Augusta University coach Darren “Dip” Metress has won more than 470 games over his 24 year career at an impressive 68% winning percentage. A great friend of Australian basketball, Coach Metress has recruited and developed numerous Australian players over the journey. Here, Coach kindly shares his “25 attributes of coaching.”
- Go watch as many teams practice as you can
- Start practice on time
- Have a practice plan….but don’t be afraid to alter it during practice if you need
- Players will never want is as much as you do
- 3 people that can never have a bad practice –
- Point guard
- Best player
- Head Coach
- Assistant coaches should always have a whistle
- Work on your ball-screen defence as much as you work on your shell defence
- Teach in part, then whole
- Any form selfishness should be eliminated ASAP
- Have a presence on the floor (players know when you don’t believe in it)
- Work on fundamentals every day and they must relate to your offence and defence
- Expect the unexpected and know the pulse of the team at all times
- Keep the main thing the main thing. Work on what happens the most
- Pace of practice is extremely important
- Tell players when they do something right
- Communication + intelligence + effort = non-negotiables
- Always play basketball in practice. For example, I don’t like our players closing out to chairs that cannot move
- You’re never think you’re as good as you are but you’re never as bad as you can be
- End practice on a positive note – keep post game talks to two minutes
- 3 things you must address every day –
- Turnovers
- Missed lay-ups
- Bad shots
- We are there for our players, they are not there for us
- Playing 5 on 5 every day is important
- Play every drill until a rebound occurs
- Have a variety of drills – don’t bore your players with the same drills every day
- Your vision is paramount for your program
Thanks to Coach Metress for sharing this with our coaches, some great points to reflect on. Try listing your 25 attributes.
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