When I Retire or Resign or Am Fired

When I finally quit coaching basketball as either the head coach or as an assistant, I want to be remembered for more than just being a basketball coach.  If all that people can say is that he was a good or bad basketball coach, I will feel that I didn't do my job.  I realize that more people will be vocally critical, it is something I have come to grips with, but is it only basketball these guys are getting from me?

I have spoken to other coaches and I often wonder how they feel especially when I listen to the words they speak.  Unfortunately or fortunately, our lives as a coach are controlled by teenage boys or girls if you coach females.  I can tell you from experience as a teenager that I often had no idea what I was doing I just listened to people in charge.  Those people in charge might be teachers/coaches, but they just might be peers on any given weekend night.  The fear I had as a player of letting people down kept me on a relatively straight and narrow path.  I remember one time my father coming home and saying "Perry, you have a lot of people that you could let down because I was just over in town and some people talked about how much they admired you.  If you ever do anything stupid, you will let many people down."

You can imagine as a 16 year old kid how weighty that was, very similar to what I felt when I got the head coaching job.  A weight that seemed like too much of a burden to carry.  Now, it is a burden that I fully accept.  What is the difference?  The difference is that I realize that the "burden" I thought I felt was nothing more than self pressure.  I find it pretty easy to stay out of trouble...always have.  To embrace what I already have is easy.  It is like embracing the love of basketball or the love of my wife and kids, or loving teaching.  It isn't complicated, yet knowing that I can fail and will because everyone's expecation is different is not something that keeps me awake at night.

When I finish coaching, if all they say is that I was a basketball coach, I will feel that I didn't use the platform that I had been given.  In fact, I think I want my former players to talk less about basketball that they learned, but as they age to understand what we tried to teach them about life.  Their life and serving the lives of people surrounding them is what I want them to understand.  I want them to listen and see and hopefully learn because of my poor example how to be positive men; how to be positive husbands and fathers.

1st Basketball Meeting

Every year, we have a meeting once school starts to talk to the prospective players about many different things.  The main thing we do is give the schedule of open gyms and conditioning.  I also think it is important to give them the dates of Thanksgiving and Christmas practices well in advance so that everyone is prepared for the upcoming season and families can work around basketball schedules if possible.

Also, we talk about staying on top of their grades, making sure they are behaving in class, and that they will be held to a higher standard than most students.  We want to make it clear that when they decide to play basketball, they will put much time and effort into a sport that many people choose not to do anymore, that they will give up free time during holidays, and that they will be held accountable for their actions both on and off the court.

One thing that happens every year is that there will be a few people who show up for that meeting who probably have zero intention of playing.  They may think they are planning to play, but once some things are spelled out...we won't see them again.  I really believe that some guys 100% believe they are playing until that meeting.  Sometimes it is until conditioning starts.  Sometimes after practices begin.  It is different for every guy, but at some point they decide they do not want to do what we want them to do. 

The seniors and juniors who have played have a great understanding of what is expected as well as most sophomores because of their experience in playing.  However, the freshman are new and no matter how serious you make junior high, it is not the same as high school basketball especially in Indiana.  I often wonder when I look at the prospective players which ones will make it. 

Playing and surviving basketball is similar to, but not anywhere close to, military boot camp.  Many start and few finish and if you suceed you are special, but if you do not...well, let's just say it isn't for everybody.

Twenty-four players in 9th-12th showed up at the meeting today, how many will be there at the last regular season game?

Sports Reach

Today I am headed after school to Sports Reach Ministry's Annual auction and dinner.  I have had this marked on my calendar for quite some time.  It will hopefully be a way I can mix two of my favorite things together: basketball and my faith. 

Sports Reach is a not for profit group that uses sports to reach the world and to spread the gospel.  The people that I have been in touch with are professional and first class people.  I look forward to helping them in some capacity in the future whether through coaching or running copies for an event.

The auction tonight will be interesting as there are tons of great things to bid on.  I asked my wife how much I could spend...she just laughed.  I probably won't bring anything home, but I will be able to fellowship with like minded people and listen to UK AD Mitch Barnhart deliver his testimony.

It should be a great evening.

West Clark Community Schools Substance Abuse Policy for Extracurricular Participants

WCCS recognizes that athletes, cheerleaders, and extra curricular participants stand in a special relationship with their school, community, and other students. It is understood that wearing the uniform of the school and/or reperesenting the school in competition confers both extra recognition and extra responsibilities upon the student.

Therefore, the use of any alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs is prohibited among all students, including athletes, cheerleaders, and extra curricular participants.

This prohibition extends 365 days a year, 24 hours a day for athletes, cheerleaders, and extra curricular participants in WCCS.

Possession or use of illegal drugs, alcohol, or tobacco or participation in an activity which would reasonabily be considered criminal activity, such as theft, will result in the following penalty:

1st offense: Suspension from participation in 1/3 of the contests for that particular season. Participation in practices MAY be permitted, depending on the circumstances.

2nd offense: (during career in elementary, jr. high, and then high school): Suspension from participation for 365 days.

3rd offense: (during career in elementary, jr. high, and then high school): No participation in athletics, cheerleading, or other extra curricular for the rest of the student's years in that level school.

In the event the offense occurs late in the season or out of season, there will be a carry-over to the next season, whether that season would be the same school year or the next one.

(re-printed directly from the Henryville Junior/Senior High School hand book for 2011-2012)

Who You Are When No One's Looking

Just finished a pretty good book by Bill Hybels Who You Are When No One's Looking .  It is funny because when I started reading it, I wans't too enthralled, but came back to it a week ago and couldn't put it down.  I will give you a brief rundown of what is in the book.

The first chapter is over character.  We really are who we are when no one is looking.  Hybels covers that if you are living one life in public and a different life in private where you could develop spiritually will be stunted or even stopped.

In the second chapter he covers courage. He covers spiritual courage, the courage to follow, relational courage and moral courage.  He states that we must face our fears, rally around role models, and allow our minds to be transformed.

Next he spoke of discipline. One of the main points he used was in being successful we have to delay our gratification on almost all things.  The easy, "feel good" way often leads to being unsuccessful.  Our lives are intended for greatness, we must be patient.

Vision, be able to look beyond the obvious in finding solutions to problems.  In this chapter, he used an anology of two men trapped in a prison cell.  One prisoner could see no further than the bars on the cell to the window outside.  The other prisoner was able to focus on the stars beyond the window, he was able to have vision and he had hope because of it.

Endurance, we must be able to break through "quitting points".  All of us feel that moment at some point where we do not want to go on, we do not want to fight the good fight.  We must be able to break through those moments.  Proceeding when wanting to quit doesn't make you a bad person, it makes you a great person.  Often when we do quit it is just short of the success we were searching for.

In the next few chapters he spoke of different types of "love".  The first was tender love.  Before we judge and critisize we must walk in the shoes of another.  We must understand that no matter what is said or done by another that they were created by God and loved as a special person, just as we are.

Tough love...at some points in life, you have to confront certain issues.  Telling people what they want to hear all of the time even when they are wrong is not what they need.

Sacrificial love...which taken all the way to an extreme is giving everything and expecting nothing in return.  That is probably never going to happen, but striving along the way to that point shows sacrificial love.

And finally he covers radical love.  That is the kind of love that you find for everyone.  Everyone is worthy of it as a human being.  He does concede that there are times that trying to realize that about someone who is visibly upset with you is not an easy task.

"When I listen to the evening news or read the morning paper these days my reaction is always the same: what's wrong in the world will not be set right until people who love God and who refuse to cave to these overwhelming challenges put the things they believe into action, things like courage and discipline and love." Bill Hybels

Schools Starts; Gearing Up For Another Run

We started back to school this week.  You never quite remember just how tired you are when you go back that first week.  My voice gets weak because I am not as used to talking, but my legs...and feet...from standing up in shoes that aren't exactly made for that, it seems.

I get excited, the kids get excited and the basketball players want to get going ASAP, some of them.  We usually let one week go by before we get too much into anything.  They need to get into routines and I need to rest!

We will start with small group workouts next week, then in September we will have open gym.  We will work small groups out, but in another gym we will have guys playing.  They will be trying to get some kind of legs under them before conditioning starts.  Conditioning will start in October and go right until practice starts in November.

I don't foresee me coaching forever, but I often wonder what I would do without being at these things when the school year starts and then during the long winter months when we are in season.  I know that by the end of the school year when I don't do anything basketball related, I lose a little focus and long for June to get here.