Completely off topic for basketball, although I'm sure some of you have basketball examples to share too.

I was reading about the Flyers new head coach, Peter Laviolette. He was the Hurricanes coach a few years back before they canned him. Anyway in his press conference he mentioned that being back in the NHL will give him some more credibility. The story goes that he was an assistant coach for another team and was explaining a new technique that he wanted the players to use. The players were giving him grief when he told them "I have coached quite a few games before, so I do know something about hockey." To which his 11 y/o son replied, "Yeah, but you were fired from that job."

The best example I have comes from coaching 9/10 y/o baseball. My pitcher was struggling, and I wanted to get another inning out of him. Keep in mind that this boy doesn't really like to pitch, but I needed a couple of innings from him. He starts grunting after his pitches, and just generally annoying me. I walk out to the mound and tell him that if he doesn't knock it off, not only won't he be pitching--he'll be watching the rest of the game from the bench. To which he replies, "but coach we only have 9 players today". I had to chuckle as I walked back to the dugout--damn my son is smart.

It's not just kids. It is all players. You can't fool 'em. We should listen to them.

Remember, it's not what you know, it's what they think you know.

Thats the great thing about working with kids... you never know what they are going to say.

Before I became the Varsity coach the guy there had an upper set of teeth.... one game he yelled so hard that he spit his teeth out on the floor.. he grabbed them quickly and shoved them back into his mouth... THE WRONG WAY.. he bit himself LOL

The next day in practice the entire team was standing on the end line as he was talking... all of a sudden what appears? (NO not tiny reindeer) one of those chattering teeth toys..... everybody roared!

We have to sell our philosophy to the kids, they have to believe in you... and I don't care what you are selling... until they know that you really CARE about them you are wasting your breath.

Ken

I think we should start a page with the things our players say to us. When you take a step back, they really have a lot of insight and perspective. I have learned that listening to what players say (not the words but the meaning) has really helped me be better at what I do.

It doesn't make a difference whether they are 8 or 18 or 28. The young ones give insight, the olderones give wisdom. Hence the phrase "Out of the mouths of babes."

John Caplipari, the best communicator I know says, "They don't care what you know until they know that you care."