THE IMPORTANCE OF "GLUE" PLAYERS

Glue players are needed.  They are vital to a team's success.  They contribute things to your team that don't always show up in a box score; things that can't always be measured with a stat. 

SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF A GLUE PLAYER

• Sprints the court in transition
• They might night receive a pass in transition, but the fact they sprint could draw a defender to them and open up a teammate for a score
• Talks on the court
• Call out screens on defense
• Makes sure the team is in the correct offense or defense
• Makes sure the team is matched up on defense
• Motivates their teammates
• Dives for loose balls
• This can be contagious 
• Forces the person they are defending to give extra effort just to get open
• This tests the will of the person they are guarding.
• Makes the extra pass on offense
• Pass up a good shot for a great shot
• Forces the defense to work extra hard
• Follows the game plan.
• They understand the game plan.  
• They execute the game plan. 
• Takes care of the ball on offense
• They aren't careless with the ball.  They are poised with the ball in their hands.
• Genuinely cares for their team
• Speaks positively of their team, teammates, and coaches
• Represents their team to the best of their ability on and off the court
• Serves others

SUCCESSFUL TEAMS NEED GLUE PLAYERS

Any player can be a glue player.  I think some coaches see glue players as players on their roster who maybe aren't the most talented.  This can be the case, however your most skilled players can be glue players as well. If your most talented players are glue players then chances are your team has a great chance to reach its full potential.

The average fan sitting in the stands watching a game might wonder why certain players are getting so many minutes if they aren't scoring, rebounding, or filling other stat columns.  Most likely those are glue type players they are wondering about.  In a team sport like basketball we have to remember that we don't always play our five best, we play our best five. Your best five are the five players that play best together.  Many times a glue player or two are part of that best five.

CELEBRATE YOUR GLUE PLAYERS

I encourage coaches to celebrate their glue players.  In a film session point out an example of a player running the court in transition, setting a great screen, or making the extra pass. Stop play on the practice court to point out an action of a player that makes them a glue type player.  While in a huddle during a timeout you can let your team know how important a dive on the floor for a loose ball was for your team because it gave you an extra possession.  While talking to the media you can highlight players that do these glue player type things that are keys to your team's success.  Your glue players need to be celebrated so let them know how important they are to the team.  

REMEMBER:  Not all of the players on your roster are going to have the same skill, BUT they can all be glue players.  

SHARE YOUR IDEAS

I'd enjoy hearing from other coaches on how they celebrate glue type players.  If you have suggestions, please share with me.  You can reach me by email at dietelgreg@gmail.com

TAKE TIME TO REFLECT...AND ENJOY

I hope you all have had a great start to 2014.  Normally this blog is devoted to basketball and basketball coaching topics that attempt get you to think, or it's just simply sharing information.  Today's entry is slightly different as it is more of a personal reflection of mine.  Don't stop reading though as I am hoping that this will trigger some positive memories of your own that remind us all what a great profession coaching is.  This particular list will not be about wins, losses, or championships, but it will be about the many other things that we get to witness as a coach.  And these are definitely things that make our jobs enjoyable.

• Our team volunteered to work with Special Olympians.
• Being recognized as one of the top academic teams in our state.
•  Watching our seniors graduate.
• Seeing how well upperclassmen welcome younger players into our program.
• Team get-togethers.
• Seeing our players take part in other sports, clubs, and organizations.
• Getting a "thank you" from a player who acknowledges the work you do as a coach.
• Having a parent go out of their way to say "thanks".
• Helping players organize themselves as they prepare for making a college choice.
• Writing recommendations for players.
• Hearing from teachers how our players are good citizens in school.
• Seeing confidence grow in players.
• Our team volunteered to read to elementary classrooms.
• Seeing players step up and become leaders.
• Watching players show genuine gratitude to their parent(s) on Parent's Night.
• Seeing our players commit to outworking our opponent.
• Having our players show genuine support for each other.
• Team welcoming challenges and understanding how they help us in the long run.
• GREAT participation by our players during the off-season (gym and weight room).
• Players asking to keep the gym open longer during open gyms.
• Learning new schemes and the team buying into them.
• Treating floor burns as badges of honor.

These are just a few memories that I have from 2013. Hopefully they help remind you how lucky we are to coach.  Nobody wants to win more than I do, but there is so much more to enjoy about coaching than winning.

Have a great 2014!

HELPING PLAYERS TO UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLE

Every player on your roster is important.  Each player is important not only to the success of your team, but also to the personality of your team.  A player who plays in every third game has the ability to impact your team just as much as a player who starts every game.  Yes, it's true, but ONLY if they know and understand their role.

You can have superior talent, but if your team does not have a sense of togetherness then it is more unlikely your team will reach their full potential.  Talent IS important to the success of a team.  Some of your players have the talent to score.  Some can defend the ball extremely well.  Others have the talent to set up their teammates for easy scores.  But how many of your players have the talent to put the team first?  This is a talent needed to help any team reach their full potential.

The responsibility to get a team to understand this falls directly on the coach.  How does a coach get their players to put the team first?  The answer is simple, communicate with your players and help them understand their roles.

Meet with your players and talk to them about the role they have.  Players may not always like to hear what a coach has to say, but there is some sense of peace for a player when they know where they stand.  A player isn't going to like hearing that they probably aren't going to get into every game.  Or if they are in your regular rotation they may not like hearing they aren't needed to shoot the three.  But the player-coach conversation cannot end there.  The coach has to let the player know that the things they can do for the team are of great value.  That may be to challenge your team's point guard in practice, or to keep a particular teammate's confidence level high by supporting them.  Or a player in your rotation may need to hear that their job is to set great screens, defend, and rebound.  Whatever it is they have to know it is important to the success of the team because it IS important.  It may not be glamorous but it is important.  A player that plays their role well is a player who puts the team first.
 
One way to help with the communication is to periodically schedule meetings with your players.  The coaching staff should sit down with each player and talk with them about their roles.  Coaches cannot assume that players understand their roles.  These meetings will help clear up any gray area that may be out there.  If you can regularly schedule these meetings throughout your season a coach would be able to meet with each player every couple weeks.

Your team has a better chance to be more upbeat, excited about being together, and reaching their potential if each player understands their role on the team AND knows their role is important.  Coaches, schedule those regular meetings with your players.  It takes time, but it will definitely pay off in the end.

THE INFAMOUS 20 MINUTE RULE

Coaches and parents will want to read this.

Basketball coaches learn from each other all the time.  We share information, borrow some, and are always watching and picking up tidbits wherever they can.  One of the most important pieces of advice I learned in my 20+ years of coaching didn't come from my past experiences as an athlete, or a coaching clinic, or a coaching colleague, or even a coaching DVD.  This piece of valuable advice was given to me from my wife.

This information is for all coaches as we are interact with the parents of our players.  BUT if you are a coach and a parent this is especially for you.

I am a basketball coach.  And like most basketball coaches it is difficult for me to watch any basketball game for pure entertainment purposes.  It doesn't matter if a coach is watching game 7 of the NBA finals on television or the first game of a fifth grade league at the YMCA, we seem to analyze the game we are watching as a coach.  This is not a bad thing because it is a part of who we are and how we are wired.

Add your own children to the mix and you have a tough balancing act.

I have been fortunate to say that I have been able to watch my own children participate in sports, including basketball, for many years.  I'm no different than the next parent as I get nervous for my child as they play because I want them to perform well and feel good about themselves.  But I also watch the game with a coach's mentality (after all it IS what I do).   And who do parents watch more closely during games? That's right, their own kid.  Again, I am no different than other parents.

After a game was finished my wife and I would wait with the other parents for our children to come over and visit after their coach was done talking to them.  We always greet them with a hug and a "good job".  But then my coaching personality kicked in and I would start rehashing the game with them.  Not to necessarily judging how well they played, but to talk to them as if they were one of the players on my own team.  I would ask them questions about a particular possession, or an adjustment the team made, or even what their thought process might have been during a certain play.  I thought I was just talking to my kids and connecting with them about something they also have a passion for.

ENTER THE 20 MINUTE RULE...My wife is smart.  She could see that our kids weren't always interested in rehashing the game immediately after the game was completed.  Her exact words were, "They don't need a coach right now, they need their dad."  And she was right.  I felt I was able to add insight to our kids because I am a coach.  This may be true, but it wasn't what the kids needed at that time.  So, she introduced the "20 Minute Rule" to our family.  The 20 Minute Rule means that when we meet up with our children after one of their games we don't talk about specific parts of the game for twenty minutes.  We don't have a stopwatch that counts down the minutes until I can ask my first question (that would look a bit funny).  I started to take those first few minutes with the kids after games and continued to give them a hug and tell them "good job", but it also gave them a chance to initiate the conversations we were to have after the games.  And once the twenty minute rule was over the discussions about the game were less coach-player orientated, and more dad-child orientated.  We still discuss the games but after the 20 Minute Rule these discussions started later at home, not in the gym immediately following a game.

Because coaching is a big part of my life, and my kids are active in athletics, the 20 Minute Rule is one of the best pieces of advice I have been given.  Thanks to my wife.