Anonymous
Years ago

Coaching 'pickle'

I find myself in a bit of a pickle, my best player doesn't show up to enough trainings, rolls up to games late and at times doesn't even show.
We have a grudge game coming up this week that I really want to win, but I also want to set an example and drop him.

HELP would be much appreciated!!

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Anonymous  
Years ago

Drop him no 1 player is bigger than the team

Reply #419443 | Report this post


Happy Days  
Years ago

Drop him.

Reply #419445 | Report this post


Mick  
Years ago

Don't single him out, but say to the whole team that you will be rewarding effort in training and punctuality with minutes on the floor.

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Mick  
Years ago

Also, depends on the age group. If it's men just tell it to his face...

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Anonymous  
Years ago

If you have team standards in place and all the players understand them, then......

Cut him. If you make the hard decisions then trust me other players will stepup. In the long run it will be the best move for all involved.

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hoopie  
Years ago

Depends on whether you have a team rule that players must turn up to practice.
If you do, then only play him for a few minutes at the end of each half and explain to everyone why you're doing it (and why they need to turn up). Make sure it doesn't look like you're singling him out, or that it's personal.

If you win, then no problem.

If you lose, then the rest of the team will feel that they would have won if that player had played the whole game, and will be likely to blame him for being so slack.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

you should have fixed this already

set the tone when you select the team

act early and often on these sort of issues to ensure that something like this doesn't have to happen.

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Jack Toft  
Years ago

The first thing to do is raise this behaviour with the child and their parents. FInd out why they are late, or not attending. Are they missing training due to custody issues, school meetings etc. There may be a valid issue that needs to be resolved.

Most decent clubs have a rule that if you don't attend both trainings, then you start on the bench. If this is a known team rule, then enforce it.

When you have a dual standard at a club, the cancer that it spreads is not worth it.

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Very Old  
Years ago

Had a rule where if you did not train, you did not start and you had reduced minutes.

The starting was very much a prestige and peer pecking order thing, tended to work with both juniors and seniors, but even better with juniors as the parents did not like to be publicly "exposed" for their inability to be responsible parents- the other parents often had no idea who was at training or not - so would ask "why is your child not on ?".\The no-start was non-negotiable - the reduced minutes depended upon the reason for non-attendance - no notice was a very heavy reduction, previously advised family or school commitments often received little or no reduction - as they were stated up front as being more important than basketball.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

+1 very old.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

Start him on the bench as a wake up call, does it again, doesnt play.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

I don't beleive you should use the bench, first 5 as a pecking order, punishment type thing. It causes problems in that sometimes your talented kids will start ahead of the harder working kids or you may have 2 great specialist point guards but one is slightly better than the other, or you may want to bring your more versatile athletes off the bench. There's lots of reasons players don't start in good teams and it shouldn't be used as punishment or to create a pecking order.

I say do similar to what Jack suggests.

However, what he's saying about double standards is somewhat contradictory. So, Jack, you have to rockup on time; unless you have custody issues, school meetings etc. and whatever else you can come up with. Jack, this IS double standards and others will accuse you of this. How will other playes feel. Having said that I agree with you. Get to know the player, what makes them tick, waht their issues are AND MAKE THE DECISION YOURSELF.

Don't worry about this double standards bullsh*t make a values and moral judgement based around the individual. Coaches do the right thing morally all the time in these situations and are accused of double standards by those that are uniformed, lack moral fibre and have ZERO emotional intelligence.

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Jack Toft  
Years ago

463, managing players is just like managing sub-ordinates and when managing poor behaviour or behaviour that is not to the norm, the best way is to "ask for help is solving the problem".

They may have a reason why they are not attending certain trainings etc and a plan to get them on track could be developed. The coach facilitates, not solves the problem. It could be something as simple as parents being unable to transport them due to work, yet a team mate may be able to give them a lift.

Double standards is when a coach permits one player to do one thing, yet when another player does the same thing, they get away with it. If the player in question is not turning up to trainings or games without an adequate explanation nor warning, then the agreed team rules apply.

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Robert Pack  
Years ago

Not Blowing my own trumpet but i was this kid you describe. i was the best in my district teams growing up, got dropped to div 2 under 18s and stopped training. played div 2 18s and 20s but shouldve been div 1.
i used to get wasted and turn up to training with an iced coffee and watch but not train. my coach was a pushover and my team mates didnt give a rats.

looking back 15 years i wish my coach made me accountable- i never wouldve played NBL but still wonder where id be if i applied myself.

tell the boy to wise up, even if you lose this game id bench him and let the rest of the team know this is not acceptable

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Anonymous  
Years ago

Robert Pack, didn't you go on to the NBA?

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hoopie  
Years ago

On the other side of the coin, I remember a long time ago some rep trial where a kid turned up who then scored 40+ points in a scrimmage without much trouble, 30 points more than anyone else. The kid was a freak.

However, this kid just didn't want to have to train twice a week and play within a formal structured offense. So he never ended up playing rep because the coach couldn't handle a kid who didn't want to follw the system.

How many talents do we lose to that kind of thinking?

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Bear  
Years ago

While this thread was started by an anon. I will presume it is genuine and the advice being sourced is going to be treated seriously.

1 Communication.

Speak to the kid, in front of his/her parents and guage the reason for non attendance and late arrival, you need to find out the actual reasons why before you take any action.

2 Common Sense

Decide for yourself how important the player is, what level of competition are you talking about and what committment was and is expected is crucial because you have not detailed enough here to give you an answer, you have to make common sense decisions to suit your particular situation.

3 Fairness

Consider what is fair to you, your team and this kids, his parents and his situation, then make the best balanced decision possible. If he is trouble, you should be able to determine it by speaking with him and his folks, if it is something else, then at least you know...

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Proud  
Years ago

If this is under 12s or similar then maybe helping him get to training or games could be beneficial to your team.

If adolescence has set in or older and he has a bad attitude then use him as an impact player off the bench.

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Tyrell  
Years ago

How about asking the boy why he doesn't turn up to training. @hoopie- great point, i reckon heaps! Our juniors are overcoached, our seniors are overcoached. They lack fundamentals and so when the cutter or the screen in the structured offense is late/denied etc they turn the ball over. Coaches should teach footwork, reading defense, playing smart and other fundamentals! Forget the basket it doesn't move- read the defense and read the game Juniors!!

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