In the waning moments of a game whose eventual outcome had been determined, the smallest player on the team received a pass on the right wing and eyed the hoop, ready to shoot. Just as the ball was released, the referee’s whistle blew. A foul was called, and the shooter stepped to the foul line, looking for his first points of the season.
Suddenly, the crowd’s collective excitement level rose as if a game-winning shot was about to be attempted. A bit nervously, the shooter eyed the hoop and, just as he had done during practice sessions, released the ball with perfect backspin. It seemed like the ball was in the air forever until it swished cleanly through the awaiting white net. The crowd and his teammates erupted in a celebratory roar.
As he retreated to his defensive position, the smile on the young player’s face was that of a Norman Rockwell painting and was truly worth a thousand words. It also drove home the very reason why, after so many years, coaching Junior High basketball remains so meaningful to me.
Let it be clear: this moment was not about me, but anyone who has coached sports for young people below the varsity level has undoubtedly experienced similar circumstances.
Junior high sports operate uniquely to themselves. Its participants enter a time when their bodies are changing, and their minds are going a million miles an hour. They are leaving behind years of youth sports filled with mandatory play rules, parental coaching, and, in many cases, small-size team rosters. Their dreams may point to playing at the varsity level, but their skill set may be saying ‘not so fast.’
They may be playing to be with their friends, to please parents, or to fill idle time. But the realities of what they are facing may be new to many. They encounter new teammates, new coaches, a different set of rules, and the reality that playing time is determined by how their skill set compares to those around them.
The role of a junior high coach is to teach the game, develop players, and provide an enjoyable learning experience, all under a team concept. The old saying, ‘there is no I in team,’ rings true, but it is sometimes hard for 13 & 14-year-olds to comprehend.
For me, coaching junior high basketball has always been a Ground Hog Day kind of experience. Each season, the players are 13 & 14, but somehow, the coach’s age keeps on advancing. The game itself hasn’t changed much, but the complexities existing in players’ lives present constant challenges. Split-family homes, social media devices, societal pressures, and an increasingly prevalent indifferent attitude necessitate constant coaching awareness.
As much as players learn from their coaches, a coach can also learn from those he/she coaches. One such instance that occurred decades ago remains vivid in my mind.
On that memorable day, I attended the funeral of the mother of a player I had once coached. The woman and the family had gone through some difficult times, and her passing minimized basketball’s importance on my priority list.
Hours later, I was in the coach’s office trying to prepare for a practice I had little enthusiasm to conduct. My best player walked by the open door and extended a greeting I did not reciprocate. He paused in the doorway, waiting for a response, and then asked, “Coach, what’s wrong with you?” I gave him a brief reply saying I had a bad day, that he wouldn’t understand.
Undeterred, the player asked what had happened. Not wanting to go into great detail, I responded that a friend had passed away from cancer at an all too young age, and it was really bothering me. The young man then taught me a lesson I’ve never forgotten.
“Don’t tell me I wouldn’t understand,” came his terse reply. “Right now, my mother is at home in a hospital bed in our living room, dying from cancer. My family is living with this every day, and it is very hard. Basketball is the one thing that helps me cope and gives me something I look forward to every day. We need to practice.”
We did practice. But it was clearly a case that I learned much more from that player than the team learned from me that day.
In the years that have followed, trying to learn and understand what may be going on in players’ lives away from the basketball court has been of great importance.
Sometimes, a player will need basketball much more than basketball needs the player. Some players won’t let you into their lives, but I’ve always tried to be there should they have a problem to discuss.
As the calendar flips to a new year and my junior high coaching constituents prepare their teams for upcoming games, I’m sure each and every one can relate instances of memorable experiences learned from their players.
When that foul shot swished through the net, no words needed to be expressed, but it provided great reinforcement of the joys coaching can provide.
