DEVON PREP BASKETBALL
DEVON PREP BASKETBALL
SURVIVAL GUIDE
INTRODUCTION
Why a Survival Guide for Devon Prep Basketball?
Over the past few months there have been alot of the same topics of conversation that have come up in many different situations. Those conversations led me to start thinking about what we are doing at Devon Prep and what we can get better at. While we attempt to always have open lines of communication, it does not always work that way and sometimes things to do not get communicated. As a way to continue to improve on our communication, we put together a little "survival" guide for players and parents. We asked former players and parents some questions below and literally took their answers and copied and pasted them into this document. As with any form of advice, what you do with it is entirely up to you but this advice is from people who just went through exactly what you are about to embark on. Each one of these players and parents who responded had a different experience but there are common themes to their answers. Those are the things that are important...the themes and how those themes can impact you on your journey. The Devon Prep Basketball program is very different and it impacts each of us in our own way... that is what makes it special. Hopefully the advice below can help you navigate your journey and get the most out of your experience in the DP Basketball Program
- Coach
WHAT ARE KEY SKILLS AND TRAIT THAT PLAYERS MUST STRIVE
TO DO/HAVE BEING IN THE PROGRAM
"Selflessness; active communication; mental toughness; accountability; thinking how a decision will impact the group and not just yourself"
"Being able to listen to what other tell you; self accountability"
"Be teachable; coachable; accountable; respectful: team oriented; strive to increase endurance, agility, speed/quickness"
"Being the best teammate you can be; impacting the game other than scoring; show up and work harder than everyone else; be able to shoot the ball"
"Tough skin; patience; trust in coaches"
"Passion - playing basketball at the varsity level is more than just rolling out a ball and you have to really be passionate about the game and your teammates to be successful"
"Teamwork; resilience; hard working; committed"
"Toughness; taking charges; diving for loose balls; quick feet; solid defense"
"Honesty; hard work; selflessness/teamwork; pride; confidence; discipline; accountability"
"Strength - you need to be both physically and mentally strong. The season is long and will test your mental resolve as well as bang you up physically”
WHAT ARE NON-NEGOTIABLES OF TH DEVON
PREP BASKETBALL PROGRAM
"Putting the team ahead of yourself. Every player - from the one playing every minute to the one that doesn’t play at all - will be expected to put the team ahead of everything. Understanding that as early as possible will help the journey go so much smoother"
"Toughness: owning your mistakes: supporting all of your teammates; playing with effort regardless of score"
"Accountability; hard work; gratefulness; toughness; giving your 100% effort, 100% of the time"
"Respect towards a coach’s decision involving any/all facets of the game and a player should not display a selfish attitude and become toxic in the locker room and on/off the court"
"Commitment - to be successful you have to be all in. The time commitment, not only in the season, but the off-season is a lot"
"Skipping for no reason; eligibility; hard work"
"Attitude"
"Defense; high energy; ball movement"
"Showing up; taking care of the facilities; not being selfish"
"Selflessness/teamwork; accountability/no excuses; no complaining - work harder"
WHAT IS THE BEST
ADVICE
YOU
HAVE FOR FUTURE PLAYERS/PARENTS ABOUT BEING A PART OF THE DEVON PREP BASKETBALL PROGRAM ?
For players:
"Not everything will go your way. You will learn to deal with adversity and that is a great life lesson"
"Expectations are high but the rewards are great on and off the court and during your time at Devon and beyond"
"Enjoy the experience, but be ready to work and dedicate yourself to the program. The coaches have the best interest in helping you for the next 4 years"
"Stay close with your teammates. The brotherhood that you build with them will be second to none"
"No matter how much or how little you play, control what you can control"
"When times get tough you have to keep working hard"
"Embrace getting outside of your comfort zone when it comes to basketball related activities as well as every day life of being part of a team/program“
"If you have questions do not hesitate to ask, ask multiple times if needed. Do not let issues or questions linger potentially spilling over to unfortunate actions or poor body language"
"Listen, learn, grow, work hard"
WHAT IS
THE
BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE FOR FUTURE PLAYERS/PARENTS ABOU BEING A PART OF THE DEVON PREP BASKETBALL PROGRAM ?
For parents:
"Don't expect basketball the way most teams play it. We play the right way, not the common way - moving and sharing the ball, making the extra pass, aggressive defense, focus on team play not one on one - and we win a lot of games we shouldn't because of it"
"It is not just about your son"
“Enjoy it - it all goes by so quickly and then it’s over. It won’t always go as planned, but appreciate that dealing with adversity is part of the learning process and be there for your son as he deals with that"
"The special bonds I’ve seen our son make with his teammates has been so satisfying and it’s through both the ups and the downs that these bonds were strengthened"
"Although the style of play at Devon may be different than what you are used to, it works when everyone buys into the culture. If your kid is only interested in Devon because of basketball, don’t come! The school has so much more to offer“
"Trust in the decisions that are being made regarding your athlete. If a concern arises, seek to speak with a coach privately to help resolve the issue rather than air the concern out amongst other players and parents. Do your best not to grumble and gossip"
WHAT ARE THINGS PLAYERS ABSOLUTELY NEED
TO DO WELL?
"Trust in your teammates and have one goal in mind: to win as a team.don’t always look for the accolades which may provoke your play to look selfish"
"Buy into wanting to play defense first then focus on the smaller details within a defensive possession. Always support your teammates regardless of your status within the program from day to day, week to week. Lean on your coaches as much as possible that is why they are in those positions to help you during the process"
"Academics, team first and positive attitude”
"Realize that it is not just about you"
"Play defense, play team basketball (making the extra pass), commit, and understand your role and embrace it”
"Score and pass, obviously, but support each other; every game is a war and the team that is the closest on and off the court wins most often. Realize that preparation for the PCL season is not all about winningembrace the process and enjoy the journey. Communicate and buy into the culture"
"Play defense; focus on fundamentals"
"Defense, work hard, show up to offseason workouts/games, and saying thank you"
"Shoot, handle the ball, box out, communicate"
WHAT IS THE MOST USEFUL ADVICE
YOU CAN GIVE A FRESHMAN
PARENT/PLAYER?
"Accept criticism and be willing to apply it in some fashion every day you’re a part of the program. Do not take coaching as a personal attack or singling you out. Enjoy the 4 years and do your best to focus on the positive aspects instead of watching the time go by in a blink of an eye"
"Work hard and accept your role as on any given day it may change”
"Always trust everyone at Devon Prep (coaches, teachers, etc)”
"Make each year count. Work hard and improve each year you play at Devon Prep. Measure your growth on and off the court"
"Be honest with yourself about the competition and your skill set. There are many skilled players, but there is a massive difference between a 14 year old freshman and 18 year old senior. The sooner you recognize that the sooner you’ll understand what you need to do to earn the spot you want. Development is key and understand it’s different for everyone, just because you aren’t playing on the team you hoped as an underclassman doesn’t mean that your time won't come. I’d add respect the process. The seniors have put in the time to make it to this point, many making significant sacrifices that their coaches may not even appreciate. It’s hard to appreciate as a freshman, but you’ll be a senior one day and want that same respect given to you"
WHAT IS THE MOST USEFUL ADVICE
YOU CAN GIVE A FRESHMAN
PARENT/PLAYER? (CONT)
"Trust the coaches and the process; don't make it about you; prove you buy in; work hard; strive to get better every day"
Be a good teammate and the opportunities will come. Cheer for your teammates and be appreciative when they cheer for you. Be present every day and every game - it goes by quickly"
"It is a grind but it will all be worth it in the end because of all the life lessons it can teach you"
"Work hard and be proactive to develop a communication cadence with coaches"
"Be patient with how the program is run. Playing time is earned and not a given. Always be a great teammate regardless of playing time"
WHAT ARE THINGS PLAYERS SHOULD TRY
AND STAY AWAY FROM?
"Outside influence of players from other programs or getting caught up in personal achievements from non Devon Prep basketball players. We are never going to be a box score social media program. It will only make you second guess yourself and lessen any achievements you have"
"Only worry about scoring"
"Being afraid to make mistakes. But make sure you are always making NEW mistakes"
"Goofing around: making the same mistakes: not saying thank you to coaches after practice/games"
"Selfish play, gossip: spreading rumors"
"Shooting bad shots: isolation; bad mouthing teammates or coaches; making excuses"
"Trying to do too much - making the simple play can be so much more effective than trying to do too much and turning the ball over"
"Negativity"
"Ego; excuses; bad attitudes; accepting less than perfection from yourself (and your teammates); trash talking in games - a certain level is ok at practice ;); lowering yourself to your opponents' level (you will hear some nasty chatter in games)"
"Outside noise around the coaches' decisions"
WHAT IS SOMETHING PLAYERS LEARNED/EXPERIENCED THROUGH DEVON PREP BASKETBALL THAT HAS HELPED THEM IN LIFE AFTER DEVON PREP?
From players:
"Dedicate yourself 100% to the task in front of you. Build relationships with those around you"
"There is no guarantee that tomorrow is granted. Treat every single practice, walk-through, game (in season or out of season) as though that is the last time you'll be a part of Devon Prep basketball - even basketball in general. It can be taken away from you at any point regardless of how much effort/dedication you put forth on a daily basis. Do your best to enjoy the journey and not just be along for the ride"
"Team camaraderie and a sense of family/team spirit. This program will teach you how to overcome adversity and not quit when things become challenging"
"Hard work; nothing is a given; leadership skills; persistency; showing up and giving 100% every single time"
"How to handle adversity, resilience and never being satisfied with being second best"
"Learning to deal with adversity - there are many highs and lows throughout a season and through the four years. Whether that be on the court, relationships with teammates, relationships with coaches, or dealing with the stress of life after high school"
"Self accountability"
WHAT IS SOMETHING PLAYERS LEARNED/EXPERIENCED THROUGH DEVON PREP BASKETBALL THAT HAS HELPED THEM IN LIFE AFTER DEVON PREP? (CONT)
From parents:
"Learning how to navigate through adversity and discovering what is really important and not so important will be so valuable for my son as he starts his next chapter"
"My son has learned how to be a great citizen and how to be grateful"
"All of the above. In summary, pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and helping and supporting your teammates to do the same. DP bball is a family and being part of DP bball is something special. Don't take opportunities like this for granted. Commit, engage, contribute and enjoy them"
Roll TIde!