Some Thoughts on Coaching

   If I were the coach, I'll tell you what I'd do.
   I'd say, We have no starters, we have guys who are playing well. And, each game, the guys who were playing well would be the ones who started. No permanent starters, just guys who were hot.
   Occasionally, I'd hold short scrimmages the day of the game, telling the players they were auditioning for the starting spots. And, the guys who did well in the five-minute preview would win the right to start. If they were hot the day of the game, hopefully it would carry into the game.
   Good play would always be rewarded. If you entered the game, and the team was doing well with you on the court, I'd be slow to pull you out. The players would come to realize they always had an opportunity. They could show themselves in practices or they could show themselves in the games, but whenever they did show themselves, they would be rewarded with playing time.
   You've always got a chance. No one is buried at the end of the bench without hope of playing.
   And, I'd be a scouting freak. I'd look at every player on the opposing team, studying all the shots they made, and all the shots they missed -- especially all the shots they missed. Were there commonalities? What about commonalities in the defense played against them? Were they missing shots when hands were in their faces, or when the defender was right in front of them? Did they succumb to trash talk, or respond well to trash talk? When a second defender was sent to cover them, did they get rid of the ball, or take the shot anyway? What were the commonalities in their turnovers?
   We'd find the weaknesses, and attack those weaknesses.
   And, I'd be a stat freak -- with the stats that counted most. I'd pay some mind to the plus-minus. If the team performed well while you were on the court, that would mean something to me. But, the real type of statistic I would be looking at would be those such as the true shooting percentage and points per shot. I'd be looking at turnover ratio -- how many times you turned the ball over per how many times you handled it. I'd look at rebounds.
  And, I'd create what might be a new statistic: How many points per shot did the player make who you were guarding and how many times did he turn over the ball? I'd factor those two things together and call it your defensive ratio.
  I'd hail the assist. If you found an open teammate, I'd not fail to take note. I would have more than one stat to follow assists.
   You want to play, just show yourself in the stats that matter.
   But, all the stats and scouting in the world do not translate into wins if you are not preaching self-belief. You win games because players believe. I'd be a praising coach. I'd be a loving coach. I'd be a positive coach. I would look each player in the eye, and solemnly tell them they could get better. I'd try to be conscious of every good thing they did, and verbalize and recognize it.
  I'd preach happiness and a joy for the game. A player who is tight emotionally, misses physically. I wouldn't scar a guy for the misses he made, I'd throw my hands out like, "Oh, well," and smile at him, and promise him he'd make the next one.
  A player who fears is a player who loses. Don't teach them to fear their mistakes and they will be less likely to make them. The greatest driver of good play is a fervor to play the game. If you can enjoy the game, if you can relish the challenge, if you can keep in your mind's eye that you can succeed, you will win.
   Don't let your loses define you, and in the end, you will win. I would preach hope beyond each defeat. I would preach tomorrow and the need to make tomorrow today.
   I'd coach to the end of the bench. I'd talk to the guy not playing, and urge him to stay believing. I'd tell him to relax and not be upset about not playing, just be ready to come in and be a team player and play up to his capabilities when the moment came. Don't judge yourself by your lack of playing time, and maybe don't judge yourself at all, just come in relaxed and confident and believing when you do enter the court. And don't come in thinking you have to produce 10 points in five minutes because you are not going to have much time on the court. Just come in knowing you can play good ball. Come in knowing you are a player, and whatever happens in that five minutes -- good or bad -- you are a good enough player that it has a good chance to be good.
  I'd watch for that eyes-frozen-in-the-headlights look and drive it away. If they were in a slump, I'd teach them to return to their moments. Go back to the moment you were the star on the team, and remember your mental attitude and recreate it. In a way, live in your past, or at least use it for inspiration. Fixate on the mental attitude you had, and bring it into the present.
  Yes, scouting and stats and drawing Xs and Os are all part of coaching, but instilling belief in the player is the most important thing of all.
  Games are not so much won by Xs and Os, but by a fervor for playing the game. I think of one college coach, and of how many of his players move on to become pros early, even though they are not overly NBA-eligible players. I wonder at that. I wonder if they are failing to enjoy the game, so their decision to move on to the next level is as much of an escape as anything.
  And, I think of another coach, and of how he has his team playing relaxed and enjoying what they are doing. If you enjoy the game, you'll be more likely to win. Teach a love of the game, and not a fear, and you will be a successful coach.