The Kee to Coaching: Off-Season Plan
For most small college coaches, our season's have come to an end. If you're still lucky enough to be playing, you're most likely in some type of National Tournament. As a coach, the first couple of weeks after the season are extremely boring. Other than tying up loose ends recruiting, and attending high school playoff games, it's hard to fill the time without having daily practices and game-plan meetings with assistant coaches.
The off-season isn't just a time for players to improve, coaches must be relentless in their quest for improvement as well. This post will be about three different things I have done since the end of the season and will continue doing the next few weeks.
1. Have post-season meetings with your players:
- The first week after the season, I met with all players that were on our roster this year. I wanted to meet with them right after things had concluded, so I could get their opinions while things were still fresh in their minds. As coaches, we sometimes forget how smart our players are, and the great suggestions that they may have. Each meeting was around 15 minutes long, and I asked them 5 questions. The questions asked were things they liked about our program and what they would want to see improved, how they can get better in the off-season, and what they enjoyed most about their experience at school here. Most of my players had similar answers to what they liked and disliked, but it was really cool to hear the opinions of some of the quieter guys, who aren't as vocal in group settings. Some of them had great ideas, that will definitely help me improve as a coach, and improve the experience for the members of our program.
2. Watch teams that are still playing:
- Technology is a great resource. It's awesome how you can catch live-streams for all levels of college basketball. I've spent a portion of each day watching schools that are still playing, whether in person, or online. I was given a great piece of advice when I first got into coaching. "Never criticize success, learn from it". Most of the teams that are still playing are the better teams in the country. I want to watch them to not only cheer for friends who are coaching, but to also learn from what they do, that makes them so successful. If you can spend time attending practices, even better. Doing this has helped me learn, but has also motivated me to ensure that my team is competing in March next season.
3. Network and Attend Clinics:
- In a few weeks the NABC Convention will be held in Minnesota, in conjunction with the NCAA Division 1 Final 4. I went in 2017, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. It definitely helped propel my coaching career forward. If you are fortunate to work at a school that has money budgeted for professional development, take advantage of it! If you can't afford the Final 4, plenty of schools and organizations have coaching clinics in the Spring. I usually try to attend a few. These are great opportunities to learn from other successful coaches, and to network and meet others in the business.
