Brandon Valley Basketball

Team Roles

Regardless of age of the athletes or the sport being played, only five roles exist at any athletic contest:

• Player
• Coach
• Official
• Parent
• Game or athletic administrator

Everyone involved in athletics who chooses to attend a game would be wise to choose only one of these roles and fulfill it to the best of his/her ability.  Each of these roles carries its own set of responsibilities, which are presented in the following sections.

A Player’s Role

• Play the game for fun.
• Be gracious when you win (humility) and graceful when you lose (dignity).
• Respect and abide by the rules of the game.
• Put the team ahead of your-self in every situation - be a great teammate.
• Accept decisions made by those in authority - coaches and officials.
• Demonstrate respect to, and earn respect from, your opponents, coaches, officials, and teammates.
• Be accountable for your own actions.
• Develop a teachable spirit that allows you to take correction as a compliment.
• Develop a “mistake mentality.”  Use mistakes as status reports on your improvement.
• Accept and embrace the discipline involved in athletics, because it benefits the team.
• Develop a feeling of pride based upon the “shared joy: of the team, and do not have pride that emanates from arrogance or a sense of entitlement.
• Be an athlete of character.

A Coach’s Role

• Coach for the love of the game and the love of the athlete – “child-centered coaching.”
• Put the welfare of your athletes above winning.
• Develop a positive-demanding coaching style adjustable to the age of your players.  Use encouragement and positive reinforcement as your primary methods of motivating players.
• Have a preseason meeting with parents and establish expectations for everyone involved.
• Keep the communication channels open throughout the season.
• Have realistic and clear expectations for all volunteers.
• Accept and abide by the judgment of the officials.  View the rules of the league and the game as “mutual agreements” required to play within the spirit of the game.
• Look for and reward effort and behavior over outcome.
• Give dignity to mistakes made with at full speed and with full attention.  Help players develop a “mistake mentality,” meaning that they understand that mistakes are necessary for learning.  Mistakes must be acknowledged, understood, and used tools for correction and learning.
• Lead with character and by example, especially when things go poorly.
• Put the needs of the team ahead of those of any individual, but give every child attention during practice.
• Treat each person fairly, but not necessarily the same.
• Constantly work to improve your knowledge and ability to teach the game and the athletes.
• Be willing to confront incorrect behavior or less than all-out effort.
• Encourage multiple-sport participation.
• Keep the game simple, fun and easy to learn.
• Be willing to work with parents for the benefit of the individual athlete.
• Be a confidence- builder.

An Official’s Role

• Earn the respect of players, coaches, administrators, and other officials.
• Demonstrate respect for the game and for the participants by maintaining integrity, neutrality, sensitivity, professionalism, discretion, and tactfulness within a “child-centered” philosophy.
• Assist as much as possible in teaching players basketball rules and the boundaries of the game.
• Possess and demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the rules of the game and the mechanics of officiating, so you can exercise your authority to enforce the rules impartially and effectively, as relevant to the level of play.
• Do your best to make the game safe and fair for all participants.
• Uphold the honor and dignity of the profession in all interactions with athletes, above reproach.
• Work with the players, coaches, and spectators to promote an atmosphere of the sportsmanship, courtesy, and self- control.
• Maintain clear, consistent control of the game.
• Do your part to teach the rules as boundaries of the game (both in spirit and intent).  This teaching is your contribution to educational sports.
• Be involved in the league activities and build relationships with coaches and administrators.
• Arrive at the game prepared both mentally and physically and with sufficient time to inspect the facilities and equipment, give pregame instructions to timers and scorekeepers, and meet and consult with your partner and the coaches.
• Accept responsibility for all actions taken.

A Parent’s Role

• Attend as many games as possible.
• Be a model, not a critic.  Model appropriate behavior, poise, and confidence.
• Attend preseason team meetings, league orientations, and education programs.
• Do everything possible to make the athletic experience positive for your child and others.  Put the goals of the children first.
• View the game with team goals in mind.  Consistently support all the players, coaches, and officials.
• Attempt to relieve competitive pressure, not increase it.
• Encourage multiple-sport participation.
• Give the athletic experience to the athlete.
• Look upon opponents as friends involved in the same experience.
• Accept the judgment of the officials and coaches.  Demonstrate respect and remain in control.  Parents do not have the right to interact with a game official.
• Accept the results of each game and do not make excuses.
• Demonstrate winning with humility and losing with dignity.
• Focus on the athletic effort and improvement (e.g., athlete-owned “effort goals”), instead of the outcome.
• Dignify mistakes made by athletes who are giving their best effort (support the development of a “mistake mentality”).
• Allow the coach to be the one to offer advice and correction.  Maint an encouraging voice.  Only the coach should have an instructional voice.
• Be an encourager.  Encourage athletes to keep their perspective in both victory and defeat.
• Model correct behavior before, during, and after the games.  What adults do in moderation, young people feel free to do excess.
• Let the players play, the coaches coach, and the officials officiate without interference from the sideline.
• After the game, give the athletes some time and space.  Be a quiet, reflective listener and remind them why they are playing in the first place.
• Be a confidence builder.

Above taken from Youth Coaching Basketball, Dr. Jerry Krause & Bruce Brown, 2006.