Coach What You Know

I hear coaches tell their players all the time to know and do what they are good at. What I don’t hear is many coaches telling themselves the same thing.

We would admit that we do not know everything and are not good at everything in the game. Why, then, do we coach like we know everything and are good at everything?! Too many times we act (or believe) like we are experts at all facets of the game and don’t need help teaching the different areas.

We want our best shooters to know that shooting is their primary role. They don’t need to be banging for position in the paint on offense. They need to be moving and spotting up for open shots. Coaching is no different. If I am especially knowledgeable about teaching defense, I need to focus on teaching defense. Then I need to either become educated on other aspects of the game or empower an assistant coach to take the reins of that portion.

For too many years, I tried to be an expert at all facets of the game. What suffered was our offensive production. Not player development, as I am good at teaching and building individual skills, but how it all fit together and what offensive scheme best suited my team. I knew I was knowledgeable and skilled at teaching defense, and my eyes and brain saw the game from a defensive perspective. But I tried to maintain control of the offensive side because I was the “Head Coach,” whatever that meant. I was too prideful to admit that someone else might be better suited to lead our offensive attack.

When I was finally mature enough to relinquish control of the offense to an assistant coach, we began to match our great defense with great offense. In fact, I decided to give more and more parts of the game into the hands of assistant coaches, letting them grow in responsibility and learning of the game, while I focused on the defense. Now, to be fair, you may not have multiple, or even one, solid assistant coach. I know that’s the case in many schools. I was blessed to have two, sometimes three, quality men and women on my staff. But if you do have at least one coach you can empower to become the “expert” at one part of the game, it makes it so much easier to manage all the other things as the head coach.

In our run to the 2024 State Championship game, I had one assistant calling offense, one calling full-court defense, and one calling all out-of-bounds plays. I called half-court defense and handled overall game management. We talked through every possession together as we each made our calls. What we found was a symbiotic coaching staff that felt valued, empowered, and effective in all that we did. And above all, we had a highly knowledgeable coach calling each facet of the game!

Our situation might have been the anomaly. But I don’t really think so. Most assistant coaches have an area they are knowledgeable in or can become so. Empowering assistants to have vital roles on the varsity allows the head coach to see more things holistically, instead of focusing on each facet individually.

One thing that makes this kind of staff specialization work is shared information. When every coach on staff can see the same player development data and the same practice metrics, splitting roles doesn’t mean working in silos. Ballogy give a staff a common picture to coach from, even when each coach owns a different piece of the game.

Champions have to check their egos at the door. Shooters need to shoot. Ball handlers distribute the ball. Rebounders have to bang and rebound. Coaches, too, should evaluate what they are best at and focus on those skills.

Assign other facets to an assistant coach. It may be that together you research and adopt a system and philosophy, then allow the assistant to become the expert.

I wish I had learned to give up control earlier in my career to allow my assistants to assist me. If they aren’t assisting, they are simply paid spectators—just something to think about.