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Coaching Basketball Successfully by Morgan Wooten - Summary Provided by Duke Barrier Coaching Basketball Successfully by Morgan Wooten Part

I: Coaching Foundation Chapter 1: Developing a Basketball Coaching Philosophy y Define Your Philosophy Done in many ways and over many years beginning with personal experiences as a player, observing games in person or on television, and will continue to develop throughout your coaching career Examine approaches of successful coaches, read their books, attend their clinics (both are an absolute necessity for coaches) Combine the lessons you learned from all the experiences above and add your own personality, you have the ingredients for your philosophy The quality of your experiences and how you implement your philosophy are equally important in determining your success

Philosophical Foundation Develop a value system (what do you emphasize, winning the game or winning in life, what priorities do you have regarding the development of your players as people,etc.) Be yourself  It s ok to adopt certain ideas, but if you try to be someone else, the best you can be is second best I am me, and I want to be the best me that I can be.

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Favorite definition of success: Success is a peace of mind which comes as a direct result of knowing that you did the best you could to be the best you are capable of becoming, John Wooden. Positive Influences on Wooten:  High school coach Tony Crme, stressed fundamentals and communication with his players Ken Loeffler, former coach at LaSalle, developed 1-4 offense Red Auerbach, importance of having a feel of the game, knowing what was happening on the court, each player has a certain role on the team John Wooden Dean Smith, ideas on trapping defenses, four corner offenses, changing defenses

 

 

Coaching Basketball Successfully by Morgan Wooten - Summary Provided by Duke Barrier  JimKehoe, former AD at University of Maryland, importance of discipline, getting things done on time, doing things well and doing them wholeheartedly Lists Coach K and Denny Crum as great examples of coaches who stole ideas from their coaches but still developed their own unique approach

Be eager to learn (learning stops when you think you have all the answers) Don t limit your learning to clinics or discussion with other head coaches; use your assistants or other assistants. Some of the best ideas he has gotten have been from assistant coaches. Touch People s Lives o As coaches we are fortunate to have the opportunity and ability to work with and positively influence young people Be the kind of coach that you would want your kids to play for Our moral responsibility to use this unique opportunity in a positive manner to help prepare our young people for life

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Establish Objectives (for your players, team, and yourself) Player Objectives  He stressed helping athletes get their priorities in order (his were God, family, school, basketball) Kids today want the same things they did 40 years ago; they seek guidance, discipline, and people who are interested in them

Team Objectives o o His were that his teams were going to play hard, play smart, and have fun Teams can play 1 of 3 ways, 1.) must win at all costs forces team to play with too much pressure, 2.) play with a fear of losing forces team to play NOT TO lose, 3.) play hard, play smart, and have fun promotes maximum effort while allowing them to enjoy the thrill of competition You cannot reach your potential without putting your maximum effort into everything you do Playing Smart means working within your teams offense and playing within each player s physical limitations (does not like inventors on the court)

Coaching Basketball Successfully by Morgan Wooten - Summary Provided by Duke Barrier o Stressed that he wanted players to remember the primary reason for participating in the sports is simply for the pleasure they experience while playing it

Practice as you play o o Approach each practice with a positive mindset Conduct practices in an upbeat manner, move quickly and emphasize the proper execution and repetition of fundamentals As you practice you shall play Believes his teams practiced as hard as anyone in the country, consequently, they entered games with feelings of confidence that inspired them to really get after the task at hand Success is the greatest motivator, players who see what previous teams have done to be successful respond to the challenge because they want to be successful too

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A winning effort o o It s not whether you win or lose, but how you played the game, Grantland Rice Winning is prominent in his coaching philosophy only if it is accompanied by winning effort, that is more important than the actual outcome Avoid the trap: evaluating the success of the program in terms of wins and losses. Creates a culture of, if you win, everything is wonderful, if you lose, everything is terrible.  If you evaluate like this, your team will not reach its potential  You will never acknowledge the mistakes made in the games you win, so you won t correct them  The only thing you will the about after a loss is how poorly the teams played, which will cause your team s confidence to suffer o Sometimes you can learn more from a loss than a win. Players may be more motivated to improve, and they may be more receptive to the constructive criticism that will help them do so Maintain an even keel Work on the mistakes you make even in a win, but also praise the successes even in the games you lose.

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Coaching Basketball Successfully by Morgan Wooten - Summary Provided by Duke Barrier Coaches Objectives o what is it you want to accomplish through coaching?

His objective was to do the best he could to have his team as well prepared as possible Coaches, like their players, should work hard to become the best we can possibly be Continue to add to our knowledge of the game through:  Reading as many books as you can  Attending as many clinics as possible  Exchanging information freely with fellow coaches  Asking intelligent questions of the right people

Summary Be eager to learn, and work hard to be as up to date as possible by reading, attending clinics, and talking to fellow coaches Be yourself, and strive to be the best you can be Never lose sight of the impact you are having on young people s lives Teach your players the importance of proper priorities that allow for maximum personal, academic, and athletic development Make it your goal to have your team as well prepared as possible Make it your team objective to play, play smart, have fun, and give a winning effort Evaluate wins and losses objectively, focusing more on effort and execution than on the outcome of the game

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