My Wife Was Right- Just Don’t Tell Her

I loved to go to coaching clinics. When a new clinic brochure came out, there was always someone I felt I “had to see.” It could be Bob Knight on “Man to Man Drills,” Dean Smith’s “Fastbreak and Secondaries,” some coach speaking on ob’s, or a million other speakers and topics. There was always a speaker or a topic that drew me to go. 

My wife was always supportive but she also was skeptical about the importance of going to so many clinics. Most of her questions were a result of her trying to understand my fascination with clinics. She would ask things like,”Haven’t you heard Bob Knight ten times already?” Or maybe it would be,”Are there really that many new out of bounds plays?” She never was telling me not to go, she just wasn’t sure about the value. 

When I got back from a clinic, her favorite question,”How many more wins did you pick up this weekend?” It was her good natured tease to let me know she didn’t think all the clinics were necessary. 

Since I have retired from coaching, I have not gone to a clinic, but I have gone to a lot of basketball games. This season my count, I have attended over 20 basketball games. I have been to men’s and women’s games of both HS and college teams.  I have seen a lot of games in person. It is fun. 

This past week, i scouted at a tourney and on one days sat thru 6 games in the same gym. 

It has been fun watching different teams play, where winning and losing is not as important to me. I have gotten learn a lot by watching a variety of coaches and teams. 

As a coach, it is a different experience sitting in the bleacher surrounded by fans.

I listened to a guy who was an expert on shot selection. If a player shot and missed, he yelled,“That’s a terrible shot, work the ball.” If a player made a shot, he loudly complained,“I don’t know why the coach doesn’t get them more shots.” 

Another guy was an expert on player safety issues, he told the ref,“Come on ref, someone is going to get hurt!” But then when the ref called a foul on his team, he encouraged the ref to,“Come on ref, let them play.”

Some insights are harder to follow. I sat in one area in the first half of a game, and the fans there felt- “They need to quit pressing and just get back.” While another fan yelled,”Put the press on coach.” 

I am beginning to realize there is a lot for me to learn about deciding which players should play. After a player turned the ball over, the advice,”Get her out of there.” And then at half-time a dad talking to another father,”If the coach would just give my daughter a chance, she is better than Suzy.” 

Dads do seem to be a wealth of basketball knowledge. One dad walked back and forth on the balcony giving teaching points to his daughter until he was ejected for giving teaching points to the ref. But I am sure he got 10,000 steps in before he left. 

Another dad sat in row one and every deadball stood up, walked to the edge of the court, and gave instructions to anyone on the team who would listen- “Drive more,” “Look for the three,” “Concentrate.” I was so upset that I didn’t have a notepad at that game to take down all his tips.

And a third dad met their daughter to give her a shooting demonstration as she went into the lockeroom at half-time. And to think I paid for video from the “Shot Doctor,” when I could have gotten shooting tips for free!

 
I have to admit my wife was right. Why in the world did I go to basketball clinics when I could have just gone to any gym and listened to all the “experts” in the stands. I never realized how many people are experts on basketball. 

For now, I think I will find a quiet corner of gyms to sit so I don’t get overwhelmed with basketball knowledge.