Team Building
By Byron Samuels, Assistant Coach South Florida
Coach Samuels originally authored this column when he was the
head coach at Radford. He has since modified it slightly.
There are varying
opinions on the best approach to building a team. I have been in
the coaching profession since 1988 and I have had the
opportunity to work with a lot of fine people. As both a head
coach and an assistant I have tried to absorb as much
information as possible, as it relates to coaching. No one idea,
one philosophy or one approach is necessarily better then
another. It’s a matter of what works best for you.
This is what I have implemented in regards to “team building.”
Mine has ten parts.
1. CLASS CAPTAINS: I pick a player form each class (freshmen,
sophomore, junior and senior) to act as a captain for that
class. I meet with these four players at a weekly lunch to get
their ideas on what's happening with the team. I have found that
it is a great way to produce leaders and to stay on top of
issues in your program before they become issues. It is much
easier for incoming freshmen to relate to fellow freshmen.
Likewise, upper classmen have been together for two or three
years so it makes it easier for them to work with one another.
2. COACH ON THE FLOOR: I have found it extremely productive to
have weekly sessions with all my point guards. I liken it to
football and how coaches work in concert with their
quarterbacks. Coordinators meet with their quarterbacks, and
position players meet with position players. The goal is simply
getting everyone on the same page. It builds trust between head
coach and the point guards who have to run the team for us.
3. BONDING: I begin every year with a team cookout and nine
holes of golf. The cookout is obviously a very laid back event,
which helps to get the players interacting well in advance of
the season. It’s simple and fun way to get everyone on the same
page, moving forward. The 9-hole golf outing serves as a good
lesson for the players. They get an understanding as to how
difficult the game of golf is and it gives them a better
appreciation for basketball. It becomes a great way to laugh
with and at each other.
4. CONDITIONING: In addition to the more conventional methods,
our condition includes Indian or ladder runs that makes players
depend on each other to reach the goals of that particular day.
Like with some many aspects of coaching, it helps to reinforce
life lessons. You might be an exceptional player but you still
need someone to make a pass or set a screen. The idea of working
together is always a positive and has always been my approach.
5. MAKING THE GRADE: Academically, we stress that players hold
each other accountable for our overall goal as a team, which is
a team GPA of 2.5. Furthermore no individual can be below a 2.0.
Those are reasonable goals. Our current GPA is well above our
stated goal.
6. WORKSHOP: We have a goal workshop each year. I give players a
series of goal related questions to get them to envision the
things they want to accomplish in their lives. We discuss the
items related to spiritual goals, family goals, academic goals,
basketball related goals etc. I even challenge them to see what
type of teammate they'd like to be and what they think the
characteristics are that make a good teammate. It's not just a
forum for discussion. I have them commit their thoughts to
paper. It helps hold players accountable for what they say and
what they do, and it helps me understand what their goals are.
7. FAMILY: I really stress the importance of family because
there really is nothing more important. I encourage each player
to spend time getting to know the parents and siblings of their
roommate as well as the other members of the team including the
staff. We can learn a lot about each other through the talking
to others. In addition Birthdays, anniversaries and other
important dates are given to all players and we try to make a
big deal out of those days. Our secretary even creates a small
card on the computer for all to sign when there is a birthday or
important date. You often hear coaches talk about being a family
and as a family you would be attentive to all the little things.
8. ASSISTS: It’s not just on the court where we want to make an
assist. Off the court we assist players through motivational
lectures and discussion and various ways that teach them that
sacrifices must be made in all good families and teams. No one
gets to do all that he or she wants to do and that each and
everything that one does has an affect on the entire family.
Furthermore each person must be accountable for his or her
actions.
9. CIRCLE OF TRUST: By no means are we functioning under the
veil of the “secret society,” but I do caution our players often
about who we can and cannot allow in our inner circle. Outside
influences don’t always have the team’s best interest in mind.
We don’t want become paranoid, but rather just be careful and
use good judgment.
10. RESPECT: It can never be talked about enough. You have to
learn to respect the role of teammates. A while back I had a
discussion with two of my best rebounders. One player was
averaging over ten rebounds per game, while the other averaged
about five per game. The player with ten per game pointed out to
me that he got so many chances to get his hands on the ball
because of the work his teammate, with five rebounds a game, was
doing. He recognized that his teammate was doing all the dirty
work, which made it easy for him to pull down the rebounds. I
went back to watch the tape and that is exactly what was
happening. I thought it was the ultimate compliment and sign of
respect for the role one of another teammate.
It’s important because I was really trying to motivate the
player who was getting five rebounds per game to do more. He was
doing more and his teammate recognized and appreciated that
effort. It also helps point out something that we all, as
coaches, try to get across to players -- Hard tasks must be
shared and no one can do it alone. There are common things we
all want and they can only be attained by pulling our talents
together.
