Coaching Management
BASKETBALL
TIME TO Elevate Offseason player development
> Multi-Sport Participation > Healthy Weight Gain POSTSEASON 2012 | VOL. XX NO. 3 | $7.00
Circle No. 100
CONTENTS | BASKETBALL Edition | POSTseason 2012 | Vol. XX, No. 3
Coaching Management
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COVER STORY 18 Time to Elevate
LEADERSHIP NUTRITION 26 Multiple Choice Answer 34 A WEIGHTY ISSUE
Top coaches know that the seeds for player development are sown in the offseason. However, the path to improvement requires a careful plan and the right message.
A high school coach and teacher makes his case for reviving multi-sport participation, detailing how to promote the practice among your own athletes.
When athletes want to gain weight to meet performance goals, they require careful guidance to avoid packing on pounds of unhealthy fat.
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Q&A 12 James Sullinger
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POSTSEASON
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AAU and HS coaches discuss differences … Coaching clinic teaches leadership … Teams help a town recover … Insight on morning games … Summer league utilizes alumni … Binghamton nets perfect APR score.
On the cover
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 32 43 44 45
ADVERTISER’S DIRECTORY BASKETBALL FACILITIES STRENGTH TRAINING & CARDIO COACHING AIDS
Recently retired from Northland High School in Columbus, Ohio, James “Satch” Sullinger discusses his coaching path, teaching players to be accountable, and his plans for the future.
46 TEAM EQUIPMENT AND APPAREL 47 MORE PRODUCTS 48 COACHING GUIDES
Perry Jones III elevates for Baylor University. The Bears’ Head Coach, Scott Drew, talks about motivating players to improve in the offseason in our cover story, beginning on page 18. Photo by kevin jairaj/us presswire
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Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2012 1
BULLETIN BOARD POSTseason 2012
CONTENTS
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2 AAU, HS
coaches meet
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4 New lessons in leadership
AAU Basketball
In The Same Room It’s no secret that high school and AAU Boys’ basketball coaches don’t always see eye-to-eye. In North Carolina, Marque Carrington, Head Boys’ Coach at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, is trying to do something about that. In late October, Carrington organized a symposium to which he invited high school coaches, AAU coaches, and media members in the state, with the goal of beginning a discussion about the differ-
“You have to find out who your kids are playing for in the summer and establish relationships with those coaches. You need to make sure everyone is on the same page and your players are not being taught the wrong things.” MARQUE CARRINGTON Cardinal Gibbons High School
2 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2012
a community
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8 Utilizing alumni
in the summer
AAU ball. I feel there needs to be some type of model where AAU players, just like high school players, need to have a certain GPA and meet certain other standards to be able to play.” The coaches at the symposium also discussed the need to recognize that players may fill different roles on different teams. “We came to an understanding that just because a kid is playing point guard for his AAU squad doesn’t mean he should be the point guard for his high school team,” Carrington says. “We also talked about communicating to the players and their parents that they have to do what each coach needs them to do for their team to be successful, not just listen to one or the other.” Carrington would also like to see AAU programs—and especially the players and their parents—focus less on hoping to earn college scholarships. “When I played, the coaches preached to us day in and day out that we were playing AAU ball to represent our city and the state of North Carolina while improving our game by competing with and against some of the best talent in the area,” he says. “We never had the mindset that we were playing to get a college scholarship. As a result, there wasn’t the selfishness or craziness of parents moving kids from program to program that we see now. If we can get back to that point I think we’ll see a big difference in attitudes.” Carrington will broaden the audience for his next meeting, which he expects to hold in the spring, inviting players’ parents to participate (but not the players themselves). He also plans to have both a college academic advisor and a compliance staffer participate and will ask the North Carolina High School Athletic Association and the AAU to send representatives as well. “At the first meeting, everyone was very respectful,” Carrington says. “To get to the root of the problems and solve these issues, however, it might have to get a little heated. It’s not going to be all berries and smiles.” Carrington also hopes to broaden the audience of AAU coaches. “We had ESPN recruiting analyst Dave Telep serve as the moderator at the initial meeting and the first thing he said was, ‘You’re all here at 8:30 on a Saturday morning and you traveled across the state on your own dime, so you’re probably one of the good guys,’” Carrington says. “Now, I feel we have to get some of the guys
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8 Binghamton hits the books
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10 3 Qs on early
morning games
who are not holding players to a high standard to join us. “I plan to do some research to find out who these ‘other’ coaches are,” he continues. “Then I’ll put some pressure on them and say, ‘You say you want to do this and that for your players, so let’s do it. Come be involved. Let’s sit down so we can help these players.’ And if they don’t get involved, their name and organization are going to be exposed.” Carrington’s advice for individual high school coaches interested in tackling similar conflicts is to try to bridge the gap with their AAU counterparts. “You have to find out who your kids are playing for in the summer and establish relationships with those coaches,” he says. “You need
Marque Carrington, Head Boys’ Coach at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, N.C., is working to bridge the communication gap between the state’s high school and AAU coaches.
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GREG MINTEL
ences. “There’s a gap between the two groups that needs to be bridged,” Carrington says. “If we as coaches all have the athletes’ best interests in mind, then we all need to be on the same page—and right now we’re not.” Nearly 30 coaches met and covered several topics. Discussion included the influence coaches have over players; a coach’s role in a player’s eligibility, character, and discipline; a coach’s role in educating parents; and the visibility of AAU and high school coaches during their “off” seasons. The agenda allotted between 10 and 25 minutes to each with coaches exchanging thoughts and looking for common ground. “I feel one of the biggest problems we have is the issue of eligibility and character development,” Carrington says. “Let’s say an athlete gets kicked off his high school team as a junior because of his grades or not handling himself correctly. It’s not that big a deal to him if he knows he can just turn around and play
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6 Teaming up for
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BULLETIN BOARD to make sure everyone is on the same page and your players are not being taught the wrong things. It’s not about telling an AAU coach, ‘You don’t know what you’re doing.’ It is about looking out for the best interests of the kids.” Professional Development
Teachers Become the Students Most coaches know their Xs and Os and have a file cabinet full of drills. But they don’t always know as much as they want to about leadership. The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) is trying to bridge that gap through a new elite training program called The Center for Coaching Excellence (CCE). The center debuted its first three-day educational session in May with a second in June. Held at Columbia University, each session included about 30 coaches. “There are a lot of issues facing women’s basketball, and the WBCA felt it was important to create a conference for professional development that would center on growing value-based leadership and helping coaches become more effective leaders,” says Charli Turner Thorne, President of the WBCA and a participant in the first session. “We’ve had a few things at other clinics that addressed leadership, but these courses are specifically designed to help coaches answer questions like, ‘Who do I want to be as a coach?’ and ‘Why do I want to coach?’” Turner Thorne says the leadership sessions went beyond the typical suggestions offered at most seminars and instead focused on helping coaches learn more
“Another big thing the program addressed was dealing with conflict. As a head coach, I teach our players it’s not a matter of if we’re going to have conflict, it’s a matter of when.” Charli TURNER THORNE Arizona State University
about themselves. Before starting the conference, coaches completed the MyersBriggs personality assessment, which uses the answers to a questionnaire to determine people’s preferences in how they perceive the world and make decisions. “It’s important to do some introspective work on yourself,” says Turner Thorne, who was on a personal leave of 4 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2012
absence for the 2011-12 season from her job as Head Women’s Coach at Arizona State University. “You have to know yourself to be a good coach and lead other people. You need to recognize your strengths and weaknesses, so you can build a staff around you that complements what you bring to the table. “Another big thing the program addressed was dealing with conflict,” she continues. “As a head coach, I teach our players it’s not a matter of if we’re going to have conflict, it’s a matter of when. And learning more about addressing conflict and how to manage it was very helpful.” There was also considerable discussion about coaching ethics. “Women’s basketball has become a very big business, and there’s a lot of pressure on coaches,”
Turner Thorne says. “But let’s face it, college athletics is on the honor system. It really comes down to whether or not you are willing to break a rule, because 99 times out of 100, you probably can get away with it.” Attendees at the initial sessions included the WBCA Executive Board and coach representatives from each of the NCAA Division I conferences. The plan is to have the remaining Division I coaches go through the program before opening it to head coaches at other levels and eventually assistant coaches. For now, the participants in the first two sessions are trying to speed the educational process by sharing their experience with other coaches. “Before we left, we all talked about going back to our conference meetings and using what we learned to mentor younger coaches,” Turner Thorne says. “One of the knocks I’ve heard against women’s coaches is that we don’t always share with each other as much as most men’s coaches do. I think we’re getting a lot better at that, and it’s important we continue to
improve these relationships so we can eventually have the culture we want in women’s basketball.” Group learning sections were headed by Dr. Cathie T. Siders, a clinical psychologist, organizational consultant, and executive coach from Washington, D.C. There were also several panel discussions featuring outside experts. At one session, for example, an administrator’s panel featured Dick Baddour, former Athletic Director at the University of North Carolina; Ceal Barry, Associate Athletics Director at the University of Colorado; and Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, Commissioner of MidAmerican Conference. Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney led another panel on the state of women’s basketball, and NCAA Vice President of Enforcement
Last May, nearly 30 top women’s coaches (above) visited Columbia University for a training program called The Center for Coaching Excellence. Organized by the WBCA, the program provided unique lessons in leadership. Julie Roe Lach addressed compliance. Former and current coaches Jody Conradt (University of Texas), Marsha Sharp (Texas Tech University), Doug Bruno (DePaul University), and Brian Giorgis (Marist College) led an ethics panel. “We really didn’t get lectured at,” Turner Thorne says. “There was always opportunity for give-and-take. It was great to hear an administrator’s perspective, then listen to feedback from coaches in the room who have a lot of experience and were encouraged to share ideas related to the common problems we’re dealing with. “The attendees in the first session said there was so much knowledge among the coaches attending that it would have been nice to have had more CoachesNetwork.com
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BULLETIN BOARD time to discuss things,” she continues. “We never really get an opportunity to do that anywhere else, so for the second session, we added more discussion time to each panel.” The program itself is free for attendees, who only have to pay for their transportation. The NCAA is helping financially and University of Connecticut Head Women’s Coach Geno Auriemma, who was WBCA President when the program was developed, donated $150,000 to help get it going, according to the Associated Press. “We’re not sure if the funding is going to continue, so those of us who have gone through the program have talked about kicking in a little bit of money to make sure it is available for the next group of coaches,” Turner Thorne says. “The feedback from the coaches who attended has been overwhelmingly positive. One person who’s been coaching for more than 30 years said it was the best professional development she’s ever done. So I think we’re off to a good start, and hopefully, we’ll be able to keep it going.” Community Relations
Teaming Up For A Cleanup The day before they took the court as opponents for a game in October, players from the University of North Dakota and Minot State men’s teams were working side by side to help a community rebound from devastating floods that tore through Minot, N.D., a few months earlier. Decked out in safety gear, players from both squads lent muchneeded muscle and elbow grease to afflicted residents, clearing their homes of debris and demolishing damaged walls. The volunteer work was part of an effort by both schools to contribute to the Minot Area Community Foundation, which organized cleanup efforts in the area. The schools also staged a “Flood Fight” exhibition game and all the money from ticket, concession, and program sales was donated to the foundation. Fighting Sioux Head Coach Brian Jones says the decision to make a rare trip nearly four hours away to Minot and lend his team’s support to community members in need was reflexive. “I think we have a responsibility as an institution in situations like this,” Jones says. “Not only to help directly when we can, but to also raise awareness about challenges people are dealing with. We want the residents of North Dakota to know that, as athletes and coaches, we’re always ready to help. As a smaller state, we have a large sense of community pride.” 6 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2012
This wasn’t the first time Jones and his players had contributed to disaster relief. Two years ago, they did something similar when tornadoes damaged parts of the state. While some of his players had already seen the devastation natural disasters can cause, Jones tried to prepare firsttimers for what they would experience. “I explained that they were going to see things that might be tough for them to handle,” he says. “They had heard about the floods, but I told them they shouldn’t expect to understand the damage until they saw it first-hand. I also emphasized that we were going to be in someone else’s home and they needed to respect that.” Jones says both the community and the players benefited from the experience. “Our players have big bodies, and because of that, we’re able to move things and gut out houses; things that would be difficult for others to do,” he says. ”There was a lot of labor involved, but I think the community appreciated it. “It was also a very humbling experience for the players,” he continues. “When they spoke to individuals who were affected by the flooding, the guys saw that they had a blue-collar mentality and that they weren’t going to let this get the best of them.” To play the exhibition game against Division II Minot State, North Dakota, an NCAA Division I school, had to get a waiver from to the NCAA and give up a game against a Division II opponent next season. But scheduling issues were the last
Minot State guard Chris East (left) and University of North Dakota Assistant Coach Dean Oliver (right) clean up debris from a house that was destroyed by floods that tore through the Minot, N.D., area last summer. thing on Jones’ mind when he agreed to the contest. “Our goal was to give the fans something special,” he says. “A basketball game may not change anything, but if we can take their minds off the struggle for a couple of hours, I think we’ve done something good. We consider ourselves servants to the public, and that’s part of our job. When you’re in our position, you need to constantly stress what it means to sacrifice and come together for a bigger cause.” As for the game, the Fighting Sioux won handily, 80-60, although the result was the least important component of the day. The event raised over $3,700 for the community, and more importantly, sent an important message to both individuals affected by the flood, and Jones’s team. “As head coaches, it’s our job to get our players prepared for life, and both the game and the community service were excellent teaching tools,” Jones says. “There are going to be times where they’ll need to lend helping hands to others, but also times when they’ll need to ask for help. This lets them know that there are always people out there willing to assist them and that it’s also okay to ask for it.” CoachesNetwork.com
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BULLETIN BOARD Skill enhancement
Alumni Improve Summer League For Niagara Falls (N.Y.) High School Head Boys’ Coach Sal Constantino, open-gym time in the summer is a big part of player development. But recently Constantino became concerned about the quality of competition his players faced in the offseason. His solution was to create a summer league featuring alumni from his storied program to give current players a more challenging experience. “We have a lot of alums in the area, and I’ve been the Director of Basketball for the Niagara Police Athletic League (PAL) for the last 20 years,” says Constantino, who was an assistant on the Wolverines team that won the 2005 New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA state championship. “Those connections allowed me to reach out to quality players that our high schoolers can compete against and learn from.” Constantino was able to locate enough players from NCAA Division III schools and junior colleges to put together five teams that competed in a 10-game schedule, followed by a round-robin playoff. Constantino kept the teams as balanced as he could, sprinkling in his varsity players throughout the squads. He would even assign individual matchups himself to ensure his high schoolers were sufficiently challenged. “I was the referee, and right before the opening tip-off, I’d tell
Niagara Falls (N.Y.) High School rising senior JJ Wilkins defends alum Rahshon Tabb during a 2011 summer league game. In the league, current players work on their game against talented alumni.
Academic Progress
Binghamton Posts Perfect APR Score When scandal rocked the Binghamton University men’s program in 2009, the school made national headlines for all the wrong reasons. Six players were dismissed from the team, including the starting point guard, who was charged with possession and sale of cocaine. Head Coach Kevin Broadus was placed on administrative leave and later resigned, and Athletic Director Joel Thirer also stepped down. Now, Head Coach Mark Macon is working hard to restore the Bearcats’ reputation. The team recently took a big step in the right direction, as Binghamton achieved its first perfect Academic Performance Rate (APR) score of 1,000. That score boosts the program’s four-year average to a level where it can regain its full scholarship allotment. “It’s great to have the scholarships back, because that means we can start fielding enough quality players to truly compete,” Macon says. “We can go out, do some more recruiting, and start building on our future.” What are Macon’s secrets to boosting his players’ academic achievements? To start, he recruits players who fit the school’s academic profile. “The key is the kids,” Macon says. “It’s about getting good players who also want to be students. I want players who have an understanding of the academic realities of college and want to go on and get their master’s degrees.” Once they arrive on campus, Macon talks continually to his players about the importance of education. “Most players are not going to be able to play sports as their livelihood, so they have to think about doing something else,” Macon says. “The only way they’ll really be able to do that is to get an education.” To drive his point home, Macon frequently talks to his players about how diligence in the pursuit of education will impact the rest of their lives. “College is about perseverance,” he says. “It’s about working hard and doing the right things to stay eligible to pursue something you really like, such as basketball. “I constantly talk about the role of education in life,” Macon continues. “Basketball can be taken away from them someday, but nobody can take away what they learn in the classroom.” To help his student-athletes succeed, Macon utilizes Binghamton’s educational programs, including academic advising, study halls, and tutoring sessions. “They have to be at study hall, make their meet-
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James Neiss/NIAGARA GAZETTE
8 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2012
each player who he should guard,” Constantino says. “For example, I’d make my varsity point guard go up against an alum who was playing in college. This way he could see the level of play I wanted him to reach in the future.” The league, which was insured by the PAL, cost nothing for Constantino to operate. He enlisted a volunteer to run the scorer’s table, and there were no coaches. Instead, players instructed each other. “That was really valuable for some of the college players,” Constantino says. “I’d see them talk to one of my players and explain the move he used and why it was effective. Several of them went back to their teams much more comfortable in a leadership role, and it’s made them better players.” Constantino says he’d like the league to expand in the future, possibly to eight teams. He has good relationships with several NCAA Division I programs in the area, including the University at Buffalo and Canisius College, although adding players from there, or other NCAA Division I schools, would require the league to be approved by the NCAA. For now though, he’s happy with the results. “It’s been great for my players,” he says. “I saw improvement every day.”
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For many college students, simply being awake at 6 a.m. is a tall task. But for the men’s team at Drexel University, the crack of dawn was a great time to open the 2011-12 basketball season. For the third time in four years, the Dragons participated in ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon, during which the network televises 24 consecutive hours of college basketball. After hosting and defeating the University of Pennsylvania at 10 a.m. in 2008 and falling on the road to Niagara University at 8 a.m. in 2009, this past November Drexel opened its season in the 6 a.m. time slot with a road tilt against nearby Rider University.
Rising and Shining Despite arriving at the gym at 4:45 a.m., the Dragons were energized when they took the court and cruised to an 80-62 victory. Afterward, the players returned to campus in time for morning classes and Drexel Head Coach Bruiser Flint took a well-earned nap. So what is it like to play a basketball game before most people have had their morning coffee? We waited until mid-afternoon and tracked down Flint to find out. BRUISER FLINT CM: What is the appeal of playing so early in the morning? Flint: We were originally hoping to play Rider in the 8 a.m. or 10 a.m. slot, but we ended up having to do it at 6. It’s a little early, but we knew we would be on national television, and you can’t beat that. Way more people than I expected told me they watched the game. We ended up being on when a lot of people were getting dressed and ready for work, and many said they watched at least the second half. It’s always good to hear your program is getting that kind of exposure. How did you prepare yourself and the team for the early wake-up call? I tried to go to bed early the night before. I fell asleep around 9 p.m., but I woke up at 12:15 and couldn’t fall back asleep. I was ready to go around 1 a.m., even though I didn’t need to leave until 4:15. When the game was over, I slept until the next day. To get the team ready, we had a couple of 5 a.m. practices so players could get used to playing basketball at that time. Once the game started, everybody was fine. Rider did an unbelievable job as the host and there was a great atmosphere. We had some fans from our school show up and when we were getting off the bus, we saw that Rider had 500 to 1,000 students lined up waiting to get in. That got our juices flowing a little bit.
Management POSTSEASON 2012 10 Coaching Management
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GREG CARROCCIO/SIDELINE PHOTOS(LEFT)
Drexel University’s Derrick Thomas shoots a jumpshot over a Rider University defender in a nationally televised contest that tipped off at 6 a.m. The early morning game was part of the ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon on Nov. 15.
Did you find any advantages to holding morning practices? Practicing early in the morning can wear on you, but we do it occasionally because it frees up the rest of the day for our players and coaches. For example, I’ll do it if I want to do some recruiting in the afternoon. Sometimes, I’ll schedule an early-morning practice the day before a day off, because it’s almost like giving the coaches and players two full days off.
BULLETIN BOARD
jonathan cohen/binghamton university
Binghamton University Head Men’s Coach Mark Macon is helping the Bearcats rebound from tough times by emphasizing academics. The team took a big step last season by posting a perfect APR score.
ings, and go to their tutoring sessions,” he says. “The responsibility we have as educators is to make sure they’re aware of what’s available to them and make sure they know they have to go.” Still, much of the onus for making the most of those opportunities is on the athletes themselves. “We can only do so much,” Macon says. “But we let them know that there are consequences and that if they don’t get the grades, they don’t play. And if they don’t play, they could lose their scholarship.” Macon says it’s also important for players to realize that their own actions affect their teammates as well. “With the APR, someone who doesn’t want to go to class is affecting the athletes who come after him,” Macon says. “Not only are they hurting themselves, they’re hurting the entire program.”
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Q&A
A LASTING LEGACY
In 2010, James “Satch” Sullinger was named the Naismith Boys’ High School Coach of the Year, and his son, Jared, was honored as the Naismith Boys’ High School Player of the Year.
Q&A with james Sullinger | northland high school, Columbus, Ohio
12 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2012
Northland went on to lose in the Ohio Division I State Championship game, but despite a loss in his final game, Sullinger walked away with no regrets. A Columbus native who still plans to teach a couple of more years at Northland, Sullinger has coached at one level or another since 1978, including stints at several high schools in Ohio and his alma mater, Oberlin College. He led Northland to a 121-6 record in his final five seasons at the school, won a state title in 2009, and in 2010 was named the Naismith Boys’ High School Coach of the Year. That same year, Sullinger’s son, Jared, who went on to star at Ohio State University, was named the Naismith Boys’ High School Player of the Year.
Coaching Management recently talked to Satch Sullinger, who also worked as an administrator for USA Basketball in the early 1980s. He spoke about how he got into coaching, his greatest memories, and his keys to getting the most out of his players. CM: What was it like when the 2011-12 high school basketball season tipped off and you weren’t on the sideline?
Sullinger: It was kind of awkward. After 50 years of spending the fall preparing for a season, either as a player or a coach, I had to get used to a new routine. But I don’t miss it. I’m the type of person that when I’m done, I’m done. I got everything I wanted CoachesNetwork.com
GETTY IMAGES/PAUL ABELL
James “Satch” Sullinger, former Head Boys’ Coach at Northland High School in Columbus, Ohio, made the decision to retire just hours after his team’s record fifth consecutive City League championship in February 2011. He was walking with his grandchildren, halfway between a restaurant and an ice cream shop, when the thought crossed his mind: “What’s stopping me from doing this all the time?” The answer, of course, was coaching basketball. So Sullinger decided then and there that he’d hang up his whistle at the end of the season.
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out of coaching and it’s time to move on. Someone had to move on for me to get my start when I was young, and last year it was my turn to clear the way for someone else’s opportunity.
sibly becoming an NBA scout, and on Friday nights I work with a local TV station here talking high school basketball. Did you always want to be a coach?
That’s a funny thing. In 1975, I was with the Ohio Youth Commission, working with delinquent kids. “It was the district semiOf the 23 kids in my cotfinal and I didn’t allow my tage, 18 of them were there for homicide. One day I son Jared to play. He wasn’t received a memo with a doing his schoolwork, so he list of things to do with our groups. I remember didn’t even dress for that thinking these kids weren’t game. Ever since then, he’s going to do that stuff. It looked good on paper, but had a 3.0 GPA or better in the kids weren’t going to high school and college.” respond to it. I asked myself, “What’s the difference between me How do you spend your time now? and the guy who wrote the memo?” The I’m staying in athletics, but I’ll never answer was a college degree. And so, at coach again. I work with adidas Nations, age 26, I decided I was going to go back to and I’ll be helping develop basketball in school and become a social worker and train China. I also have feelers out there for pos- to work with delinquent youth.
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I started polishing up my basketball skills, took the SAT, and scored pretty high. I ended up attending Oberlin College, where I played basketball for Pat Penn. There, I saw what he was doing to affect my life and how he developed me into a man. It hit me that if I went into coaching, I could work with kids and help them before they got in trouble. So I changed my major to education. I then got my first job in 1978, coaching the j.v. team at Oberlin—while still playing for the varsity. After coaching at a few different high schools, you went back to Oberlin to be the head varsity coach, but only stayed for three years. Why?
Oberlin approached me to come back and turn the program around. But when I got there I realized that the kids at Oberlin didn’t need me. I didn’t have to worry about their lives, because those kids were going to achieve no matter what. I didn’t feel like I was accomplishing anything. So I left Oberlin and returned to the high school level. I became the head coach at Northland and taught at a middle school
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Q&A in the district. My very first day as a teacher, a young lady named Jackie was in the hall and I said, “You’ve got to go to class.” Her response to me was something that can’t be printed in this magazine. My immediate thought was, “Yes! I’m back! This is what I needed to be around.” But my experience at Oberlin taught me a lot of things. For one, it showed me that I needed Columbus. I also learned that in order to be successful, three things need to happen: You have to understand, you have to feel understood, and you have to be wanted. For me, those things existed in Columbus. I had to come back. And I realized my niche was high school. How did you get the most out of your players?
You never ask someone to do something you’re not willing to do yourself. You have to model the behavior and tell players things in a way that makes sense to them. I always felt like if you make sense to kids, they’ll buy into your plan. I also taught my players about accountability. When crunch time comes and the game is on the line, what’s normal will come out. If what’s normal for a player is garbage and there’s no accountability, then that’s what’s going to come out. If you’re not accountable in your everyday life, then you’re not going to be accountable on the court when crunch time rolls around. If players hear me talk about being accountable for two hours at practice but spend 22 hours of the day not being accountable, the 22 hours of garbage is going to win out. Not every young person buys into that, but the ones who don’t, weed themselves out. The ones who really want to succeed buy in and start seeing their lives change. Those players go off to college and succeed, rather than being sent home by Thanksgiving because their coach kicked them off the team for not being accountable. How did you make sure your players understood how important accountability is to you?
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Here’s an example: In 2008, we had one loss, which came in our last game of the season. It was the district semifinal and I didn’t allow my son Jared to play. He wasn’t doing his schoolwork, so he didn’t even dress for that game. Ever since then, he’s had a 3.0 GPA or better in high school and college. He and everyone else received the message loud and clear. If I had played him when he wasn’t holding up his end of the bargain, what kind of behavior would I be encouraging? Would he be the person you CoachesNetwork.com
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Q&A see now? Any time you put winning ahead of what’s right, it will bite you in the butt. Was that decision more difficult because it involved your son?
No. When he came into the gym, I was his coach. And when we left the gym, I went back to being his dad. When we were at home, I couldn’t talk to the rest of the players about our team, so I didn’t talk to him about it either. It was very important for me to have a clear line between coach and dad. Everybody has to have a safe haven. When you’re at work or on the court, you have to take some beatings, but you suck it up and keep going. When you turn your key at home, you should be safe. I let my hair down and have fun at home, so why can’t my kids? What was your approach to summer basketball?
With my program, I quit all summer activity on July 1. I knew my best players were going to play AAU anyway, so I didn’t have to worry about them not playing. I also
realized they needed some other coaching influences in their lives. They weren’t going to get better by just playing for me—they were only getting better at the roles I gave them. I always taught my players that teams are made from November to March, but players are made from March to November. That’s their time to go out and work on their game. Then, whatever skills they brought back in November were what I had to work with as a coach.
Just being a part of these young men’s lives and helping to create something very positive. Having the chance to get up and go to work every day and watch them grow from boys to men is what I really enjoyed and is what means the most to me. It wasn’t a particular championship, a number of wins, or any of those things that stands out. It was all about watching the final product walk out the door and being proud to see them move on to the next phase of their lives.
What did winning the Naismith award mean to you?
You’re still teaching sociology and physical education at Northland. Why did you want to keep teaching?
It meant that there are quite a few young men out there who have bought into my lessons on accountability. The award wasn’t a result of any rebounds I got or shots I made. It was because I sold something and the young men bought into it. When they won games and championships, it made people take notice of all the positive things we were doing on and off the court. What will you think of first when you look back on your career?
I’m the kind of guy who has to do something. I’m not going to wake up and wonder what day it is. I’ve got irons in the fire and plan to do some other things down the road, and as those other projects start taking off, then I’ll retire from teaching. But until then, I’m not going to just wake up and watch CNN and ESPN all day. The day that I die, someone’s going to say, “Man, I just saw him out working yesterday.” That’s the way I want to check out. CM
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COVER STORY
TIME TO
ELEVATE Top coaches know that the seeds of player development are sown in the offseason. However, the path to improvement requires a careful plan and the right message. | By Patrick Bohn
This past season, the University of Wisconsin frontcourt got a much needed boost from Jared Berggren. The forward/center turned from a role player his sophomore year into a major contributor for the Badgers as a junior. After averaging 2.4 points per game during the 2010-11 season, Berggren blossomed into a top rebounder and the team’s second leading scorer in 2011-12. Berggren’s rise from backup to quality starter is a typical example of how Badger players, many of whom were not elite bluechippers in high school, improve in the offseason to keep Wisconsin consistently among the Big Ten’s elite and a fixture in the national rankings. “We’re not going to bring in the same level of talent other top programs will,” says Wisconsin Assistant Men’s Coach Gary Close. “For us to be competitive nationally, we’re going to have to develop players.” There’s an old saying in sports that championships are won in the offseason. And one of the key components to developing a winning squad is getting your players
to improve between the final buzzer of one season and the opening tip-off of the next. Whether it’s spending time breaking down a player’s shot to eliminate flaws, or giving your point guards drills to boost their ballhandling, an offseason plan is a critical precursor to inseason success. Meeting of the minds
End-of-season meetings with players are an important first step in the offseason improvement process. But how do you make these discussions useful and more than just a formality? Close says one of the keys is to not pull punches with players about the areas they need to get better in.
Perry Jones III throws down a dunk for Baylor University in an early season game against Bethune-Cookman University. Baylor Head Coach Scott Drew says he motivates players to improve in the offseason by focusing on their goals and aspirations. Photo by Kevin Jairaj/US Presswire
COVER STORY
“These meetings are the time to hit your players between the eyes,” he says. “Emphasize that they have a short window of time with you, and if they want to get to the next level, they need to get the most they can from it.” Scott Drew, Head Men’s Coach at Baylor University, says understanding the player’s role on the team and identifying his or her aspirations is helpful when determining what to discuss. “You’re not going to have the same conversation with a starter that you have with the 13th man,” he says. “If you’re talking to a player who’s going to be playing 35 minutes a night for you and wants to go to the NBA after college, you need to be brutally honest and say, ‘Your numbers are not getting it done, and to get
ations. “It helps avoid a situation where you and the player later disagree about what was discussed,” she says. “Additionally, if the assistant has been working closely with the player during the year, he or she can provide another voice and unique feedback.” When it comes to providing additional opinions, Florida State University Head Women’s Coach Sue Semrau says there’s also value in looking beyond your own sideline. “I often show players their weaknesses identified in opponents’ scouting reports,” she says. “That allows them to understand that an area they’re struggling in is not just something we’re noticing. It’s something the other team can exploit in order to beat us.” Showing video during these meetings can be helpful, especially if you don’t see eye
Learning to land While using video is a common way to point out flaws in a player’s game that they need to work on during the offseason, using it to help make adjustments to a strength and conditioning regimen is less prevalent. But that’s exactly what Diane Richardson, Head Girls’ Coach at Riverdale Baptist High School in Upper Marlboro, Md., did. Concerned about the high incidence of ACL injuries among female athletes, Richardson wanted to make sure her players were protected. So last offseason, she had a physical therapist observe her players jump-
to where you want to be, you need to be in the gym several hours a day, every day, over the summer.’ “On the other hand, if you’re talking to a senior bench player who’s a team leader and wants to go to law school after he graduates, don’t just hammer him about what he does poorly,” Drew continues. “Understand his goals and encourage him to focus on the things he does well, like providing great leadership.” Dori Oldaker, Head Girls’ Coach at Mount Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, recommends inviting your assistant coaches to participate in these end-of-season evalu20 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2012
ing for rebounds and also videotaped how they landed. “It was incredibly valuable,” Richardson says. “My strength coach and I were able to see which girls were landing poorly, and that showed us we needed to have them focus on strengthening their quads in the offseason, to take stress off their knees. “We showed the players the tapes, and they were really concerned for their health,” she continues. “When players can see things like that on film, it really opens their eyes to an issue and makes them more willing to work to correct it.”
to eye with a player regarding what they need to do to get better. “We constantly use video to illustrate our points to players,” says Diane Richardson, Head Girls’ Coach at Riverdale Baptist High School in Upper Marlboro, Md. “We’ll tell them, ‘You’re doing it your way here and you’re getting beat, so now you need to try it our way.’” Remember too, that end-of-season meetings shouldn’t be you delivering a monologue. Allow your players a chance to talk. “Our meetings are as much about getting a player’s input as they are about giving them feedback,” says Niki Bray, Head Girls’ Coach at Memphis (Tenn.) Central High
School. “A lot of times, when they start talking about how their year went, they’ll verbalize things they probably knew, but hadn’t really thought about in detail. That can be very helpful to them.” Aaron Roussell, Head Women’s Coach at the University of Chicago, makes sure it’s a two-way conversation by asking a lot of questions. “Often, I’ll ask a player to explain something to me that I just told them,” he says. “Not in a ‘repeat after me,’ type of way, but to make sure they’ve interpreted the message the way I want them to. Sometimes, players internalize things and it’s tough to know if you’ve gotten through to them if they don’t respond.” Above all, coaches say the key to making end-of-season meetings helpful is to find a way to tap into a player’s desire to improve, not bully them into the gym. “I never question a player’s work ethic,” says Roussell. “I want basketball to be a priority for my players, but I don’t force them to make it their top priority. I want my players to work out in the offseason because they want to get better, not because they fear what I’m going to say to them at a meeting.” “The effectiveness of an end-of-season meeting is always going to be based on your relationship with that player,” says Drew. “If the player doesn’t believe you have their best interests at heart, they’re not going to listen to anything you have to say.” what to work on
Once strengths and weaknesses have been discussed, the next step is to decide what players should concentrate on most during their downtime. At Wisconsin, Close says coaches want players to spend offseason time primarily addressing weaknesses. “Our team philosophy is that we’ve never reached the top, and there’s always somewhere we can improve,” he says. “We take the same approach with individuals. We stress to them that by working on their weaknesses, they make us better as a team and move us closer to our goal.” For Bray, one strategy for helping players improve their weaknesses is to come up with shortcuts. “We tell players to use what they have when it comes to fixing a deficiency,” she says. “If a girl who plays poor defense has slow feet but long arms, I’ll have her work on using her arms, which are a strength, to make up for her feet. It’s a way to help her get better without asking her to do something she can’t.” Patrick Bohn is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management. He can be reached at: pb@MomentumMedia.com.
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At Florida State, Semrau addresses players’ strengths more than weaknesses. “I don’t like to have my players focusing on their biggest weakness,” she says. “We don’t have athletes here long enough to completely change who they are, and we don’t want them to do things they aren’t comfortable doing. Instead, I want them to work on expanding areas they’re already strong in. If a player is exceptional at getting to the rim, we’ll have her focus on that, and teach her to add a pull-up jumper instead of going all the way to the hoop every time.”
Bray says having players focus on strengths can, in a roundabout way, help them fix their weaknesses. “If I’ve got a player who struggles with her defense, but is a great shooter, I might tell her to make 150 three-pointers every day,” she says. “She’ll start shooting well, feel more confident about her overall game, and then be more motivated to work on her defense.” Along with broad goals for the offseason, players should be given specific advice, too. At Mount Lebanon and Wisconsin, players go through workouts using a ball developed by
More Out of AAU For high school athletes, another piece of the offseason puzzle is AAU. For high school coaches, that component can present a slippery slope. That’s why Dori Oldaker, Head Girls’ Coach at Mount Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, maintains a hands-off approach once her players join their AAU teams. “Sometimes my players call me to complain about their AAU coaches,” she says. “But I just tell them to suck it up. Their AAU coach isn’t telling them anything I don’t already say, and getting a second opinion validates everything I’ve told them.” Niki Bray, Head Girls’ Coach at Memphis (Tenn.) Central High School agrees. “My players will text me from an AAU camp where they think they’re struggling, and it’s my job to put things in perspective for them,” she says. “Those coaches know what they’re doing, and I’m not going to tell them how to run their teams. If a player is used to scoring 25 points a game for me, and she’s only scoring 15 a game for her AAU team, I’ll draw her focus to her rebounding, passing, or other areas she is excelling in. These teams have such talented players that you need to remind players that their roles may change in that environment. When you put it to a player that way, they feel better about how they’re performing.”
22 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2012
Bray also finds the AAU season is a great time for her players to work on skills they may not have time to focus on during the high school season, especially ones that translate to playing in college. “Last season, we had a freshman post player who played AAU ball,” Bray says. “With her size, I know she’s not going to play the post in college, so I told her to concentrate on shooting from outside the paint and to work on her ball-handling when playing for her AAU team.” Diane Richardson, Head Girls’ Coach at Riverdale Baptist High School in Upper Marlboro, Md., coaches several of her players on an AAU team, but follows a similar philosophy of helping her players use that time to prepare for the next level. “The tournaments we enter are attended by a lot of coaches from the ACC and Big Ten,” she says. “So I always look ahead at what colleges with be there and what style they play. I then modify some skill work so my players get experience doing things that way. “I’ve been doing this for years, and college coaches frequently tell me my players transition to the college game well,” she adds. “This also enables you to get a lot more buy-in from players, because they see that what they’re doing will help them get ready to play in college.”
InfoMotion Sports Technology that has a lightweight circuit board with accelerometers and gyroscopes attached on the inside and provides objective feedback. The circuit board wirelessly transmits data on players’ dribbling and shooting skills to a computer, which analyzes the data, then identifies areas where players need improvement and provides videos of drills that can help them get better. Oldaker started using the ball with her girls this past year and has already seen positive results. “The ball is great because if a player struggles to dribble well with her left hand, the program will recognize that, and come up with a drill that addresses that skill, and then provide a video illustrating that drill,” she says. “Players can see the problems and solutions laid out for them and there are no excuses.” Close says the technology’s ability to quantify things players have had trouble tracking in the past has proven extremely helpful. “We’re always telling our big men to work on their ball handling,” he says. “But it’s really difficult for a player to know if they’re getting better in that regard. They could think they had improved, when in reality, they were still struggling. Now, they can look at their score and see exactly how they’re progressing.” When players are working on specific skills, Bray adds that patience is critical. She recalls a freshman with poor shot mechanics who, despite using a drill to help, would quickly revert to poor technique. “I thought she was putting too much pressure on herself to get it fixed right away,” Bray says. “I know her learning curve, so I told her that her goal should be to come in to her junior season with great mechanics. That took away the pressure and gave us more time to work on it. “There are some players who want to get better instantly,” she continues. “But you have to tell them that they can’t just work on something for five hours one day in the gym and expect to be better the next time out. When you’re making major changes to your game, it’s going to take a long time to do so.” Hands off
With a plan in place for players, it can be tempting to work with your athletes every step of the offseason. Some coaches cannot do so due to governing body rules, but even if you are allowed, many suggest taking a hands-off approach for at least part of the time. “When our players finish with their summer leagues, I have them go play street ball for a few weeks,” Oldaker says. “I’ll observe them, but they do their own coaching and call their own fouls. It helps them significantly, because CoachesNetwork.com
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it opens up lines of communication about what they need to do without having a coach yell at them. And it’s an opportunity to have fun with the game they love, which I think has been lost a bit over the years.”
offseason, having support from your teammates is critical, because everyone is going through the ups and downs together.” Drew agrees that teammates can be a great source of encouragement in the sum-
ers, things tend to take care of themselves. “It’s not that players work harder because their teammates will come down on them if they don’t work out,” he says. “But when they see their teammates going to the gym to work
“Players are going to hear things from a lot of different people about what they need to improve on. But ... If a teammate or former player is working with them in an open gym, and says, ‘You need to be more aggressive and look for your own shot,’ that message is going to get through.”
Scott Drew, Baylor University
At Wisconsin, Badger upperclassmen are responsible for teaching the underclassmen the offense in the offseason. “The upperclassmen know the offense inside and out, so they’re the perfect ones to teach it,” Close says. “Our staff sends the message that this is the players’ team, and we’re just here to direct it. That creates a sense of ownership in players and gets the entire team to buy into the idea of coaching, and being coached, by their peers. Additionally, when you’re working on improving your game in the
mer. “Players are going to hear things from a lot of different people about what they need to improve on,” he says. “But they’re only going to be motivated to work on things if they hear it from a player they respect. If a teammate or former player is working with them in an open gym, and says, ‘You need to be more aggressive and look for your own shot,’ that message is going to get through.” Roussell says once you’ve created a culture of accountability and hard work among play-
on skill development, they’re more motivated to come along and push one another.” And buy-in is critical when it comes to just about all their offseason work. Semrau says getting your players to improve in the offseason won’t happen if you simply give them some drills and leave it at that. “As coaches, we need to infuse a level of passion into players if we want them to work on getting better on their own,” she says. “Only then will the tools and skills they have be useful.” CM
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LEADERSHIP
A high school coach and teacher makes his case for reviving multi-sport participation, detailing how to promote the practice among your own athletes. By Jim Fornaciari
26 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2012
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MIKE URBAN/SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWER
Every region of the country is proud of its homegrown athletes who go on to make a name for themselves at the collegiate or professional level. Here in the Chicago area, two athletes I especially enjoyed watching develop were Cliff Floyd and Antwaan Randle El. Granted, I wasn’t thrilled to see Floyd come to the plate against my team with the bases loaded, and I’m sure area football coaches were stymied when trying to stop Randle El from scoring another touchdown. But we all developed great respect for them as athletes and competitors. Floyd and Randle El come to mind because they are part of a quickly disappear-
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ing era—that of the multi-sport athlete. Floyd was an all-state basketball and baseball player before moving on to professional baseball. Randle El starred in three sports in high school and continued to compete in all three at Indiana University before playing in the NFL. Both of these athletes came through high school when kids were encouraged to play two or three sports. That emphasis on diversifying one’s talents seems to be all but gone now, and in my mind, that is a negative. I believe we are doing a disservice to today’s young people by steering them toward sport specialization. And I also believe that as coaches, we should play a prominent role in bringing back the multi-sport competitor. Better Athletes?
There is little doubt that modern training and weightlifting programs have helped produce stronger athletes. There is also no ques-
room, says Steve Stanicek, a former Major League Baseball player who recently resigned as Head Baseball Coach at Lockport (Ill.) High School where he is an Assistant Football Coach. “I do not see enough kids dealing with failure very well,” he says. “Even more importantly, I don’t see them taking the risk to give 100 percent every time— even though it might result in failure. “They feel better in a safe environment like a pitching lesson, rather than getting on a wrestling mat and taking the chance they might get their tail kicked,” Stanicek continues. “The good thing about getting their tail kicked is they have to try to figure out how to not let it happen again. If they are competing in only one season a year, it’s tough to learn how to do that.” Our student-athletes can also receive important team building lessons through playing other sports. A few years ago, my top pitcher found a way to help make everyone
hard time moving their bodies in subtle ways.” When Scott Lawler, Head Baseball Coach at Benet Academy in Lisle, Illinois, was an Assistant Baseball Coach at the University of Notre Dame, he saw this when recruiting players for the Fighting Irish. “Multiplesport athletes train different muscles in their body and seem to be more athletic than athletes who play only one sport,” he says. “One-sport players have trained their body to do sport-specific movements, but so many movements are required in an actual athletic contest.” Single-sport athletes also risk developing an injury through overtraining. The American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness recommends two to three months off per year from any one sport. One more nod for the multi-sport athlete can be seen in attitude. As a baseball
“Multiple-sport athletes train different muscles in their body and seem to be more athletic than athletes who play only one sport. One-sport players have trained their body to do sport-specific movements, but so many movements are required in an actual athletic contest.” tion that earning a starting spot on a high school sports team is more competitive than in years past. So it would seem to make sense for an athlete to spend his or her primary sport’s off-season lifting weights and concentrating on sport-specific skill development. But doing so comes at a price. The benefits of competing in different sports—with different coaches and different teammates— are many. When added up, they trump the plusses of an athlete spending all his or her time focusing on one sport alone. One major positive of going multi-sport is that the athlete will become a stronger competitor. Take, for example, a point guard going to the foul line for a pair of gamedeciding free throws. If he faced the same type of pressure situation a few months earlier as a quarterback on the football team, he can use that recent competitive experience to mentally overcome it. Although that guard did not work throughout the fall with a private shooting coach, the confidence he gained by directing a last-minute drive on the football field will pay far greater dividends. Becoming a stronger competitor also entails taking risks and learning to fail, which doesn’t happen much in a weight-
on the team feel valuable. The previous fall, he had completed his senior football season as a little-used backup quarterback. Despite seeing limited playing time, he still felt valued by the football team’s leaders. When the baseball season started, he brought this experience to our team. He understood that even though he was going to be one of our key players, he needed to appreciate every member of the team. That, of course, bolstered team camaraderie in a huge way. Even negative experiences can help an athlete in his or her next sport. If our basketball team struggles through a difficult losing season, the lessons learned about perseverance and holding one’s head high can be used in whatever sport is waiting for those athletes come spring. Another benefit is increased athleticism, which is what you want when your outfielder needs to make a leaping catch or your volleyball player has to save a ball rebounding off the net. “Learning how to move your body the way your brain is telling it to when you have to make adjustments on the fly is crucial to being a great athlete,” says Stanicek. “Today’s kids are bigger and stronger and faster than in the past, but they have a
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coach, I always looked forward to the arrival of winter sport athletes to our early season practices. My experience was that boys coming off a long basketball season or a tough wrestling campaign were often much more excited to start baseball practice compared to boys that put in monotonous hours in a batting cage all winter. The kids who played a different sport in the winter seemed energized by a change in their athletic routine. Developmental Benefits
Athleticism, competitive drive, teamwork, and enthusiasm are all things coaches want to see in athletes. But there are additional benefits for the multi-sport competitor as an individual. The first is that it allows a young person the flexibility to follow more than one interest. In high school, it wasn’t clear whether Randle El was best at football, baseball, or Jim Fornaciari recently retired as Head Baseball Coach at Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, where he continues to serve as a history teacher. His teams went to the state finals in 2002 and 2003 and his program produced a number of college and professional players. He can be reached at: James_Fornaciari@glenbard.org.
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LEADERSHIP
basketball. He was encouraged to compete in all three sports until he could figure out where his passion lay. And what if Jim Brown were in high school today? The NFL legend won a total of
uals who can adapt to changes and develop new skills with ease. The experience of shifting gears to a different sport each season is great preparation for the working world. For example, the quarterback/star pitch-
ing different sports for different coaches, they will have a vast array of experiences and thus more opportunities to learn and grow. They will also meet more people, which can open new doors. Adding variety to a stu-
Most employers want to hire individuals who can adapt to changes and develop new skills with ease. The experience of shifting gears to a different sport each season is great preparation for the working world. 13 letters in four different sports, even setting a Long Island basketball scoring record (that was eventually broken by future baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski). But now, he would likely be pushed into choosing one sport over the rest and football or lacrosse may have missed one of its greatest players ever. Playing several sports also teaches a young person how to use their talents in more than one way. In our changing workforce, most employers want to hire individ-
er I mentioned earlier learned the lesson of appreciating everyone’s value during the football season. What a great life lesson he could then bring to so many situations! Had he played fall baseball and missed the limited snaps he received on the football field, he would have missed an opportunity to grow as an individual. Finally, let’s think about what we really want kids to get out of sports. In most cases, we want them to have positive educational experiences that help them mature. By play-
dent’s experience helps them to emerge as balanced young adults. Culture Shift for Coaches
There are many factors that have played a role in the disappearance of the multisport athlete, which is why there is not just one solution. Overall, it will take a change in the attitudes of a lot of people. And it starts with us as coaches. One of the main reasons for sport specialization is the influence of coaches who
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believe winning comes through a yearround commitment. Can we change our tune? Can we also tell our athletes that offseason training is optional and playing another sport is encouraged? And can we show them we sincerely mean it? One way to do this is for coaches to work more collaboratively. As a head coach, consider being an assistant coach in another sport and asking head coaches in other sports
meetings are a good place to talk about the benefits of multi-sport participation and build bridges between coaches of different sports. Newly hired coaches may need to be educated on the importance of encouraging multi-sport participation. We can turn to our athletic directors to help us with meetings on this topic. We also each need to do as we say, since it can be easy to send mixed messages to ath-
schools give out patches or awards to student-athletes who play several sports during the school year. Educating Parents
Parents are often the main culprits behind sport specialization, so it’s important to educate them about the benefits of multi-sport participation. We can take time during preseason parents’ meetings to broach the topic
In practice I would reference examples of mental toughness or physical preparation in a sport other than the one I was coaching. From time to time, I gave my players brief reading assignments that focused on being competitive, and many of the stories highlighted contemporary athletes who made a multi-sport commitment in high school. to serve as your assistants. Multi-sport coaches are in a great position to help foster the right culture and attract more students to play more sports. It can also be helpful to discuss this topic as coaches. Formal and informal
letes. For example, a basketball coach who publicly talks about the benefits of playing a spring sport but coaches a club team during the spring sends a confusing message. Coaches should also consider special recognition for multi-sport athletes. Some
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and then continue communicating the message throughout the year. Along with explaining all the physical benefits, talking about college scholarships will often get a parent’s attention. Many parents think the path to a college athletic
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Athletes on Board
Of course, we must also get the message across to our athletes. I found it worked well
son is coming to an end and a new one is beginning—present more opportunities to show your belief in multi-sport participation. I observed a veteran girls’ softball coach make a great statement last spring by canceling an indoor batting practice in favor of having her squad watch a basketball tournament game. Her message of support for a multi-sport culture was clear. As a head coach, I learned that in order to get the most out of my multiple-sport athletes, I needed to give them time to recharge their batteries prior to starting our practices—whether they wanted it or not. They may be eager to start your sport, but giving them a few days off to rest and get caught up in other aspects of their lives often times pays great dividends, especially in the long run. If we really want to encourage multisport athletes, coaches should recognize and appreciate the difficulty of such a task and be flexible at the outset of the season. In most cases, they are your best athletes and will quickly catch up to the rest of the team. One last example I learned from a rival coach. During the fall and spring sports seasons, this basketball coach clipped local
to simply talk a lot about multi-sport participation. For example, in practice I would reference examples of mental toughness or physical preparation in a sport other than the one I was coaching. From time to time, I gave my players brief reading assignments that focused on being competitive, and many of the stories highlighted contemporary athletes who made a multi-sport commitment in high school. Along with a lot of communication, coaches need to walk the walk. For example, we can attend games of our athletes in other sports, which shows everyone we really do encourage our players to be on other teams. And your athletes will appreciate the fact that you made an effort to support them. Transition times—when one sport sea-
newspaper articles about his players competing in other sports. He then sent the articles along with a positive note to his players highlighted in them. Although this was not done on a public level, it sent a very powerful message to the athletes. There is certainly value in working with private instructors during an off-season. There is also benefits to working hard in the weightroom to build strength and speed. However, encouraging these activities at the expense of playing an actual sport is not in the best interests of young people that rely on our coaching and teaching. Let the kids play! CM This article was previously published in other editions of Coaching Management.
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I learned that in order to get the most out of my multiple-sport athletes I needed to give them time to recharge their batteries prior to starting our practices ... Giving them a few days off to rest and get caught up in other aspects of their lives often times pays great dividends.
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scholarship is through specialization. But more and more college coaches are looking for multi-sport athletes. “I often ranked kids who played more than one sport at a higher level on my recruiting list because I knew they stayed competitive all year long,” Lawler says. Some college coaches are also concerned that a young person who has been specializing for several seasons has already reached his or her ceiling. While the athlete who played multiple sports might be raw in some areas, college coaches can foresee tremendous growth once that athlete gets their coaching at the next level. You can also emphasize the importance of multi-sport participation to parents through any communication you put out. As head baseball coach, I produced newsletters three times a year to keep parents and community members informed about important team news. With each issue, I was sure to provide a list of the multiple sport players involved in my program, along with their accomplishments in their other sports.
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NUTRITION
Oregon State players looking to gain muscle mass are taught about meal planning in relation to their body composition and training demands.
A Weighty issue When athletes want to gain weight to meet performance goals, they require careful guidance to avoid packing on pounds of unhealthy fat. By Ingrid Skoog
34 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2012
CoachesNetwork.com
PHALANX PHOTO
Gaining weight isn’t difficult. Our country’s obesity rate, currently over 30 percent, provides ample evidence of that. But when players want to gain weight, obesity isn’t what they have in mind.
Adding muscle mass, sometimes called “positive weight gain,” without accumulating fat in the process is much more challenging. Popular fitness magazines and Web sites often tell athletes the secret is in special supplements, protein powders, and highenergy shakes. Yet while some of these products may be helpful, they’re only a small part of the picture. If a player wants to add mass to improve their performance, do you know how to
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NUTRITION
advise them? An optimal strategy involves paying careful attention to meal planning, body composition, and training demands. Healthy weight gain is a long-term goal that requires serious commitment over an extended time period, with plenty of opportunities for pitfalls along the way. But with the proper guidance, any athlete can increase their size and strength. Controlling Factors
Besides the most obvious things—nutrition and training habits—several other factors determine how easy or difficult it is for an individual to gain weight. Here’s a brief summary of three key players. Body type. You can’t change your DNA. I have worked with many people whose
about setting reachable goals. It will also help them to view progress toward weight goals realistically—two athletes with different body types shouldn’t expect the same gains just because they perform the same workouts and share similar eating habits. But they can both improve fitness level and overall strength with a comprehensive strategy for diet and training. Hormones. The most important members of this category are testosterone, growth hormone, estrogen, progesterone, insulin, glucagon, cortisol, leptin, and ghrelin. They all influence the body’s ability and predisposition to gain muscle mass and body fat. Their exact mechanisms are diverse and very complex, but for our purposes, it’s sufficient to say that anabolic and catabolic
For a plan to succeed, the answer to all those questions must be yes. If not, this isn’t the right time to pursue weight gain. Otherwise, we can move on to the next steps in creating a plan. Critical Composition
Before we talk about eating, it’s important to first determine the athlete’s baseline body composition. There are several good methods for determining body composition. A BodPod or hydrostatic weighing test are two very accurate methods, but aren’t always readily available. A seven-site skinfold test using Harpenden, Lange, or AccuFitness calipers can work well—AccuFitness also offers digital body fat calipers. Other options include bioelectrical impedance or a
Knowing and understanding an athlete’s body type will help you talk with them about setting reachable goals. It will also help them to view progress toward weight goals realistically—two athletes with different body types shouldn’t expect the same gains just because they perform the same workouts and share similar eating habits. body type and genetic makeup undermine their goal of getting six-pack abs or gaining 20 pounds of muscle mass. There are three main body types, each with its own unique characteristics that affect weight gain: Endomorphs have stocky builds, and usually see rapid improvements in strength when training. They tend to gain both muscle mass and body fat more easily than other body types, but due to their higher body fat levels they may have a harder time achieving visible muscle definition. Ectomorphs have tall, naturally thin and lean bodies. These are the people who seem able to eat anything and everything without gaining weight. Due to their long bones, they have longer muscles and often struggle to achieve large changes in muscle size and girth. They can and do still gain strength, but they don’t add muscle mass as easily as other body types. Mesomorphs typically have wide shoulders, large chests, narrow waists, more muscle definition, and the sort of body shape and proportions traditionally seen as most desirable. These individuals have the best of both worlds—they tend to gain muscle easily while being less prone to packing on body fat. Knowing and understanding an athlete’s body type will help you talk with them 36 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2012
hormone levels increase and decrease according to an athlete’s stage of physical development, age, nutritional status, and stress level. Males have the most success gaining muscle mass in their late teens and early 20s, when anabolic hormones like testosterone and growth hormone are elevated. Females in that age range have an advantage in adding muscle mass as well, but it’s less pronounced. Timing and application. This may be the most overlooked of all factors related to successful and healthy weight gain. Before an athlete makes a serious attempt at adding mass, you should discuss these five questions with them: n Do you have the time and motivation to commit at least six months of consistent hard work to reach your goal? n Throughout that time, will you have consistent access to resources (lifting facilities and control over food quality and quantity) to support your goal? n Is your goal healthy and realistic? n Will reaching your weight goal help you achieve the performance improvement you want? n If a coach is involved, does he or she agree that gaining this amount of muscle mass is an appropriate goal for your sport and position?
body comp scale, but research has shown these methods to be less reliable. There are several reasons why an initial body comp test and regular follow-ups are important during a period of planned weight gain. The extra calories that the athlete will consume are almost certain to produce weight gain—body comp will reveal whether it’s the kind of weight they want. For instance, if an athlete isn’t following his dietary plan carefully but still sees higher numbers on the scale, he may think he’s doing fine, even if he’s actually gaining adipose tissue (fat) and little or no muscle. Likewise, some athletes with higher initial body fat see no progress on the scale in the first several weeks of a quality training and nutrition program aimed at weight gain. This is because they’re simultaneously gaining muscle tissue and losing fat, so their overall body weight barely moves. Body comp tests will show that they’re still making good progress and just need to be patient and stick to the plan—the weight INGRID SKOOG is a sports dietitian in Eugene, Ore., specializing in performance nutrition for collegiate and elite athletes. She is a faculty member in Oregon State University’s Nutrition and Exercise Sciences Department and also provides nutrition advice to OSU athletes. She can be reached at: ingrid.skoog@oregonstate.edu.
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NUTRITION
COMMON MISTAKES Too little fiber.
Some athletes stay away from whole fruits, vegetables, and grains when trying to gain weight, assuming that these foods are relatively low in calories and/or fat. As a result, they When athletes struggle end up without enough to achieve weight gain fiber, which can lead to congoals, it’s often because stipation.
they made one of these mistakes:
Too much protein.
Protein-rich foods promote satiety, which basically means they more quickly signal the brain that the stomach is full. They also take longer to break down during digestion, which delays the onset of subsequent hunger. Taken together, the result is decreased overall calorie intake. Encourage moderation in protein consumption, and remind athletes that feeling full doesn’t necessarily mean they have consumed enough energy to fuel muscle mass gains.
Too few carbs.
During periods of weight gain, around 50 to 65 percent of overall energy should come from carbohydrates, but some athletes still remember the anti-carb craze of a few years ago and mistakenly think “carbs = fat.”
gain will come eventually, and the strength gains have already begun. One other reason body composition is such a valuable tool during planned weight gain is that it helps guide nutrition strategies. For example, if someone starting a weight gain program is very lean—say, with less than eight percent body fat for males or 16 percent for females—they’re actually better off gaining a small amount of body fat along with the muscle mass. This is because individuals with very low body fat probably already have energy expenditure greater than energy intake due to existing dietary habits, activity level, and metabolism. Such an energy deficit (too few calories coming in) while training will result in difficulty gaining significant muscle, and even worse, possible muscle loss as the body becomes “starved” for energy. Meanwhile, people in the healthy initial body fat range of around eight to 15 percent for males and 16 to 24 percent for females probably have energy intake fairly well matched to expenditure. These individuals are in the best position to gain muscle mass without additional body fat. Their bodies 38 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2012
Taste fatigue.
Athletes who rely on “weight gainer” products such as highprotein shakes tend to get tired of them quickly. Such shakes can be a great choice for a between-meal calorie boost with a good mix of carbs, protein, and a little fat, but encourage athletes to switch up their choices—a shake as a snack one day, a sandwich or bowl of granola the next.
Sleeping in.
Believe it or not, this is sometimes an athlete’s biggest barrier to successful weight gain. Getting up late simply pushes breakfast back to lunch, lunch to dinner, and dinner to a latenight snack. It’s much more difficult to spread energy intake evenly throughout the day and to support the critical periods before and after strength training when an eating schedule is “running late.”
Overdoing fast food.
Athletes may hear the advice to increase their calorie intake as an invitation to hit the drive-thru early and often. Remind them that not all calories are created equal, and the highly processed, nutrient-poor options available at many fast food windows won’t provide the quality carbs and protein they need to support muscle growth.
can draw on fat stores as needed to cover some of the energy costs of exercise, but they don’t have excess fat standing in the way of their health and performance goals. For males with body fat levels above roughly 20 percent and females above 25 percent, it may be best to follow a weight loss plan to decrease body fat before focusing on significant muscle growth, because the stress of strength training for hypertrophy on already overloaded joints could increase injury risk. Plus, adding extra muscle to a body that’s already laden with heavy fat stores can result in a slower, less responsive athlete with decreased overall performance in their sport. In these cases, it’s wise to seek personalized advice from a registered dietitian (RD) or physician who specializes in sports nutrition before proceeding. Let’s Eat
Calories are the currency of weight gain, and the body needs regular fueling throughout the day to support muscle growth. But this is an area in which many athletes are inconsistent, negligent, or downright lazy. The busy schedules of today’s high school
and college student-athletes often provide an easy excuse for going long periods of the day without taking in any calories at all, and this must be discouraged when seeking weight gain. Nutrition planning is most effective when tailored to an individual athlete’s needs, training habits, schedule, and other unique factors. But here are some basic points of advice that can help you advise them properly: n Eat small meals every two to three hours throughout the day. n You should never feel hungry. If you do, you’ve gone too long between meals. n Don’t drink a lot of liquid at meals, as this fills you up faster and displaces whole food. n When drinking between-meal liquids, choose high-calorie shakes or healthy beverages that contain calories, such as chocolate milk, fruit juices, and vegetable juices, instead of water. n Start eating early—have breakfast before 9 a.m. This will allow you to take in more energy in the form of a mid-morning snack before lunch in the early afternoon. CoachesNetwork.com
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NUTRITION
n Plan ahead and be prepared by having an ample supply of food available at all times. As for the composition of meals, there is no universal secret to eating for weight gain—the standard rules of healthy food selection apply, with a greater emphasis on choosing calorie-dense options over lower-
calorie “fillers.” For example, a salad of fresh veggies is very healthy, but to boost the calorie content of a salad, a weight-gaining athlete should be encouraged to add cubed cheese, lean meat, croutons, dressing, and perhaps almonds or walnuts. Likewise, a baked potato at dinner should never be eaten plain—add fixings such as low-fat
Sample Menu The menus below provide one day of optimal food intake for an athlete with low body fat (less than eight percent for males and 16 percent for females) and one day of intake for an athlete with body fat in the healthy “middle range” (eight to 16 percent for males and 16 to 24 percent for females).
LOW BODY FAT
MIDDLE-RANGE BODY FAT BREAKFAST
1,200 calories
2-3 egg omelet with lean ham and grated cheese 2 large pieces of toast with margarine and jam, honey, or peanut butter 2 cups of 2% milk Banana
700 calories
LUNCH
Large bean, chicken, and rice burrito with cheese and salsa Tortilla chips with guacamole Vegetable or fruit juice
700 calories
Whole wheat pasta with meat sauce Side salad with croutons and light dressing
AFTERNOON SNACK
1/2 cup of mixed nuts
300 calories
Fruit and yogurt smoothie
DINNER
800 calories Lean roast beef Rice with seasoning and margarine 1 cup of steamed carrots 2 cups of 2% milk
400 calories
700 calories
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich 2 cups of 100% fruit juice
900 calories
400 calories
2 cups of fruit and nut granola mixed with 2 cups of 1% milk Banana
MID-MORNING SNACK
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich Large fruit juice
1,000 calories
800 calories
Baked chicken pieces Baked potato with fixings 1 cup of steamed carrots 2 cups of 1% milk
LATE-NIGHT SNACK
300 calories
Bowl of granola with milk and fruit
Low-fat cottage cheese and fruit
Total: 4,400 calories
Total: 3,800 calories
(Note: Serving sizes can be reduced as needed for smaller athletes.)
40 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2012
chili or refried beans, low-fat sour cream, and grated cheese. In terms of more specific advice, guidelines vary based on the athlete’s initial body fat as determined by the body comp test. Those in the aforementioned lowest range (below eight percent for males and 16 percent for females) should focus on adding more unsaturated fats to their diet in addition to carbohydrates and protein. They should include higher-fat snacks throughout the day, such as trail mix, mixed nuts, sandwiches with mayo, and tortilla chips with guacamole. Athletes in the middle range of body fat (eight to 15 percent for males and 16 to 24 percent for females) should increase total calorie intake mainly by upping their consumption of complex carbohydrates and lean proteins. They don’t want to take in lots of extra fat, but shouldn’t look for non-fat options either—for instance, a turkey or chicken burger on a whole wheat roll is a better choice than regular ground beef on a white roll, and great snack choices throughout the day include milk shakes, fruit smoothies, and bagels with light cream cheese. (See “Sample Menu” at left for an entire day’s food choices for athletes with low and medium-range body fat.) As mentioned earlier, those with high body fat (above 20 percent for males and 25 percent for females) should receive individualized attention before actively attempting to gain weight. In most cases, they’ll want to bring their body fat into a healthier range before adding significant muscle mass.
MORE INFO > To read articles about athlete nutrition visit: www.training-conditioning.com/ nutrition.php
Gaining “positive weight” is one of the most challenging goals for a competitive athlete to achieve. It involves increasing overall food intake and usually accompanies heavy strength training, so carelessness can easily result in too much fat in the daily diet or too few calories to support the high activity level. But with proper planning and regular monitoring of body comp progress, athletes can eat smart, lift hard, and get bigger. CM A version of this article appeared in our sister magazine, Training & Conditioning. To access more articles from T&C, please visit: www.training-conditioning.com. CoachesNetwork.com
NEW FROM COACHING MANAGEMENT
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Basketball Facilities Making the Best Better
Every T-Rex basketball portable system has a new deadlock tensioning devise that gives these portables absolute rigidity during play. Bison makes four models of T-Rex portables for competition, side court, club, and recreation with features for low maintenance, one-person set up, and seven- to 10-foot height adjustment. Contact Future Pro, the authorized Bison dealer that offers everything Bison at the most competitive pricing, for more information. Future Pro, Inc. 800-328-4625 www.futureproinc.com
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Great For Displays
The ModStar® A-Frame System works great for displaying sponsor advertisements or stadium graphics on any courtside, sideline, or end zone. ModStar® is collision-safe because it’s made with playerfriendly coroplast that collapses when struck but then pops right back into place. ModStar® folds flat for easy storage and is easy to set up. With UltraBrite inks, graphics are vivid and stand up to harsh lighting and the elements. BigSigns.com • 800-790-7611 www.bigsigns.com
Circle No. 501
Schelde Sports has expanded its line of custom graphic scoring tables with the recent introduction of its new backlit model. Custom team graphics are printed on a durable, translucent substrate, and protected by unbreakable clear polycarbonate for long-lasting, vibrant images. Scoring tables are fully padded, easily moved with built-in casters, and fold up for easy storage. Custom lettering is available on side pads. Design assistance is available and the structure carries a five-year limited warranty. Circle No. 529
Easy to Install
Bison’s new LED system is easy to install behind virtually any manufacturer’s 42- or 48-inch glass backboard. With no drilling or visible hardware, this system gives you six pre-assembled LED light strips mounted in aluminum tracks with high tack, self adhesive mounting tape for a quick and easy installation. The system includes LED strips for two backboards, transformers, and all necessary components except wiring.
Bison, Inc. • 800-247-7668 www.bisoninc.com CoachesNetwork.com
Replace old backboards and rims with a regulation 42” x 72” x 1/2” tempered glass backboard with bolt-on padding and a competition breakaway rim. Pre-installed mounting brackets in the board easily affix to your existing fan-shaped or rectangular backboard mounting points. The mounting bracket absorbs all stress from the rim, and the backboard comes with a lifetime warranty. Consider adding the industry’s only height adjuster with a 10-year warranty to allow stable rim height adjustment from eight to 10 feet. Institutional Basketball Systems • 877-272-5430 www.institutionalbasketballsystems.com Circle No. 502
Better Design
With its patented Dynamic Sub Frame (DSF) technology, Schelde SAM ™ portable goals are a world leader, with 5,000 goals in use in 111 countries. Available in 8-foot and 10-foot, 8-inch extensions, every detail of its steel superstructure has been refined to provide greater rigidity, simplicity, and strength. New features include QuickSet™ goal height adjustment, a spring-activated locking mechanism (for the easiest setup ever), and a new power beam design. SAM continues to raise the world standard for quality and innovative design. Visit the Schelde Web site to see the SAM video. Schelde North America • 888-724-3533 www.scheldesports.com
A Classy Addition
Schelde North America • 888-724-3533 www.scheldesports.com
A Smart Upgrade Package
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Top-Of-The-Line Goal
Spalding manufactures qualitydriven basketball products for professional, collegiate, and recreational use. The Slam-Dunk® Precision 180 Goal is a highperformance goal with 180-degree flex action and an adjustable reflex mechanism to break away while being dunked on. The Slam-Dunk® Precision 180 Goal is a top-of-the-line goal and the official goal of the 2012 NCAA Final Four. Spalding • 800-435-3865 www.spaldingequipment.com
Circle No. 504
Highlight Your Achievements
Showcase your athletic teams’ accomplishments, promote your conference, retire a jersey, or give recognition with Championship Banners from BigSigns. com. Both available materials, Dura-Fab or Tru-Satin Vinyl, minimize the glare of fluorescent gym lights, so graphics are seen from all around. The banners are printed with Ultra-Brite inks for bold and vivid colors. Banners can be finished many ways, depending on your needs. BigSigns.com • 800-790-7611 www.bigsigns.com
Circle No. 505 Coaching Management POSTseason 2012 43
Basketball Facilities Trusted at Every Level
Gym Upgrade Packages
Spalding • 800-435-3865 www.spaldingequipment.com
Future Pro, Inc. 800-328-4625 www.futureproinc.com
The SuperGlass™ Prosb Backboard measures a 72” x 42” and is recommended for professional, collegiate, and international competition. It is the official backboard of the 2012 NCAA Final Four. Spalding is the official backstop of the NBA, basketball equipment supplier to the NFHS, and the backstop and backboard supplier to the NCAA Final Four. Spalding basketball products are trusted at every level, from the NBA to backyard pick-up games. Circle No. 500
Save money and guarantee component compatibility on court upgrades with Future Pro. Future Pro’s gym upgrade packages fit existing wall or ceiling mount structures regardless of the original manufacturer. Packages include glass backboard, competition breakaway goal, and DuraSkin backboard padding (which comes in 16 colors). Backboard options are 42 and 48-inch boards in premium or standard grades. Circle No. 532
Strength Training & Cardio Train Like They Used To
Go “old-school” with the 14-inch Mega™ Medicine Ball. The soft pliable shell allows the user to perform dynamic sport-specific strength moves for basketball and other sports. The size allows for easier catching for just about any ability level. The heavyduty construction is designed to minimize bounce. The ball is available in weights of six, eight, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20 and 25 pounds, and comes in red/white.
Power Systems, Inc. • 800-321-6975 www.powersystems.com
Circle No. 518
Jumpstart Training
The high-impact TurfCordz™ Jump Belt, used by professional sports teams and international Olympians, strengthens leg muscles to enhance your vertical leap. With five resistance levels, it’s ideal for basketball, football, and track training. The easy-to-use Jump Belt features an adjustable cam buckle closure that fits up to a 36-inch (90-centimeter) waist and two 30-inch (75-centimeter) rubber tubes that connect to foot straps. TurfCordz resistance products are designed to meet the extreme demands of high-level athletic training.
NZ Manufacturing • 800-866-6621 www.turfcordz.com
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Competition Kettlebell
These steel kettlebells are color-coded by weight for easy identification. A unique quality is that they are all the exact physical size and shape. This can help eliminate detrimental effects to skill technique. The unpainted handle allows for ease of movement as well as chalk application. Available in weights of 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, and 48 kilograms. Power Systems, Inc. • 800-321-6975 www.powersystems.com 44 Coaching Management POSTseason 2012
Circle No. 520
Power Trainer
Powernetics offers the Power Trainer, which for more than 10 years has made the power clean a safe exercise for athletes from junior high to the collegiate level. The Power Trainer enables an athlete to not only do cleans safely, but also to reverse the clean. The unit can be used to perform seven different exercises: the clean, reverse clean, deadlift, lift jump, high row, bench press, and shoulder press. The Power Trainer has proven over the years to be among the safest and most effective tools used to perform the power clean. Powernetics • 800-829-2928 www.powernetics.com
Circle No. 521
Optimizing Movements
In Developing Agility and Quickness, the National Strength and Conditioning Association hand-picked its top experts to present the best training advice and programs for optimizing athletes’ linear and lateral movements. Packed with more than 100 drills to help in the development of agility and quickness training programs and applicable to almost every sport, this book focuses on improving athletes’ fleetness of foot, change-of-direction speed, and reaction time. Human Kinetics • 800-747-4457 www.humankinetics.com
Circle No. 522
Reduce Groin Injuries
The High Stepper develops explosive power in the hip flexors and legs in a running motion, substantially increasing athletes’ speed, quickness, and durability. Coaches notice fewer groin injuries with their athletes after training on the High Stepper. It can improve 40-yard dash times, decrease groin injuries, and train the legs to explode higher and more powerfully. Powernetics • 800-829-2928 www.powernetics.com
Circle No. 523 CoachesNetwork.com
Coaching Aids Advanced Shooting Machine
Like the Dr. Dish, the iMake basketball shooting machine utilizes Airborne Athletics’ original “smart” technology. Program the iMake to throw where you want, when you want, at game speeds. The iMake comes standard with 23 pre-loaded drills (includes drill chart) or you can customize and save 50 of your own drills right on the machine. It features fingertip controls to change rotation range, ball speed and ball tempo, and even operates with a wireless remote control. iMake’s e-z glide net system is easy to set up, adjustable, and improves arc. Maximize your time in the gym with iMake. Airborne Athletics, Inc. • 888-887-7453 www.airborneathletics.com
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Learn Coaching Secrets
WBCA Offensive Plays & Strategies presents the best offensive plays for the women’s game based on the strategies of 25 top coaches in women’s collegiate basketball. Learn their secrets, strategies, and insights on game planning, developing offensive skills, preparing for in-game situations, and breaking down the opponent’s defense and exploiting their weaknesses. Included are more than 100 plays for scoring, in-bounding the ball, and breaking a defensive press. Human Kinetics • 800-747-4457 www.humankinetics.com
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PROVEN BY THE NATION’S BEST
Simplicity and dependability best describe the 6000 Series Gun. It zips out passes from 15 to 35 feet and will throw to one spot or rotate to different spots around the perimeter. The optional computerized scoreboard displays made shots, total shots, and shooting percentage. The fast-paced workout forces players to use a proper arc while shooting game shots from game spots at game speed. The Gun comes with a five-year warranty. With more than 11,000 happy customers, the 6000 is changing the world of basketball. Shoot-A-Way • 800-294-4654 www.shootaway.com
Circle No. 508
Eliminate Excuses from Players
94Fifty’s Total Skill Measurement system gives coaches the tool to instantly measure and track shot speed, shot arc, backspin, dribble control, speed, and more. Using sensors inside the ball, 94Fifty gives coaches the ultimate tool to quickly test the skills of every player in their program, diagnose weaknesses, automatically prescribe workouts, and track progress online. Each system includes two sensor basketballs, laptop, and software. 94Fifty Sports Technologies • 508-463-3601 www.94fifty.com
CoachesNetwork.com
Circle No. 506
Magnificent Monitor
The PN-L702B is a high definition (1920 x 1080) LED-LCD monitor and interactive whiteboard display. This product features touch-screen operation with pen or finger, is engineered for 24/7 commercial use with a three-year onsite limited warranty, and is available as a complete package with optional floor stand and PC. The monitor has a 70-inch class (69 1/2-inch diagonal) screen, which provides exceptionally large high-definition images for viewing by the entire team. Sharp Electronic Corporation • 866-484-7825 www.sharpusa.com Circle No. 538
All About the Off-Season
Bring accountability to your off-season, intensity to your preseason, and maintain skills during the season with 94Fifty’s Total Skill Measurement system. 94Fifty gives coaches the ultimate tool to motivate any player to work hard on his or her own time. Instantly measure and track skills for shooting and ball handling so that players listen to your objective feedback. 94Fifty Sports Technologies • 508-463-3601 www.94fifty.com
Circle No. 509
Smart Technology
Dr. Dish invented Court Smart Technology, which allows you to throw where you want, when you want, from anywhere on the court. It’s a basketball shooting machine that not only operates from under the basket, but also moves away from the basket to train perimeter shooters with game-position passes, bigs with post-entry passes, and rebounders with precision “missed” shots. Add trajectory control (bounce, chest, skip, and lob passes), full-court mobility, 45 pre-loaded drills with drill chart, and you’re starting to understand the versatility of Dr. Dish. It’s also remote controlled, battery operated, and has fingertip controls for tempo, rotation, and ball speed. Airborne Athletics, Inc. • 888-887-7453 www.airborneathletics.com
Circle No. 536
The Ultimate Shooting Machine
The all-new 8000 Series Gun is the ultimate basketball shooting machine. Efficiency, dependability, and repetition with instant feedback take this open gym magnet to a whole new level. Spot-to-spot programming, customizing, and saving your favorite drills along with easy set-up give 8,000 owners the ultimate shooting practice. Workouts can now be controlled by a multi-function remote, and coaches have the ability to specify shooting locations and number of shots per spot as well as requiring made shots before players can move to a new location. Player accountability is enhanced with the optional ticket printer and the ability to upload shooting sessions to a computer through the new Shot Tracker option. Shoot-A-Way • 800-294-4654 www.shootaway.com
Circle No. 510 Coaching Management POSTseason 2012 45
Team Equipment & Uniforms/Apparel Decrease Ankle Injuries
Ankle injuries are a pain—they occur all too frequently and are difficult to come back from. A major study done by the University of Wisconsin, involving more than 1,400 high school basketball players, proved that those wearing the McDavid 195 Ankle Brace were three times less likely to experience ankle injuries versus those who didn’t wear McDavid’s brace. The McDavid 195 simulates a perfectly executed athletic tape wrap. Unlike a taping, the 195’s fully adjustable figure-6 straps can be tightened quickly and easily without shoe removal.
McDavid • 800-237-8254 www.mcdavidusa.com
Towel of the Future
Have you figured out an easy way to manage all your belongings in the locker room? Are you afraid that the knot holding up your towel will give out at the worst possible time? Do you want coverage and comfort to and from the shower? Check out the towel of the future, the Aqua Short by Wave Wear. It’s a towel and short all in one, good for any time of day. Aqua Short • 732-414-6333 www.theaquashort.com Circle No. 513
Circle No. 511
Setting the Standard Exceptional Protection
Active Ankle T2 provides exceptional ankle protection for active lifestyles during exercise or athletic activity. The solid U-shaped design relieves pressure from the ankle and provides superior inversion/eversion protection. With a bi-lateral anatomical hinge, T2 allows freedom of motion in plantar flexion/dorsiflexion. The T2 also has a single quick-fit strap that adjusts for high or low top shoes and custom molded EVA padding for a comfortable fit and firm support. Active Ankle Systems, Inc. • 800-800-2896 www.activeankle.com
Wilson Sporting Goods Co. • 800-443-0011 www.wilson.com
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Unrestricted Movement
The Cramer ESS Ankle Compression Sleeve’s patented articulated ankle joint allows for unrestricted movement while providing mild compression and support to the joint. Compression provides a performance enhancement benefit as well as mild muscular support. The unique knitted design allows for lightweight fit and exceptional stretch and comfort.
Cramer Products, Inc. • 800-345-2231 www.cramersportsmed.com
The Wilson NCAA Game Ball sets the standard for performance and innovation on the court. Wilson’s patented features include a moisture absorbing cover, laid in channels creating a 100-percent composite basketball, and a cushion core carcass. The result is the ultimate game ball that the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments rely on to deliver championship performances.
Circle No. 515
All-Sport Protection
The McDavid Adult Hex™ Leg Sleeves features simple and brilliant engineering and will be every athlete’s most versatile piece of gear. The McDavid 6446 Hex™ Leg Sleeves are lightweight and provide all-sport protection. Individual hexagon shaped pads conform to the body for ideal comfort and uninterrupted coverage. McDavid’s compression fabric secures the pad while keeping muscles warm and delaying fatigue. McDavid hDc™ Moisture Management Technology keeps all moving parts cool and dry. McDavid • 800-237-8254 www.mcdavidusa.com
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Pressure to Heal
Cho-Pat’s Compression Sleeve combines warmth, compression, and reinforcement to help reduce pain and discomfort in the calf and enhance healing. The four-way stretch knit material contours anatomically for maximum fit, comfort, and effectiveness. The material is also breathable and facilitates movement of moisture away from the skin. This American-made sleeve does not contain neoprene or latex and is available in three sizes to provide specific and effectual results. It’s available in white and black. Cho-Pat • 800-221-1601 www.cho-pat.com 46 Coaching Management POSTseason 2012
Circle No. 514
Best of Both Worlds
For athletes looking for the best of both worlds, the Excel lace-up ankle brace provides the comfort and mobility of a laceup with the support and security of a tape job. With its circumferential strap that helps stabilize the brace and lacing system that tightens all the way around, Excel provides a conforming and comfortable fit. Excel is also lined with neoprene for maximum comfort and fit with nylon eyelets for reducing pressure points. Active Ankle Systems, Inc. • 800-800-2896 www.activeankle.com
Circle No. 517 CoachesNetwork.com
Team Equipment & Uniforms/Apparel Get What You Need, Fast
Versatile Backpack
girls got game • 800-554-2779 www.girlsgotgame.com
Wilson Sporting Goods Co. • 800-443-0011 www.wilson.com
You believe in women, and so does girls got game. The company offers performance-driven products for women’s basketball players who take their game seriously. These products include uniforms, footwear, practice gear, fundamentals, bags, and warmups. In-stock items ship the next business day, and customized items ship in two to four weeks. See the quality for yourself: Order a sample from girls got game today. Circle No. 539
The NCAA Student/Athlete Backpack is designed to meet the daily needs of the classroom and the gym with long-lasting, heavy-duty material. The front compartment designed for school items like a laptop and books, while the huge back compartment is designed to hold shoes and practice clothes. This backpack also features a front slash pocket, mesh water bottle holder, and zippered valuables pocket. Circle No. 534
More Products Energy to Fuel Athletes
G Series™ Energy Chews are a pre-game fuel in a convenient form, with 25 grams of carbohydrates and 20-percent DV of B vitamins. Carbohydrates before activity are important to top off fuel stores in the muscle and liver, providing energy to help optimize performance. B vitamins aid in energy metabolism as part of a daily diet. G Series Energy Chews are designed to be used in the 15 minutes before training or competition.
Gatorade • 800-884-2867 www.gatorade.com
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Awards and Promotional Items SMi Awards is the official awards supplier of the NFHS. The company offers a full line of custom logo watches, plaques, rings, gift sets, and more. They’re perfect for senior/letter-winner awards, championship teams, staff gifts, golf outings, and donor gifts. More than 300,000 promotional products are now available. The company offers significant pricing incentives for annual purchases and will work with you on an unparalleled personal level to provide the service you expect and deserve. If you’re looking for a reliable awards supplier with quality products, outstanding prices, and 24 years of business experience, contact SMi Awards. SMi Awards • 800-326-8463 www.smiawards.com
Circle No. 537
Insure Your Teams
Purchase insurance for your sports teams and events quickly and conveniently online with K&K Insurance. K&K offers essential, affordable coverage for sports teams, leagues, tournaments, events, camps, and clinics. The company’s Web site is simple to use and provides an option to buy coverage immediately when using a credit card. Celebrating 60 years of insuring the world’s fun, K&K Insurance is a trusted provider of coverage for the sports and recreation industry. K&K Insurance • 800-426-2889 www.sportsinsurance-kk.com
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Perfect for Athletic Trainers Every roll of Cramer 100-percent cotton porous tape is like the next, which means you can count on it to unwind consistently, conform better, and adhere longer. Cramer 950, constructed with a latexfree adhesive, is perfect for athletic trainers or athletic programs looking for a high-quality, economically priced porous tape alternative. Cramer Products has been the industry leader in sports medicine and athletic training room supplies for more than 85 years. Cramer Products, Inc. • 800-345-2231 www.cramersportsmed.com
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Protein to Rebuild Muscles
Great Education, Great Value
Gatorade • 800-884-2867 www.gatorade.com
American Public University • 877-777-9081 www.studyatapu.com/athletic-mgmt
G Series Protein Recovery Shake delivers 20 grams of protein that contains essential amino acids to help support muscle rebuilding after training or competition. It also contains 45 grams of carbohydrates to replace depleted fuel stores and to help muscles use protein more efficiently. G Series Protein Recovery Shake should be consumed within 60 minutes after exercise for maximum muscle benefit. ™
CoachesNetwork.com
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You are one degree away from changing your world. You are one degree away from achieving more. Which one will it be? American Public University has 87 online degrees. APU’s tuition is far less than other top online universities so you can further your education without breaking the bank. APU was recognized in 2009 and 2010 for best practices in online education by the prestigious Sloan Consortium.
Circle No. 525
Coaching Management POSTseason 2012 47
COACHING IS MORE THAN X S AND OS INTRODUCING NEW COACHING GUIDES from
For every decision about lineups and strategy, there is another one about dealing with parents, developing leaders, and handling budgets. That’s why Coaching Management is producing a series of Coaching Guides addressing these important off-the-court topics. Topics will include strength training, leadership, nutrition, management, and sports medicine. Read advice from experts and other coaches about handling these vital, yet often overlooked, areas. For a limited time, we are offering a sample guide that will include articles on each of these important subjects. You can get your e-version by submitting the form below or going to coachesnetwork.com. Use this form for your free sample guide. LEADERSHIP them. Throughout these discussions, let your leaders know how important they are to the program. Don’t be afraid to tell them how much you will rely on them to set the standards, keep the team focused, and handle conflicts. You may even want to tell them that it is “their” team. You will be there to help them, but ultimately it’s the athletes— particularly the leaders— who determine how far the team will go.
Here is a sample list of responsibilities coaches can give to team captains:
School: _______________________________________
issues like how to best discipline a teammate who has broken team rules. Whatever the case, we will expect you to add your insight to help our decision making.
Lead warmups and drills: We expect you to get your teammates organized and keep Talk with struggling L E A D E R S H I P teammates: We expect you to everyone in line, literally and figuratively. talk with teammates who might be struggling with their performance Set the right toneon for depend you for leadership, pageItand leading together as or role on the team. is your the team: We expect you to guidance, and support a unified front, great things can jobastothey understand them, support start practices off with the right them, They challenge happen them, and step up to their challenge. in figure your program. attitude, focus, and work ethic. howato get them back on rely on the theirteam coach toout create You must also refocus track. positive and productive environwhen practices get sloppy, create ment that is conducive to helping a positive momentum going into Handle conflicts: We may Starting on them lead. the competition, and recharge ask you to get involved with team Provide team when needed. We expect you conflicts when they arise. If aRight Foot the In other words, great team capOpportunities to be the mental and emotional small problem crops up, we may both catalyst for thetains team.are made whenask youroles to find out exactly what is of the coach-captain going equation on and develop a workable Keep coaches informed: are tended to. What can easSpending time at the very start solution. While talking about their We expect you to keep us ily occur, however, is that one of the season working with your responsibilities is important, informed about issues that impact Plan team activities: becomes frustrated with the captains builds the basis for the success andside psyche of the We will ask you to plan and your captains need conthisevents leadership team. We want other. to know who coordinate various so team. To be on tinual opportunities to make the might be in conflict with whom, your teammates can same betterpage, get to you need to real leadership decisions. Some coaches’ frustrations stem whether playersfrom are accepting each other.talk Wethrough will rely what on being a team It often works well to start a belief that theknow athletes their roles, if anyone’s social life captain means you to initiate these events and and how to be an small and build up to more of today don’t seem to have the is getting out of control, and so make sure everyone is invited effective one. and complicated tasks. strong leadership skills they did forth. Of course, we don’t need involved. thething. past.You’ll I often hear coaches Step number one is to clarify to know every in little For example, let them Be loyal: that we of them. Many lament, “Kidstotoday don’t un- Understand your expectations have to use your discretion oversee warmups before are putting a tremendous amountsay to their cap derstand what coaches simply capdecide which issues might haveit ameans to be a practice and make any of trust in you. For example, negative impactleader. on theThey team.aren’t Be nearly as votains, “You’re our leader. I expect team announcements. Have we may tell you things that we careful to respect trustneed of your cal the as they to be.” Another to step up will not tell youryou teammates. In and lead.” But this them contact teammates teammates as well. You don’t want is, “They frequent complaint alone is too vague to give proper return, we expect you to respect to inform them of schedto be viewed asaren’t a tattletale. willing to standand up support and the direction. decisions we ule changes. You can even confront their teammates Provide input on team makewhen for the team. You than may assuming your let them lead some pracRather necessary.” decisions: We will ask your disagree with them behind closed tice drills, or take it a step captains understand their du duopinion on a variety of decisions doors, but we will expect you to further and let them plan a captains ties,toasthe well as your philosophy that will affect And the team. This don’t always show afeel united front team. practice from time to time. they have the necessary and could include minor decisions We guidalso will insist on expectations, your loyalty sit down and ance or to support fromand their carefully clarify like what wearmagically. that you never bad mouth uswhat you need It’s teams also key to solicit your great leaders. Great always include But itwarmup doesn’tgear happen coaches coaches. A recent poll I conductfrom them. Create a job descripdescrip or where the team prefers to eat. to your teammates. There must be captains’ inputinon team de- roles, providing must invest time explaining opportunities, and giving afeedback. ed ofmore student-athletes revealed Or it could involve serious sacred trust between tion of us. the eight to 10 priorities cisions. These can be minor that over 60 percent of captains you expect them to handle. (See By Jeff Janssen felt their coaches do a “Job Description” on next page.) Jeff Janssen is director of the Janssen Sports Leadership center,needed in cary,toN.c., better job of working them. Clarification of their roles and and a former athletic administrator at the University of arizona. Thiswith article is In essence, captains complain responsibilities on the front end an adapted excerpt from his book, The Team captain’s Leadership Manual. that too many coaches preach will prevent misunderstandings the need for athlete leadership as the season goes on. but don’t teach it. Next, discuss the risks and chal chalRather both sides blaming Yourthan team captains lenges of leadership. Let your the other,make they must the captains know that this new re recan ormake break effort to work together and forge sponsibility might be difficult and your season. a strong coach-captain partdemanding at times. They will nership. I like to like think it as a encounter many gray areas and f that sounds anofoverstateleadership team. When bumps along the way, and they ment, think back overcoaches your and captainscareer. are onduring the same should understand that these coaching your
_____ _____
_____ _____
LeaderShIP
Name: _______________________________________
JOB DESCRIPTION
Leader Of The Pack
I
most successful seasons, I bet you had great team leaders. Now consider your most frustrating years. did they include poor leaders?
Title: _________________________________________ challenges are a normal part of leadership. Most importantly, let them know that you will be there to support them through thick and thin.
E-mail: _______________________________________
From there, ask your captains to describe what they think it means to be an effective leader. Their ideas of leadership might be quite different than yours. Ask them to talk about the leaders whom they respect in their lives and why, and the ones they don’t respect and why. This will give you insight into their model of leadership and can start great discussions that get you both on the same page.
Phone: _______________________________________
It can also be helpful to provide your captains with an assessment of their leadership style. Just as each athlete has certain physical strengths and weaknesses, so do leaders. I use a two-part evaluation that rates how a person leads by example and vocally, in several areas, from composure to team building. (Click here for a Web link to the survey.) This type of analysis can help make the captains aware of their strengths and weaknesses in their leadership qualities. Encourage your captains to utilize and maximize their strengths and acknowledge areas to improve in. For example, some of your leaders might have a hard time confronting their teammates when necessary. Or, some of your leaders may be too blunt and lack the necessary tact to get their messages across well. Whatever the challenge, encourage them to make sure that their weaknesses are not a leadership liability as they work to improve
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and not only do your captains have a huge impact on your team’s success, but also on your sanity and your satisfaction as a coach. You’ll usually remember a year you had fantastic team leaders with a smile, regardless of the final record. You rely on your captains to help set and uphold the standards of the squad, monitor team chemistry, and be your voice in the locker room and on the weekends when you’re not around. You need your captains to consistently reinforce the team’s standards and hold their teammates accountable. at the same time, your captains
48 Coaching Management POSTseason 2012
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