It's that time of year in my area...yes, youth basketball playoff season! One of my "favorites". It's that time of year where everyone can show off the skills of their team and show that they are the very best team in the league. THAT (in and of itself) is ok. Unfortunately THAT typically degenerates into showing that your "top" 5-7 players are better than the other team's "top" 5-7. The problem with showing off your "top" 5-7? Well, MOST TEAMS HAVE 10-12 KIDS ON THEIR ROSTER! So, these coaches aren't really showing off their TEAM at all!
Does your PROGRAM allow coaches total discretion on how much time they give their players? If so, chances are that your program is NOT age appropriate. If coaches are given the total discretion to play their players as many minutes they wish, unless the coach is the EXCEPTION, he/she will actually play the players he NEEDS to PLAY in order to WIN the game. And yes, this is a problem. Read ON...
I spoke with a colleague of mine the last couple of days. Nice guy (this usually has nothing to do with "nice" people vs "not nice" people). He told me how he watched a 7th grade travel team the other day and how "FANTASTIC" this team was (I have listened to others tell me about this team as well). He happened to have a relative on the team and I asked him how she was enjoying the season. His answer was less than encouraging. She was the "8th" player on the team and she really only got 5-6 minutes of playing time per game. But BOY HOW THAT TEAM COULD PLAY! The reality is that this TEAM (they have 12 kids on the roster) probably isn't really anything special at all.
Are your teams in leagues that value regular and post season standings but DON'T dictate equitable playing time for league members? This is a formula for failure. If YOUR PROGRAM believes in equitable playing time (I didn't say equal...I said equitable. There is a difference and I will speak about this in coming blogs), your teams should be in leagues that value the same. League standings and league championships mean NOTHING if they are at the expense of the INDIVIDUAL players of the team.
Don't have any leagues out there that value equitable playing time for its members? Then start one! Let me give you a couple of quick tips. REQUIRE equitable playing time! Forget about league standings and league playoffs. They are FAR too big a temptation for members to "bend the rules". Let's develop a league that FOCUSSES on the following:
1) INDIVIDUAL development of its players (personal and athletic). ALL of its players!
2) Positive coaching.
3) Sportsmanship.
4) Competing (No, not win vs lose. Teaching your players (ALL of your players) to do the very best they can, regardless of who they are playing against. Then giving them the OPPORTUNITY to do so...ON THE FIELD AND IN THE GAME...and not just giving the "back half of the bench" a chance when the game is a BLOW OUT!!).
It's time to dial it back folks. But we need people with courage to do so. People that are willing to swim against the tide. People that are willing to develop championship kids FIRST and "championship" teams SECOND. Because, you see, if you develop a championship KID...that kid will be a champion (for life) at WHATEVER he or she decides to do. And YOU will have given him or her the tools do so. But what opportunities are we offering our kids if we keep ignoring the "back half" of our bench? What life lessons are we teaching the "front half" when we do so?
Is your program developing championship KIDS or championship TEAMS!?!? You can do both...but I hope the KID comes first. Because first and foremost, IT's ABOUT THE KIDS!
Keep smiling!
Mark
