Be A Mentor

Mentor: an experienced and trusted adviser.

Basketball coaches are uniquely positioned to be a mentor to their players. Coaches can support and guide players to overcome challenges and inspire them to work harder than they ever imagined they could. Another opportunity lies in mentoring your coaching staff. By sharing your expertise, you can help them to grow into confident, positive community leaders. I believe both aspects are of equal importance.

It’s useful to keep in mind that every season, you can count on knowing that at least half of your players’ main interests likely lie outside of basketball. This is especially true in the younger divisions where adults make most of their decisions for them – they are convinced to play or they believe it’s what people think they should be doing. As much as you push, prod or wish they may never take basketball as seriously as you do. That’s why it’s so important that your focus isn’t solely basketball related. Over half of your audience won’t remember a single play or drill 20 years from now but almost all will remember a coach who believed in them and genuinely cared about their happiness.

When I was 24, I had just finished playing in College and had started my journey into the ‘real world,’ operating an indoor sports facility. At the same time I received a call from Dennis Kings whom I had known since I was a young boy – that call would change my life for the better. He had currently been overseeing the basketball operations at a newer high school in Brantford, Ontario. He asked if I would be interested in coming and joining him to coach the boys program. He was coaching the junior varsity team at the time and I would be an assistant for a year with the varsity squad. A year later I would start a nine year run as the varsity head coach. I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into when I first agreed, but Dennis sought me out because he saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself. I loved coaching almost immediately and I immersed myself in it. It consumed my thinking. I absolutely loved the process of taking a group of players and trying to compete with the best teams in the province – and we did.

Dennis was always there for me and to this day remains my number one coaching mentor. He has always been able to maintain a calm demeanor in tough situations. He can take a step back and evaluate something logically and rationally. When I ran through situations on and off the court I knew I could count on him for a sound, experienced piece of advice. He never interfered. He always offered options when asked but rarely offered unsolicited advice. He allowed me to make mistakes. After I had left the high school ranks and started my College coaching career, he remained by my side. My fifth season at Mohawk College I attempted to run a system that was extremely out of the box. It was a tough sell to the players; the season was a disaster, my worst ever. It wasn’t fun; I had lost my team’s acceptance and in my head I was planning an exit strategy.

Two things are responsible for why I’m still coaching today. The first is a meeting I had with Dennis where I laid out the scenario and how I was feeling. One thing he said to me stuck with me to this day: if something isn’t working then try something else. If that doesn’t work, try something else. Keep trying different approaches.

We weren’t talking about X’s and O’s at this point. We were talking about my approach with the players, the process and our relationships. I took his advice to heart and to this day I keep evolving and changing strategies and I am conscious of doing this especially when we’re struggling.

The second reason I am still coaching is that in the midst of that miserable season there were three guys who showed remarkable leadership abilities and continued to work hard executing the system even though I am sure they thought I was crazy. It is no coincidence that two of those three players are now running a successful AAU program and have become great coaches.

I urge all coaches to take your role as a mentor very seriously, there is nothing more satisfying than watching former players or members of your coaching staff surpass your level of knowledge and positively influence many other young people in the process.