Coaches Corner #1 – Pre-season and early season
By Stephen Zerdelian
As interesting as it may be to speculate on how coaches go about their business (who among us hasn’t second-guessed?), it is even more revealing to hear it from their mouths. So, we decided to pose a series of questions to a variety of former head and assistant coaches from the region to see how they dealt with specific aspects of a college basketball season.
This is the first of three planned coaches’ columns, where different coaches respond to a few topical questions. For privacy, the coaches’ names will not be revealed, although it is worth noting that none is currently employed at an East Region Division II institution. We’ll just call them coaches A, B and C.
That said, we posed a variety of questions to each for the stretch we are in now, encompassing pre-season and early-season hopes/expectations. Here are excerpts of their responses...
What would you prioritize as a head coach from the start of practice until the opening game? Does it vary based on the age/experience of the team you have?
Coach A:
The first thing we would do is plan out our practices until our first contest. We would develop a "block plan" that would guide us through our pre-season and October practices leading up to our scrimmages and through our first few games. We would determine what would be necessary to have in our offensive and defensive system of play prior to our opening games. Obviously, this plan would be tweaked as we went along, based on how much our team could absorb and who our opponent was. But the overall weekly plan kept us focused on what we needed to do.
During pre-season our goal was to build team chemistry and camaraderie, increase the conditioning level to be ready to compete for 40 minutes, and teach our systems so that our players would be comfortable with it and understand what we wanted to do. Pre-season is an evaluation time for coaches to determine the skill level and mental toughness level of our players. In other words, to begin to determine our line-ups.
Having more experience/upperclassmen certainly helps the process! Our upperclassmen were expected to teach our underclassmen not only our systems but to model the behavior we wanted to see from our players both on and off the court. With more experience on the team, with older helping younger, the learning process should go a bit more quickly.
With a young team, the key word is PATIENCE! Don't stray from your ultimate goals but understand it will take more time. You will need to simplify early on until the players get a better understanding and are able to execute the skills needed. However, having patience doesn't mean you forsake accountability!
Coach B:
You have to prioritize WHAT TYPE OF TEAM/STYLE are you going to be – a defensive team, a pressing team, a good court spacing team, a team that runs - it is hard to emphasize everything so you do have to work on all aspects but I tried to focus on three things our team would be known for.
Coach C:
Establishing the culture and identity of how the team wanted to play was always the main goal. In my experience that culture/identity piece was critical. In most cases teams with a core group returning, you would expect things to move a little faster since that identity should be carrying over from the prior season. This would allow for more advancement in other areas.
Do you use early season games as a testing ground for the full season in any way or do you hope to be at 100% (or close to it) from the opening game on?
Coach A:
You won't be at 100% for your first few games, however you want to be as ready as possible for your opening games. Understand that the team will improve with time. That does not mean, however, that you use early November games as a testing ground to see where you are because as we all know, every game is important! Scrimmages are tremendous learning experiences for coaches and players and obviously, help prepare the team for competition. The goal must be to improve every time you take the court!
Coach B:
Most coaches know that it is difficult to be at 100% to start year so it is a starting point, and you try and build and improve. Many out-of-conference games will be against teams with different styles so you see what needs improvement.
Coach C:
The season is a journey. Obviously, some of those early season games are good measuring sticks for where you stand as a team. Regardless of how the team fared in those games there were still many teaching moments and opportunities for improvement. Every journey has a beginning and an end. There are a ton of twists and turns along the way.
What are the most common issues/problems that occur in the pre and early season, and how do you solve them?
Coach A:
The first thing that comes to mind when you say issues/problems is injuries!! Injuries and illnesses are commonplace and can obviously impact your team's potential for success. These situations are out of the coaches' control but can frustrate everyone. As difficult as injuries are to deal with, this is where the coaching staff must focus on staying positive with the team members who are able to practice and play.
Being adaptable to change is very important. The players must view these difficult situations as opportunities to contribute more to the team. Injured players must continue to be engaged with the team in both practices and games. Give them a role that keeps them mentally sharp and ready for a return to play. First year players may feel overwhelmed with schoolwork, basketball and social adjustment. The transition for some can be very difficult. Keep an eye on them and talk with them frequently about how they are doing. Encourage your upperclassmen to do the same.
Team chemistry is so important. Create a culture that encourages open and honest dialogue, understanding and trust. This must be addressed and worked on continuously throughout the season.
Coach B:
The biggest problem early in pre-season is finding a balance between working hard and trying to keep your team healthy. Injuries can be an issue. Also, keep your team mentally focused as you practice for so long without any outside competition - this can be tough going against the same people every day.
Coach C:
The health of the players was always a concern in the preseason. Ensuring that they were taking care of their bodies and getting the treatment required from the medical staff was critical.
How much responsibility do you put on your staff at this time of the season?
Coach A:
Your staff is critical! As a head coach you cannot do everything, and your staff is vital to the operation of your program. You and your staff are a team within a team and must work together to develop your players and run your program. Trust them and delegate responsibilities to them. Seek their input. Assign your staff members to specific duties not only in practices but in games. Film breakdown is one way to get your staff involved in the process, as well as assigning them specific skill groups or players to be responsible for. Assistants play an important role in recruiting and can take on other program responsibilities during the pre-season when the HC is focused on team development.
Coach B:
The assistant coaches must be a big part of these early practices to give a different voice and also skill work is vital during early practices.
How do you treat returning players as opposed to newcomers, is it any different?
Coach A:
Returners should know your system of play and therefore be more comfortable with what you are teaching at this time of year. They should be more advanced in knowledge and skill and know what to expect from the coaches. They should understand the goals of the program and accept responsibility to teach the newcomers everything from team culture to on court execution. There is a higher expectation of our upperclassmen both on and off the court. Rookies get an initial "grace period". They will make mistakes as they are learning and therefore require a bit more patience from the coaching staff.
Coach B:
Returning players must set the tone – you have to be ready for issues with new players as they have to make so many adjustments to the college game. As a coach you may have to do more individual work with younger players, as they are just learning how to operate in a new environment.
Coach C:
In my time we were fortunate to have some incredible leaders. The newcomers would understand very quickly what was expected from a basketball perspective from their peers as well as the coaching staff. Ensuring the newcomers were assimilating into the classroom and campus community was always important, as well.
Do you set specific goals (both for players individually and the team in general) for the timeframe of pre and early season?
Coach A:
We would refer to these as expectations v goals. After the initial pre-season period, prior to the start of official practice on Oct. 15, we would meet individually with each team member. We ask them to come in prepared to discuss their first month or so of work and what they expect of themselves for the next phase of the season - that is, Oct. 15 to our first game. We would discuss the coaches' initial impressions of them and voice our expectations. After this discussion, we would ask the players to write down 2 or 3 goals/expectations and place the sheet in their lockers so that they would be reminded every day of what they want to accomplish.
In a team meeting, we would discuss where we are and where we want to be. We set realistic expectations for ourselves as a group and committed to achieving those expectations. Our players were engaged in the process and determined what was most important. We then narrowed our focus to one practice at a time, one game at a time. We focused on being our best for each practice and contest. Control what we could control - our effort and our attitude. Each game for us was the biggest game of the year.
Coach B:
I would try and set goals for what we want to accomplish each week. We set goals for certain drills and use those as measuring sticks. Tracking some stats on a weekly basis is a good idea – top rebounder for the week or most deflections that week, for instance – so they had a basis for development.
Coach C:
I would go back to the answer to the first question. Setting clear expectations for what the goal was for the team was woven into the culture and identity expectations that were established early on.
Would this particular season (pandemic as a background) cause you to do anything differently?
Coach A:
As an outside observer I think everyone is thrilled to be back playing and coaching the game we all love. What needs to be understood is that with few exceptions, the sophomore class has yet to play a collegiate game! So, essentially you have two classes (first years and sophomores) that haven't had that competitive collegiate experience yet. Setting up scrimmages would be very important to getting them ready for the college game. Again, that word, patience, will be required!!
Coach B
Last year at (current institution) we played close to a full season, but it was very different from a normal year. I think all players and coaches will not take anything for granted this year and will enjoy the entire experience.