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How to Deal with a Difficult Basketball Coach? Tips

 

You practice year-round, you work you’re but off during practice, put in the extra hours to get better, and put your team first over yourself. While you still feel you are being treated unfairly on your basketball team by your coach. So you are wondering is it me or is it the coach?

How do I deal with a bad basketball coach? The best way to deal with the differences between you and your coach is to speak directly to the coach in private about the issues at hand. Privately discuss the matters that are bothering you will go along way and can potentially save your season as a player. Often times it can be a complete misunderstanding and things can be resolved, you may even have a better perspective on the matter and have a newfound respect for your coach.

As an inspiring basketball player growing up, I always felt like I was better than most players I played against whether that was true or not was a matter of opinion. Players views are very different than the coaches, I am not saying you as a player are wrong, you may just need a different perspective.

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How do you deal with a Bad Basketball Coach?

It is not uncommon for players to have disagreements or problems with their basketball coach. I have had my fair share with players, only for them to have misunderstood what my intentions were. I am also not afraid to apologize to players, I don’t care how weak it makes me look like an adult, I am supposed to be a role model, whether I am these players role models is questionable but I am their mentor and want what is best for them.

If I am not yelling at them in a coaching way then I don’t care about them, So I make it my duty to yell at everyone. A bad basketball coach can be difficult to deal with if in fact he doesn’t care about the team and has other motives instead.

If the whole team is having issues with the coach and the team is becoming really toxic it may be best to have a player meeting and decide what to do about the circumstances the team faces. It may be wise for the captain to talk to the coach about what is going on. Some issues may include, hard to talk to, opinionated, doesn’t take accountability, they want to control everything (micro managing).

I have had my captains tell me about different players on the team and what they are going through during the season. This is a great way to keep an ear on everything that is going on with the team, whether it is home life or school, life as a teenager can be difficult.

Depending on what your goals are in life and basketball, I was always against quitting a basketball team because I felt I would be failing if I did so, but if you’re playing on the team because part of the reason is you want to have fun and it’s not fun then you will feel like what’s the point.

I would not want to be on a team that is toxic or coach one, but sometimes all it takes is one individual. But it also can take one individual to voice their concerns whether that is the coach or the player, to help the team realize we need a different approach.

Do coaches have favorites?

As a basketball coach myself, I never played players that were my favorites, although I am one coach. I would like to believe that most coaches play their talented players a lot more than players who are not as talented or good so to speak. That is the way sports in general is, think about it for a second as you the player are now coaching a team, think of a video game like NBA 2k.

You choose the Lakers and are playing an exhibition game, some of the players your using are not playing so well, you control the players and they can’t make a basket. You sub out the players and play the bench players and now your shooting well with those substitutes and winning. You then sub the bench players out and the result is your shooting poorly again. So you revert back to the bench.

You continue to do this for a few games and realize that you play well with certain players and others you don’t. You seem to have a better feel for those players and you know their sweet spots on the court. now you are rarely playing those other players but you still play them from time to time. Sometimes those players catch fire and you don’t sub them out, you keep the players that are playing well in the game and sub the ones that are not doing so well. Sound familiar…

Now let me ask you this, do you think your coach is being unfair to you by playing the players you think are his favorites, or is he playing players that are flat out better and more experienced than you?

Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard…

by Tim Notke, a high school basketball coach.

 

My next question is do you think your ability to assess how good you really are and what value you add to the team? Or are you someone who constantly complains about everything that doesn’t go your way?

The fact of the matter is that I see players all the time say something along the lines of I have been practicing my shot but it’s not getting any better? Well, how long have you been practicing? Like a week…

Many players think they are owed a certain amount of playing time or expect instant results with little to no work, while others put in the work, day in and day out…

But if in fact you truly believe that you are better than the next guy that always starts the game, then I want you to prove it. Prove it to yourself, prove it to that player that is taking your spot and prove it to the coach.

A few years ago I gave my players midway through the season a survey, as all I heard were players complaining about playing time on a competitive team in which the players knew beforehand that this would be the case, now they wanted to complain about it. So the survey was pick your starting 5 on the team to start next game. Here’s what happened out of 15 players that surveyed, every player picked themselves to start and their friends, the best player on the team was not the starter on everyone’s list, Surprise. most everyone’s starting 5 was completely different…

This shocked me, Now ask yourself could you be wrong in the slightest about how the coach is coaching his team.

How to deal with a coach playing favorites?

If in fact you truly believe that the coach is playing favorites because he likes other players better, could the reason be your attitude, or maybe your effort? Do you care when you practice? While if you still believe you are killing guys in practice and doing well in games Then what you really need to do is talk to the coach privately.

Have a heart to heart with your coach, this can be the start of a good relationship between a coach and his player. Simple questions you can ask are:

Coach How can I help the team win?

Coach what can I do to get better?

What role do you see me playing on this team?

What do I need to work on?

It is important to listen and acknowledge what your coach is saying even if you don’t agree with him. Especially in that moment, because he/she may be right while you may not be able to see it until later on in your basketball career. I know there were certain things that I questioned my coaches and it all became true.

More than likely you got his attention after this sit-down with him and he will be paying attention to you more in practice, as a coach myself were always happy when basketball players are looking for guidance and direction on the court and in life.

Now it is time to show him what you’re made of, give it you’re all in practice, and play your best during the game.

If you feel as if that your coach is still playing what you believe are his favorites, ask for a different perspective. You may need some honest advice here. Try to get someone with some basketball experience to watch you play, a teacher or former coach to critique you. You may be blinded by your own thoughts and play.

Growing up and playing basketball, I thought I was a great shooter and better than most players on the court but one day I was told by a player who played college ball that I should change sports….Ouch! I was also told by different players that I was slow for a guard. It was true, I wasn’t fast enough and I just wasn’t good enough to play with the big boys.

What did I do? I didn’t quit, I worked harder and thought of those two moments daily when I trained and played, I envisioned myself on the court playing against those players that said I wasn’t good enough.

Don’t just sit there and do nothing but sulk in your frustration, do something about it. Don’t waste the season and let it pass you buy, get the experience you need and play your hardest thinking about how good you will be the following next year but it starts now. Do not give in, focus your attention elsewhere, just play basketball.

Parents and Coaches conflict?

When parents get involved in how much playing time their son or daughter gets, or they think their son or daughter is not being treated fairly, this can cause major issues. It can also be embarrassing for the player who really doesn’t want their parents involved because it makes them look weak. These situations can be easily been solved if the player talked to the coach. Sometimes the parents get angry at the coach not realizing that the player missed practice or school and the parents had no idea. All they see is their son on the bench not being played when they attend the games. This happened to myself and I had to de-escalate the situation after a game when a player’s dad was angry with me.

One year we took a survey and asked the players how many players would you like to see on this team? There were 17 players left in tryouts and we needed to cut players while were having a hard time with the last 10. Sure enough, every player unanimously voted 15 players but we also indicated was 12 would only play. We even had them sign contracts, and discussed what the season may look like, they all signed all 15 players that made the team.

Well, the season started and the first game at home a player did not play, and his dad had words for me. He was the last player to make the team and while at the last practice he somehow made every shot in a scrimmage that we had no choice but to take him.

I can understand how parents can get angry I also understand a coach’s view. High school basketball is still competitive and needs to be treated that way, not everyone wins a medal and should get an even amount of playing time, that’s simply not how the world works. You work hard you get rewarded. Your not a great basketball player then maybe you haven’t spent enough time yet playing. Maybe in due time with practice, you will be extremely good which I have seen happen time and time again.

Parents can also blinded by the reality of their teenager’s talent, how can you blame them they just want what’s best for their kid.

How do you address a problem with a coach?

Again don’t make this difficult. Speak to your coach in private after basketball practice. If it was something you did wrong apologize for it. This is a big step to fixing the problem. Talking about the issues that happen in practice on and off the court is important to build that relationship with the coach. You don’t have to get personal but if there was something that happened in the game that rubbed your coach the wrong way you should probably explain it to him.

During a basketball game, emotions get high. My biggest tip to players let your coach get mad at you within reason, this is normal, this what makes a good coach, it’s not a bad characteristic. I have yelled at players but it wasn’t because I was angry at them, maybe for the moment but as coaches, we are yelling for a number of reason cues, defensive checks, and plays. We don’t stay mad, that’s a bad coach. If you take what the coach says personally it will be a tough season for you every year you play.

When a coach gets mad at you it’s because he wants you to improve, he knows you have it in you to do so. I want to make it clear that a good coach won’t yell all the time he picks his moments in practice and during the game and yes it’s a lot more during a game.

There are many things that can make up a bad basketball coach, So I will just list a few instead of going into detail.
Bad Basketball Coach:
  • Doesn’t care to improve his coaching skills.
  • Doesn’t adapt his coaching strategy.
  • Is argumentative.
  • Yells and calls players names.
  • Does not care about the player’s opinion.
  • Is unfair.
  • Puts himself in front of the team.
  • Doesn’t take the time to help players learn
  • Doing the same thing every practice.
  • Rude.
  • Goes through the motions.
  • Doesn’t care to win.
  • Doesn’t care that he loses.
  • Controls everything.
  • Does not take accountability.
As coaches, we should be constantly looking to improve not only in basketball but how we deal with our players. If players come back from time to time to visit you and see how you’re doing, then you have made a difference in that player’s life, you’re doing something right.