Was thinking about this when I read the thread about Coach Richie winning the COY and several people praised her for not only teaching basketball but for also teaching valuable life lessons. It has always seemed to me that high school coaches are on a more personal level with their players. Is this because they are in the building and with the girls on a daily basis? I believe the majority of high school coaches are doing this but just seems that AAU coaches are more about winning. I have done both, coached high school and AAU and tried to teach good worth ethic, teamwork and having a good attitude. Is that just the nature of AAU? Your thoughts?

Was thinking about this when I read the thread about Coach Richie winning the COY and several people praised her for not only teaching basketball but for also teaching valuable life lessons. It has always seemed to me that high school coaches are on a more personal level with their players. Is this because they are in the building and with the girls on a daily basis? I believe the majority of high school coaches are doing this but just seems that AAU coaches are more about winning. I have done both, coached high school and AAU and tried to teach good worth ethic, teamwork and having a good attitude. Is that just the nature of AAU? Your thoughts?

 

 

I think you're exactly right!! It seems high school is more about the team and AAU is more about individuals!!

Was thinking about this when I read the thread about Coach Richie winning the COY and several people praised her for not only teaching basketball but for also teaching valuable life lessons. It has always seemed to me that high school coaches are on a more personal level with their players. Is this because they are in the building and with the girls on a daily basis? I believe the majority of high school coaches are doing this but just seems that AAU coaches are more about winning. I have done both, coached high school and AAU and tried to teach good worth ethic, teamwork and having a good attitude. Is that just the nature of AAU? Your thoughts?

 

Here's my thoughts. I agree with your assessment. I think there are a lot of things to point out.

 

High school coaches have a lot more coach/teacher training and spend a lot more time with the kids during their season. And a lot of high school coaches are in the education field, so their life passion is about teaching kids. And I do think that if they are in the school with them daily, there is a much different relationship. My daugther plays for coach Ritchie she is a mom away from home for these girls. If my daughter never wins another high school game (which I don't think will happen), she'd still be a better person because of Coach Richey AND her staff.

 

At the top of AAU...An AAU coach feels success equals winning. They get better players to play for them by winning. Sometimes coaches or org leader's egos take over. However, there are plenty of AAU coaches that are concerned about the life lessons too. I really think there are different levels. The teams that I think play more of a local schedule tend to be focused on winning and being competitive, but also are in it more for the development of kids as a whole. That's not saying that the top travel programs don't care about the kids, I would just say the priorities are switched a little. Local competitive programs may be 60/40 care of kids to winning, where Elite programs may be opposite...just an example. All of them are different. You'll have a lot of those programs defend themselves by saying they prepare them for the next level. They do...in basketball and along with that naturally comes life lessons. But I doubt they are constantly looking for those "teachable life lessons" like some others do. Another example, if you are with an AAU program that its "for profit", then to me that is all about winning and making money and I personally don't like it. We run an AAU organinzation that, at it's height, had 14 teams. We were compeitive locally (traveled within 2 hours) and played several top teams. We have some AAU D1 state champs and some teams that were just a little above average. We had very good coaches and would seek out paid training outside our Org, but it was always optional. Not one person associated with our org ever made a penny. In fact, any money that was earned by the org (not individual teams) went into a scholarship fund for our org that helped pay for kids to play that were less fortunate. My point, we were there to give kids opportunities to play, be competitive and teach everything.

 

Now there isn't an organization on the face of the earth that won't tell you "kids first". We we all know that's not always true.

 

At the end of the day, very, very few boys will ever make a living out of playing sports and not one girl will. So for me, it's all about life lessons, competing at a high level and fond memeories. If you are lucky enough to get a scholarship, then that's a bonus!

 

I know some feel a lot different on here. Yea, get a scholarship and pay for my kids school. Yes, we'd all love that. But we have to be careful at what cost that comes. It's not for everyone and sometimes the downsides aren't worth any amount of money.

It really varies with the coach I think. Different sport, but I can tell you that my boys summer baseball coach is a lot closer to the players than his high school coach, not that it's a knock against his High School coach, just totally different personalities.

It really varies with the coach I think. Different sport, but I can tell you that my boys summer baseball coach is a lot closer to the players than his high school coach, not that it's a knock against his High School coach, just totally different personalities.

Do you think with all the high school coaching changes, when the board is looking at hiring a coach that that take this into consideration? I know they look at experience, wins and character and teaching openings and all that. I'm sure each school is looking for something different and maybe the character part falls into the teaching life lasso a to the kids. I just know that a lot of what I learned came from playing sports. I would hate to think a kid would miss out on that.

Sorry for the typos. Braut fingers and phones don't mix

Do you think with all the high school coaching changes, when the board is looking at hiring a coach that that take this into consideration? I know they look at experience, wins and character and teaching openings and all that. I'm sure each school is looking for something different and maybe the character part falls into the teaching life lasso a to the kids. I just know that a lot of what I learned came from playing sports. I would hate to think a kid would miss out on that.

I can't speak of how the hiring process is for each school. It's really hard to say. I've seen coaches that are more like father figures than coaches, nicest guys in the world but doesn't know the game much and I've seen coaches who knows everything there is to know about the game but have no coaching skills in that they can't transform their knowledge of the game to the players in a way that works.

 

I know it may sound like a cop out, but it's true.

 

Some coaches just can't coach while others can but have problems communicating to the kids. some instead of teaching simply yell at the kids while others will always pat the kid on the back and not correct him when he screws up or know how to convey to the kid what he should do to correct the problem etc.

 

#1 rule to being a coach is to earn their respect.

 

You earn their respect and wonderful things can happen.

I can't speak of how the hiring process is for each school. It's really hard to say. I've seen coaches that are more like father figures than coaches, nicest guys in the world but doesn't know the game much and I've seen coaches who knows everything there is to know about the game but have no coaching skills in that they can't transform their knowledge of the game to the players in a way that works.

 

I know it may sound like a cop out, but it's true.

 

Some coaches just can't coach while others can but have problems communicating to the kids. some instead of teaching simply yell at the kids while others will always pat the kid on the back and not correct him when he screws up or know how to convey to the kid what he should do to correct the problem etc.

 

#1 rule to being a coach is to earn their respect.

 

You earn their respect and wonderful things can happen.

Totally agree with your earn the players respect. I think all kids are motivated different ways too. Some need a kick in the butt while others need more of a father figure. Depends on the kids family life. I think coaches almost have to be psychiatrists now a days to figure each kid out and what makes them tick. I think the great coaches understand this and the game.

I'll say this, coaching girls will send a man to his grave sooner........than later. :banghead: :lol2:

I've coached them both and enjoyed coaching them both for the same reason: the kids really try to absorb what you are teaching them. Yeah, girls are different, they don't internalize losses the way guys do (some do, but not all), but I have tried to coach them the same and the results from an effort standpoint have been the same. The big difference is boys have a more natural feel for the game than girls do and you don't have to do quite as much repitition in a set for them to "get" it. Fundamental wise they both need constant repitition and in the end if you do they both do start to do things naturally (box out, screen properly, roll properly, play help defense, play with toughness, move without the ball, etc.).

I'll say this, coaching girls will send a man to his grave sooner........than later. :banghead: :lol2:

 

If this isn't the truth.

 

On the topic, I think HS's are always looking for teachers first, coach's second and it they get the best of both then you have a really good employee from the school district and community standpoint, hence being named COY.

 

HS and AAU/Selects/Knotholes etc all like oil and water imo when it comes to coaches.

Accountability outside of the hallways is basically gone.

 

Don't get me wrong, there are some great individuals out there coaching outside the hallways but for the most part the rules are much different than in HS. JMO