Inside the Cupboard

I am challenging coaches to look themselves in the mirror and if you see flaws, correct them. Be a coach worth remembering. Let your bench play! The passage below was on an outstanding, well respected and well-known college coach’s social media. Thank you for sharing on your wall Coach Bobby Pierce.

“The Last Kid on Your Bench...

We all enjoy coaching talented players. But often the players I most admire are the ones that are the least talented. Those players, who are on the team, practice hard, make other players better and seldom play. In this era of over controlled and self- entitled players, we have all seen kids quit the team or transfer schools if they can’t start.

It requires a lot of personal courage to be part of a team when you know that you are not only not going to start but you will spend most of your time on the bench. Many of my favorite athletes were those players who found and embraced a small role, became great encouragers, and enjoyed being part of something bigger than themselves. Players who can be this selfless and still have great work habits often become the most successful in life with careers and families because they can put others first and make them better.

In youth and high school sports it could be a number of things – new to the sport; not maturing as early as other players so their size, strength and quickness are not as advanced; performance anxiety based upon outside pressure (parents); but most of the time it is just less physical ability. One of our Proactive Coaching beliefs is: The athletic experience should benefit every person on the team willing to commit to team values.

If anyone deserves special treatment, it is these athletes.

Looking back on three decades of coaching, these players are part of my best memories – I hope that their memories of being on our teams are as good as my memories of their courage.”

I have known so many players in my lifetime, the numbers would be in the 1000’s and I have to agree with this passage, some of the ones with a little less talent had the biggest heart, the most dedication to practice, and the best attitude- winning or losing, than those who made it on to be in one of many Hall of Fames.  They gave their all in the offseason, in practice, and in the occasional time they had on the field or court, never once complaining about playing time.  They wanted what was best for the team.  Those players are few and far between, getting less in number each year.  Players develop at different ages and a coach who sees potential down the road gets my vote for Coach of the Year and that’s the way it is from Inside the Cupboard.