We read about the Scott Co's and the Louisville schools as well as the recently successfull Elliot Co. team. What have these coaches and players done to build these programs. What does it take to build a consistent Regional Contender?

Starting a young system of players at the middle school age.

^ I would start Elementary.

I stay you start at daycare. If a kid can play with a rattle with both hands, he is a keeper.

I agree, you have to get someone very committed and start at about the

1-2nd grade and play all you can. That coach is probably as important as the high school coach to building a strong program. It's awful hard to reteach fundamentals that weren't taught correctly,early in life.

I think it's all about developing your younger talent. Get your kids in camps at an early age and have them working out throughout the summer all are key to developing kids. At a younger age it's all about repitition. The more you practice something, the better accustomed you become to it. At the middle school and elementary school level it's more about learning the fundamentals of the game. Once you get to the freshman level, this is when you start conditioning harder, lifting more, and getting kids in the gym to fine tune their shot, get quicker, and work on their agility.

 

By the time they're sophomores, you should be able to weed out the few who just aren't good enough to play at the varsity level. By this time, you should be able to get them in the gym with the older kids which will make them work harder and become better in the long run. I'd say that's why the top programs in the state have built what they have. Hard work, determination, and a lot of repitition over the years.

Being fortunate and having a good group of multidimensional athletes.

When the youg ones happen upon campus and ask where the football field is, inadvertently lead them to the gym. j/k:D

The key, to me, is the work that you put in during the offseason. A lot of players play multiple sports; however, as a high school kid in the summer, you don't have too many things to do other than play sports and work. This requires dedication not only from the kids themselves, but their parents as well. The parents need to be committed & provide transportation and support.

 

Another important thing for me is to have your JV team practice with (read: against) the varsity. Presumably, the varsity team has the best players that your school has to offer. What better practice for a JV team than to go against a varsity squad? And you can make your varsity better by doing specific drills and game-like situations where you put extra JV players on the floor. For example, have 7 JV players going against 5 varsity guys. These extra defenders can make a huge difference.

 

Also, having the JV & Varsity squads practice together eliminates a lot of the time that it takes to teach kids new drills. By the time these players are seniors, they will be very familiar with the structure of practice, and that is something that is very often overlooked. There's nothing worse than using 30 minutes of your 2 hour practice to explain / figure out how practice is supposed to flow.

 

Also, if I was the coach, I would shorten most practices. I'd have an 1 1/2 practice at the most, and devote at least 30-40 minutes to shooting. You have to remember that you're dealing with high school kids who are going through a strange stage in their life. It is difficult for them to give you a focused 2 hours, but not too tough for them to give you an hour and a half of dedication.

The key, to me, is the work that you put in during the offseason. A lot of players play multiple sports; however, as a high school kid in the summer, you don't have too many things to do other than play sports and work. This requires dedication not only from the kids themselves, but their parents as well. The parents need to be committed & provide transportation and support.

 

Another important thing for me is to have your JV team practice with (read: against) the varsity. Presumably, the varsity team has the best players that your school has to offer. What better practice for a JV team than to go against a varsity squad? And you can make your varsity better by doing specific drills and game-like situations where you put extra JV players on the floor. For example, have 7 JV players going against 5 varsity guys. These extra defenders can make a huge difference.

 

Also, having the JV & Varsity squads practice together eliminates a lot of the time that it takes to teach kids new drills. By the time these players are seniors, they will be very familiar with the structure of practice, and that is something that is very often overlooked. There's nothing worse than using 30 minutes of your 2 hour practice to explain / figure out how practice is supposed to flow.

 

Also, if I was the coach, I would shorten most practices. I'd have an 1 1/2 practice at the most, and devote at least 30-40 minutes to shooting. You have to remember that you're dealing with high school kids who are going through a strange stage in their life. It is difficult for them to give you a focused 2 hours, but not too tough for them to give you an hour and a half of dedication.

 

I agree.

Being fortunate and having a good group of multidimensional athletes.

 

That will stay and play in their home county.

We read about the Scott Co's and the Louisville schools as well as the recently successfully Elliot Co. team. What have these coaches and players done to build these programs. What does it take to build a consistent Regional Contender?

A Coach who understands the Players and the system, they are capable of playing. Getting that system in place, for JV, Middle School and Youth programs.

 

Stress fundamentals and repetition, of routine drills. Include strength training and plyometrics, to improve fast-twitch muscles. Like stated before, condition in the off-season and out work, anyone you play.

 

Lastly, have passion for the game and the instruction.

I would think that developing young talent is key but to do so requires insight and some control of your feeder programs. This is difficult in many districts due to the number of elementary/middle schools. It requires the support of school administration at all levels (school and district). When observing many communities throughout the state, it does not take one long to determine which sports are a priority and garner the most support. This stimulates interest and an attitude of expecting success. Thus, coaches that don't produce wins do not last very long with many things being beyond their control. Maybe another good thread would be to discuss what is the receipe for a truly poor basketball program.

It should go without saying that you need a high school coach willing to put time in and who knows the game, then surrounds himself with LOYAL, KNOWLEDGEABLE ASSISTANTS all the way down to the 5th grade level.

 

 

1 - High School Basketball coach must be the final say in EVERY basketball decision.

 

2 - Pee-wee and Midget league must be run by basketball people for basketball TEACHING, not by the football booster for raising money, not by the band for raising money.........they must be ran to TEACH basketball!!!!

 

3 - Schools have to commit teaching positions to basketball coaches. Why does some schools have 6 football coaches(paid/non-paid) as teachers and only the Head Basketball Coach? Your JV and Frosh coach should be a teacher at the high school/middle school!

 

4 - Get away from being competitive at the K-4 level. Its not about winning games at that age. Its about instilling a love for the game, teaching fundamentals and getting kids wanting to play. Not about beating someone. Too many times I have seen 5 quick guards on the floor and a 5'7" kid sitting not getting to play. In 8th grade, that 5'7" kid is now 6'3" and has no interest in basketball or fundamentals.....and those quick guards are only 5'5"............

 

5 - Do not bring up 7/8th graders unless they are once a every 10 year talent. A lot of you will disagree, but the competition level in this state at the MS level is unreal and in this day where you might not get your football players in until Christmas you better not run off ANY kid at the HS level who does not play another sport. To be honest, most parents and kids cannot handle playing up like that, their heads swell and you cause more problems than you solve.......and we are talking about BUILDING a PROGRAM.....meaning LONG HAUL, not a once every 4 year team.

 

6 - Play as much as possible Oct. - June. as a TEAM. Get away from the independent AAU circuit. Have at least 1 team for every grade level 5th- 8th Frosh., JV., and Varsity. It might take parents coaching(which I am against unless it is last resort) but you have to play that extra time.

 

7 - Seek out kids who are just basketball players, but never discourage a kid from playing anything. You have to have kids that are just dedicated to basketball, hence we go back to #4.

 

 

8 - This one could be #1......a Community willing to financially support a basketball team.!

It should go without saying that you need a high school coach willing to put time in and who knows the game, then surrounds himself with LOYAL, KNOWLEDGEABLE ASSISTANTS all the way down to the 5th grade level.

 

 

1 - High School Basketball coach must be the final say in EVERY basketball decision.

 

2 - Pee-wee and Midget league must be run by basketball people for basketball TEACHING, not by the football booster for raising money, not by the band for raising money.........they must be ran to TEACH basketball!!!!

 

3 - Schools have to commit teaching positions to basketball coaches. Why does some schools have 6 football coaches(paid/non-paid) as teachers and only the Head Basketball Coach? Your JV and Frosh coach should be a teacher at the high school/middle school!

 

4 - Get away from being competitive at the K-4 level. Its not about winning games at that age. Its about instilling a love for the game, teaching fundamentals and getting kids wanting to play. Not about beating someone. Too many times I have seen 5 quick guards on the floor and a 5'7" kid sitting not getting to play. In 8th grade, that 5'7" kid is now 6'3" and has no interest in basketball or fundamentals.....and those quick guards are only 5'5"............

 

5 - Do not bring up 7/8th graders unless they are once a every 10 year talent. A lot of you will disagree, but the competition level in this state at the MS level is unreal and in this day where you might not get your football players in until Christmas you better not run off ANY kid at the HS level who does not play another sport. To be honest, most parents and kids cannot handle playing up like that, their heads swell and you cause more problems than you solve.......and we are talking about BUILDING a PROGRAM.....meaning LONG HAUL, not a once every 4 year team.

 

6 - Play as much as possible Oct. - June. as a TEAM. Get away from the independent AAU circuit. Have at least 1 team for every grade level 5th- 8th Frosh., JV., and Varsity. It might take parents coaching(which I am against unless it is last resort) but you have to play that extra time.

 

7 - Seek out kids who are just basketball players, but never discourage a kid from playing anything. You have to have kids that are just dedicated to basketball, hence we go back to #4.

 

 

8 - This one could be #1......a Community willing to financially support a basketball team.!

 

And what do you suppose a team with only five or six high schoolers on the roster do? Play with only those five or six? Or maybe they just sit the season out altogether and wait for those 8th graders to be freshman...