The Realness

I've been doing a lot of observation through this winter, and I must say this:

There are many youth and high school basketball coaches who are simply dropping the ball. I've been to over 100 games this winter while recruiting the best talent possible for our King of Kings College Prospect division, and I've seen much more that I haven't liked than I'd like to. Whether it's skill development, strategy, or working with young players to help develop their basketball IQ, there's a lack. I've seen about a dozen post players with more than one move. Many teams shoot 30+ threes in a 32 minute game - literally either layups or 3s. There's quite a bit of real estate (and the meat & potatoes of basketball) in between those two. Also, and perhaps more disheartening, I've found myself playing pickup basketball with a couple high schoolers here and there lately. They tend to be top players at their schools. Every time I play, I find myself coaching them and teaching them concepts of the game they've never been taught. Not advanced, college-level things; things they should have been taught before they even hit the JV level. When to cut, when to relocate, how to roll off a screen, etc. As someone who considers themself a hoops purist and student/teacher of the game, it pains me to see others who consider themselves "teachers" of the game doing everything but actually teaching.

It makes you appreciate the work that good coaches put into their craft. I give loads of credit to solid youth basketball coaches, such as James Desroches, who mainly volunteer their time and give youngsters a good fundamental background in the game. When these youngsters hit the upper levels, they'll be leaps & bounds ahead of the competition with strong youth instruction. I also give a lot of credit to the high school coaches who keep teaching while working with players to develop their game. Phil Schoff is one of those coaches - watched his teams twice, and not only did his players look smarter on the court in read & react situations the 2nd time, they just looked like they improved as players. The kids have put in work, and the coach has given them the tools and continued to teach every step of the way. The amount of coaches who care is not as high as I'd hope - be thankful if you have one!

- Jeff Mlinar