball must be squarely placed in the lazy players' court. He has to make the effort eventually, or he will not play.

The team came first. Would the team be better with this player on the field? Quite possibly the team would be better physically and in terms of talent . However, the potential loss of the attitude, involvement and emotional side of the game could be lost on the majority of the players .  The coach could be in direct contrast of what he preached as his philosophy.

The kids knew who should be on the field. Ask them and trust their answer.

Tim Engebretson- United

Obviously every school has their own athletic code of conduct and each program has their own specific set of rules. Fortunately, most issues are covered by those sets of rules. Unfortunately, things do come up that are not covered by all of the established rules.

I'd like to say we (I) were very consistent in dealing with those issues but I was not. There are so many circumstances in discipline issues and I think you should consider all of those issues before making a decision. First, we would consider the background, character, and past actions of the offender. We would consider how the discipline is going to affect the team, the individual, the program (in the present and in the future), the family, and everyone who follows the program. I would get input from all of our coaches and our administrators. If I had a senior group with great character, dedication, and commitment levels, I would try to include them on the decision. In reality, I very seldom had to use all these steps to make a decision.I was fortunate to have great character kids most of my career.

For specific situations in the question:  For the player with average work ethic or motivation, we would try to use film to help us address the situation. We would often have the athletes rate themselves on percent of effort for each play while watching film. Of course, they might not be completely honest when doing that. I would then sit with them and go through the obvious plays when better effort or better attitude were necessary. Coach McIntosh would not be as politically correct. He would point out the obvious lack of effort and technique during every film session. In the early years, this technique was all that was necessary. As time went on, a combination of the strategies was probably needed.

Considering a senior coming out after not playing their junior year is a tough one. Of course, you have to consider all the kids who had great commitment levels all 4 years. You also have to consider the players who want this player if they will help the team. This is a case where all the strategies from above would be necessary. No matter what you decide, you are going to have some unhappy individuals. Personally, I want the people that gave me all 4 years to be the happiest.

For that individual who showed no offseason commitment, I think it is up to the Seniors of that specific team to decide. On our really good teams, this was never an issue because that individual would wash themselves out of playing time by not being dedicated. On the average teams, these individuals were accepted because they wanted anybody that could help them and maybe that is why we were average those years.

Kathy Bresnahan- Iowa City West

Dealing with talented superstars can often be the most challenging thing a coach can deal with. Unchecked prima donna behavior will cause divisiveness and unrest within the team.  Rules apply for all, superstars should have an even higher standard than the rest

One of my most talented teams, a state championship group, had three four-year starters that all went on to play DI.  One player balked at conditioning drills and even stated that she was saving herself for club season as “that took priority”.  My initial reaction was shock and then anger.  I waited until the next day until we both had a chance to cool down and then we met. I listened to her concerns and she listened to my expectations.  I said that we obviously needed her in the lineup but not to the detriment of the team.  We reached a compromise that if her foot was bothering her, we would limit high impact drills and she would do alternative conditioning under the direction of another of our coaches.  This conditioning was every bit as demanding as what the rest of the team was doing. In this situation, it was imperative that I couldn’t have the mentality of “it’s my way or the highway”.  We had a positive interaction and came up with a solution that benefited the team and her health concerns.

Another one of those players was extremely selfish and would even complain about not being interviewed enough by the media…even after a tough rivalry loss.  Looking back I should have handled this differently than I did but her attitude really pushed my buttons…I was furious and read her the riot act about her selfishness. This wasn’t an ideal response from me; my negative response caused a further chasm in our relationship as this was a culmination of many  disrespectful comments she made during the season and I had reached my limit.  Looking back, it would have been so much better for the two of us to sit down and have a mature discussion.  As coaches, we have to remember we’re the adults, we’re the leaders, and we’re the role models.  Talk to your player in a calm, rational manner and try to see their side. If need be, bring in a third party to help mediate a compromise. Today’s athletes are going to question things and we need to have appropriate ways to deal with these situations

Greg Bennett- Lewistown

I always felt that the key to maintaining team discipline was consistency. Part of this consistency was the fact that no player was exempt from the standards and rules of the team…..not even the “star player.” 

I didn’t have a huge list of rules, but I never made a rule that I wouldn’t enforce. I always tried to make sure that the “punishment fit the crime” and realized that every punishment assigned set a precedent for dealing with similar incidents in the future.

I never believed in “punishment for punishment’s sake,” but did feel that consistently applied punishments were a necessity in maintaining team discipline and unity. All team members needed to be accountable for their actions. In fact, accountability is one of the most important qualities that a coach can instill in a team.

To specifically address the various scenarios posed for this blog:

1.  Dealing with a talented player with work ethic issues, not being a good teammate issues, issues of disrespect, etc.? = I would definitely have a major “heart to heart” discussion with the individual involved, to remind him/her about their role as a team member and the expectations of the team. In addition, any issues would be further discussed in a team meeting format, to “clear the air,” reinforce expectations, and help prevent similar problems in the future. (From what I have seen and read about the Angel Reese situation, I think that a 1/2 game suspension was probably too lenient, and that she may have gotten off easy due to her “star status” and “box office draw.”)

2.  Dealing with an “unmotivated player with talent” in such a way as to try to get them on board vs. not letting them disrupt the team? = Similarly to my first answer, a “heart to heart” meeting with the player would definitely take place. A always In such meetings, I would do the vast majority of the talking, but I would encourage them to explain their views. (With particularly difficult individuals, multiple “heart to hearts” were often necessary.) I tried to keep the disruption to the team at a minimum by privately utilizing positive and negative reinforcement with the individual, but I would also elicit the other coaches and various team members to help motivate behavioral change. 

3.  How did you handle a senior coming out, who skipped going out as a junior because they didn’t think they would play? = I did have similar situations to this several times during my coaching career. My approach was based on the fact that teenagers often make bad decisions. Skipping a year, no matter what the reason, was definitely a bad decision. As I believe in second chances, especially when young people are involved, I would accept the player back with open arms. I would definitely, however, discuss the effect of missing the year had on both the player and the team. I would also let them know that they would have to work their way back into the teams pecking order athletically, mentally, and socially. Just because they happened to be a senior, was no guarantee of status or playing time.

4.  Or the player who showed no off-season commitment whether in weight room or any summer programs? = Although the IHSA does not allow mandatory summer activities, I feel that they are key to both team and individual success. Becoming stronger, improving skill sets, polishing execution, team bonding, etc., are all things that take place due to summer programs. I always attempted to be flexible with family vacations, jobs, other sports, etc., but I did expect players to attend as many activities as possible. In order to avoid conflicts and facilitate attendance, I provided summer schedules to players, parents, and other district coaches, several months in advance. Luckily we always had strong off season attendance, and I credit much of our athletic program’s success to the commitment the kids made during the summer. We did have a few individuals who didn’t commit to individual/team improvement and didn’t attend a reasonable amount of summer activities. As the other kids were coming together as a team, improving individually, and establishing their position on the depth chart…..the non-committed individuals tended to be slipping further and further behind on that same depth chart.