Hey y'all! I'm looking into an M.S. in Sport Coaching (looking at a couple different schools) and was wondering if anyone here has done a program like that. I'm also curious if this type of program is worth the time and money.

Here's some context: I'm an assistant at an NAIA, it's my second season coaching, but my first season at the current school. My goal is to be a head coach in the NCAA one day. My B.S. is in communications and journalism, so I have no formal education in sports or coaching.

Thanks for all your thoughts! :)

Hello all,

I thought I’d reach out and get some feedback. I have coached for 5 years. One year as a girls JV coach (7th grade) and varsity girls assistant and then 4 years as the 6th grade boys coach and varsity boys assistant. Next week I’m interviewing for the head girls varsity basketball job (8th grade) and I think I have a good shot at it. What advice would you give me for my interview or for transitioning to the new role? Thanks everyone!

I got into a minor back and forth with my friend, who said:

"That (shot) was crazy, that was a really dumb shot by Wemby though". His argument was that there was a long shot clock, it was a high-risk shot that had only a low chance of going in (he estimated 25%), and that he was left open because OKC was OK with him shooting that shot.

I replied that it wasn't a "great" shot, but it certainly wasn't "really dumb". Wemby threw the ball ahead and then trailed the play; transition trailers are very effective scorers. That was intentional. He received the ball in rhythm, was wide open, and shot a very mechanically normal shot that he looked very confident in. His calculus was likely that it was a wide open look with 30+ game seconds left, and he might as well take the open look because they might not get a better one. His % on those shots, wide open in rhythm probably isn't "bad", and certainly not much worse than a contested shot from the actual arc, which is what he would have gotten had he proceeded forward.

So I'm curious as to your thoughts as coaches. Good shot? Bad shot?

what the title says i get it helps with range but how does it help with shock absorption?

Working on a segment for our summer workouts. Does anyone have a video on the proper footwork for a pro hop?

Hey yall!

I’m from the Bay Area, and I’m looking to start my own rec league. For the folks that are doing / did it, what did the process look like? What were the easy things to do and what were the hardest things to do? Any advice helps! Thank you!

Is it fair when Coaches in Basketball make students do pushups for missing free throws and Layups and is it considered punishment and did coaches make you do pushups whenever you missed free throws and Layups

Wonder how other parents would react? My 12u daughter's team played in a tournament this weekend. Beat some Cold Spring, NY team.

Our girls won by 30 and after or during handshakes, the male opposing coach said "all their girls look like their coach" who happens to be a heavyset man hence calling our girls fat.

Body and fat shaming at this age is gross alone, but for a male, in charge of other parent's daughters to do so shouldn't be allowed.

The league "Benched" him for one game, but I think he needs to go for good.

Hey everyone! Please don't let the title mislead, I'm open to advice from anyone. But I myself am a female coach with a girls team, and I'm not sure that the problem I'm going to present is prevalent on a boys team? You'll have to let me know.

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The issue I had last season is a single player with a lot of drama surrounding her. And a parent who immediately felt comfortable over-stepping me. I'm a volunteer coach at a junior high, but I'm not a teacher. I'm 35 and this was my first year coaching. Normally I'm a very confident, sometimes bossy, and definitely sassy person. I don't usually let people push me around. Right away in the season the parent was signing (like sign language) at their kid from the bench (she's not hearing impaired in any way) and also yelling at her if she wasn't paying attention to them. I'm sure I don't need to explain how this presents a problem for me as well as the team and the kid herself. Okay so next this parent will also "shoot around" with OUR practice balls before games until I tell him to get off the court. I want to tell him to stop trying to communicate with her during games, let her focus. But I don't think that would go over well. In fact I think the setting of any boundaries with him will be....unpleasant. i can do it but I also hate the thought of it going sideways at the school.

/

And then there's the drama part. She herself is at the center of a bunch of rumors about other girls on the team. At first I didn't see her as a bully, but now I'm wondering if that wasn't always the case? So the question is, if she tries out next year, do I take her back to the team? I don't like a bully, but I also see where she's getting it all from. As well, we had so few girls trying out for the basketball team (we had 24 total and took everyone for 2 teams) that i dont want to diacourage anyone. The teachers working with me on this were absolute pros and I admire them, but I wonder if there's not something more I should do (especially regarding the parent) that would make it easier for them to get to the bottom of the bullying issue next time. I just hate to not take a girl on a sports team if she's genuinely interested, even if she is a little more difficult to manage. Help!

/

TLDR: do you take back a player if they are a bully, when you know their parent is the problem? And is there a safe and respectable way to set boundaries with said parent? Or another way to deal with it?

Higher level coaches, what do you think youth basketball gets most wrong about player development?

I’ve been thinking a lot about how much youth basketball seems to prioritize constant games, travel, rankings, and exposure over actual long term development.

A lot of kids can do drills, but struggle with spacing, reads, decision making, playing off the ball, processing the game, and adapting under pressure. It also feels like many players are being taught isolated skills without understanding how everything connects inside real basketball.

At the same time, there’s so much emphasis on AAU circuits and “next level” dreams that some families seem to confuse activity with development.

For coaches who have worked at higher levels, what actually translates long term?

What separates the players who truly develop from the ones who peak early?

I’m starting to feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone with this coaching stuff. I played D1, been coaching for years, and somehow I’ve now been passed over for THREE coaching jobs… by dudes who legit never played past elementary school rec ball but currently coach AAU. What are people even looking at anymore.

I coach High School Club Team. I have a player who has a good heart and ok skills. The issue is that he’s super delusional on his skills. He’s not a good ball handler. Not a good shooter. Horrible passer. But talks like he’s the star and I need to figure out a way to tell him to pump his breaks. I don’t really know how to approach this. You ever watch that old Nike commercial with Blake Griffin and Dr. Drain? He’s Dr. Drain. There are no butterflies singing.

The older I get around youth basketball, the more I think a lot of programs sell the idea of development more than actual development.

A lot of organizations advertise:
“player development”, “basketball IQ”, “confidence building”, “long-term growth”…but then the actual environment is: stacked rosters, minimal practice time, constant tournaments, kids terrified to make mistakes, and coaches forced to prioritize winning because parents are paying thousands of dollars.

At the same time, I also understand the other side.
If you’re coaching a close game, it’s hard to justify playing developmental players over your stronger players.

If you don’t win enough, better players leave.
If you don’t play everybody enough, parents leave.
If you focus too much on systems and structure, some people say kids lose creativity.
If you focus too much on freedom, kids develop bad habits.

So I’m genuinely curious from coaches with real experience:

What does actual player development realistically look like in youth basketball?

Not in theory. In reality.

How much of development should happen:
inside team practices, through private training,
through film, through pickup, through games, through strength work, through failure, through age/maturity, etc?

And at what point do coaches have to be honest and say: “this player probably shouldn’t be in AAU yet”?

I’d especially love to hear from coaches who have:
• coached both elite and lower-level players
• run AAU programs
• coached high school
• dealt with difficult parent situations
• or watched players succeed/fail long term

What separates environments that truly develop players from environments that just market development well?

Daughter is playing for a basketball team that I thought was a decent program, but I'm considering pulling her off the team.

Reasons why:

1. Not impressed with the coach...he coaches a mid size hs JV program outside of this team.

2. 3 girls from his JV team are on this "elite" aau team, and he has them play the guard positions. He also gives them more playing time (This is one of if not the biggest reasons I'm considering pulling my daughter off the team. I wanted my daughter to be in a program where the coaches were neutral to the players, but it isn't the case). Outside of those 3 players, there are 5 other girls who all go to the same high school. It makes me think the players were selected bc of who they are, not their skill.

3. My daughter is playing a position that she doesn't play in the regular season. She plays pg and is playing a 4. I get it's aau and there's more "talent", but I do not think the guards on the team are better than her, they are just his JV players.

4. Commitment: I paid almost $1,000 for this team, and drive 1 hour 15 min to practices, but multiple other girls miss every practice. We go all this way with 6-7 girls. They treat this team like its a school team spring league, and it's just shocking to me bc its a decent size aau program.

5. The coach routinely gets on my daughter for mistakes and does not get on other players (especially the girls who play for his high school team). For example, some of his players have had over 5 turnovers in multiple games and he doesn't even get on them. My daughter hasn't had more than 1 turnover in any games, but he's took her right out after.

I coach a varsity basketball team myself, and although I don't want to teach my daughter that quitting is ok, I'm really not happy with this team. I feel like she's just not becoming a better player at all. Do you think this is a waste of time?

Genuine question for coaches/trainers:

When parents reach out to you about their kid, what are the most common concerns or goals you hear?

Is it:
more confidence?
more playing time?
skill development?
making school teams?
exposure?
IQ?
discipline?
athleticism?
enjoyment?

I feel like different families are chasing completely different things, and sometimes coaches/trainers assume everybody values the same outcome.

Curious what trends you guys have noticed lately.

Anyone know how coaches teach their players to shoot 3s iv been practicing yet I can only do midrange whenever I do 3s my form just disappear or if I do it properly It just airball