Help and links for new and experienced coaches

This page is for new and experienced coaches alike.

There will be coaching tips etc and/or links displayed on this page.

Most of the links are to American basketball sites that provide information to help you develop practice drills and set plays.

Please note.
Our philosophy is for 'Equal court time for ALL players'.

As an extension of this please do not start and finish with the same players ALL the time.
Give everyone a go!

HELP

If you would like to share some tips, drills or plays with your fellow coaches then simply email me the details and I will post your contribution in this area. My email address is rowvillerockets@yahoo.com.au

LINKS

Basketball Coaching Tips

The Coach's Clipboard

Basketball Playbook

The Basketball Coach's Manual

The Coach's Home

COACHES INFORMATION

The following information is provided to assist in making your job as a coach a little easier by providing answers to some of the questions you may have along with general information that you may require during the season.
(Special thanks to Mark Plumridge for this information)


COACHES CODE OF CONDUCT

The following guidelines must be adhered to during the course of your coaching assignment with Rowville Basketball Club

1. Players are to be educated and encouraged to accept that an honest effort is as important as winning and also character building.
2. All players learn best by example. Good play is to be applauded by all players and spectators and players are to be congratulated regardless of the result.
3. Players are to be encouraged to abide by the spirit as well as the rules of the game.
4. The focus must be on the playing of the game. Do not over emphasise the importance of winning at all costs.
5. We must develop team respect for the ability of our opponents, regardless of their actions, for without them there would be no game.
6. We must develop respect for the judgement of our officials and opposing coaches.
7. Teach your players that rules of the game are mutual agreement, which no one should evade or break.
8. Never ridicule players for making an error during a game or for losing a game.
9. Remember the players play the game for enjoyment and that winning is only part of the motivation. They do not play for the entertainment of others.
10. Be aware of your role as coach as an educator. As well as imparting knowledge and skills, promote desirable personal and social behaviours.
11. Be reasonable in your demands on young players time, energy and enthusiasm.
12. Avoid over playing the talented players. All players need and deserve fair time through the regular season and in the event of the team making the finals the same rule applies.
13. Follow the advice of a physician when determining when an injured player is ready to recommence play.
14. Always demonstrate appropriate behaviour by not using abusive, degrading or threatening language to players, coaches or officials.
15. Any disagreements with an official must be raised through the appropriate channels rather than in public. Remember officials are no more prone to error than the players or coaches.


INJURIES TO PLAYERS

· BLEEDING PLAYERS Any player who is bleeding during the game will be asked to leave the court by the referee until such time as the bleeding has stopped. The player must wash all the blood from themselves and their uniform. Any opens wounds must be covered before they will be allowed to take the court again.
· INJURED PLAYERS If a player is injured during the game or incurs an injury that may incur medical expenses after the game, then at the end of the game record the players name and nature of injury on the back of the scoresheet and obtain the signature of the referee.
· CLAIM FORMS - A claim form can be obtained from the appropriate association that must be lodged within 14 days from the date of the injury so that a sports injury insurance claim can be made. In the event of a player being injured during a training session you must notify the coaching director immediately so that a claim form can be processed with the coaching director as a witness.


INCIDENT REPORTS

If a coach considers that an official has acted in a manner that involves unacceptable behaviour or is not in the best interest of basketball and believes it necessary to take the matter further, they have the option of filling out an Incident sheet.

INCIDENT SHEET An Incident sheet is available from the referees supervisor at each venue. Only the coach is authorised to complete this form. Once the supervisor signs the form, a copy of the Incident sheet and a letter of explanation must be handed to the Coaching Director for them to be officially lodged by the basketball Club.

REPORTING A REFEREE If an incident is severe enough you may report the referee by stating your intention to the referee and completing the same Incident sheet obtained from the supervisor. The same process must be followed when lodging the sheet for action.


FINALS ELIGIBILITY

For a player to be eligible to participate in the finals they must have played in more than half the games allocated to the team during the season. They must have scored or fouled during a game for the game to be counted to the total. If a player does not score or foul they must record the Club name, players full name, uniform number and signature on the back of the scoresheet as proof of having participated in the game. Coaches will be notified of qualified players and game time by the Thursday prior to the first finals game by the Age Co-ordinator. Medical certificates are required for injuries sustained during the season to cover games missed otherwise players may not qualify for finals. These must be handed to the Age Co-ordinator. Byes do not count as a game when counting games for finals qualification.


GAME GUIDELINES

3 POINT SHOOTING - To encourage proper development 3 point shooting is discouraged at all times for players in Under 8, 10 and 12 age groups, as such a shot is not required at this level. Coaches of these age groups may introduce this shot to players during training as part of their development.

MAN-TO-MAN RULE - The rules of the KABA are that Man-to-Man is compulsory in the first half of game. The referee will issue a warning if they feel this rule is not being followed. If no action is taken by the coach to correct this observation a Technical Foul will be given on the bench. The coach can revert to a Zone defence in the second half if it is warranted. This rule is enforced by the KABA for the entire game for Under 8 and 10 to encourage the player's development.

WARM-UPS & STRETCHES - The club requires all coaches to implement into their training programme, 5 to 10 minutes of stretching and warm-up prior to the commencement of their training session or a game. Contact the coaching director if you require assistance.

ALTERNATIVE TOPS When two (2) Rowville teams within the same grade play each other, one team must wear a set of alternative coloured tops. This can be arranged mutually between the two (2) coaches involved to decide which team will wear the alternate tops. The coach of the team nominated to wear the tops must contact the Property Officer at least one (1) week prior to the game to arrange the collection of the tops. The tops must be washed after the completion of the game and returned to the property officer by the Wednesday following the game.

WALKOVER - A walk over will be called when one (1) team fails to have four (4) players on court ready to play within 10 minutes of the game clock being started. If you happen to be involved in a game via a walk over (either a win or a loss), you should have all your players sign the back of the scoresheet to have the game counted towards finals eligibility. If your team is involved in a walk over, a refund of the team sheet fee can be obtained along with the entry fee providing the players leave together as a team. Please contact your age coordinator immediately if you have to forfeit a game due to lack of numbers.
ALL EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO AVOID A WALKOVER AS THE ASSOCIATION IMPOSES A FINE ON THE CLUB.


COACHES NOTICE

At least twice a season coaches will receive a coaches notice. The first notice prior to the start of the season will contain a listing of players, training time, training dates, committee members names and telephone numbers and any other relevant information.

The second notice, issued in the middle of the season will be the Player Assessment sheets and Change of address notification form. The assessment sheet is to be completed with detailed comments on each player and returned to the coaching director. These sheets will assist the Age coordinators in the selection of the teams for the following season. During the season coaches may also receive notices on specific matters such as tournaments, rule changes, changes to training dates etc. Please read these carefully, as they will contain important information. Please report any problems directly to the coaching director.


FAMILY DAY

After the completion of each season a Family day is held for ALL club members. Apart from a sausage sizzle all the teams that made the finals will be presented with trophies as well as each teams Best Team Player. Please remind all your players of this day and emphasise that this day is open to ALL players and not just for players who made the finals.


OTHER MATTERS

Should you have any queries about general matters associated with your role as Coach or about specific issues that arise as a result of your duties, please contact the Coaching Director for assistance.


TRAINING TIMES AND DATES

Training times have been organised after discussions with each coach and their nominated preference. The criterion has been to organise teams of same age and gender to train at the same time. This is designed to give coaches the advantage of using a full court and more than one coach in control of each training session. This will assist in the development of both individual and team skills at a faster rate than if only using half a court.

Any coach who is unable to make a training session and is unable to find a temporary replacement should contact the Coaching Director who will then make alternative arrangements, possibly for their team to be trained by another coach who trains at the same time.

NO training is to be conducted at the Eastern or Western campus during the holding of the VCE exams. The coaching director will attempt to find alternative venues for the teams affected during this period. The coaching director will provide adequate notice of the change to the affected coaches.

All training sessions must be conducted on an inside court and must be officially sanctioned by the coaching director.

All players must only be a member of the team and registered with the appropriate basketball association.

Any coach who wishes to organise alternative or additional training sessions must notify the coaching director first as all training sessions must be officially recognised to ensure insurance coverage in case of injury.


DISCIPLINARY PROCESS

If coaches find that they have difficulties with player/s, parents or club officials, no matter what the concern, they should contact the Coaching Director who will assist in resolving the issue. The coaching director will liase with the Age Co-Ordinator and the President if necessary to be referred to the committee for resolution.


TEAM SELECTION PROCESS

The Team selection process is based on a thorough evaluation of the players skill level to ensure they are graded correctly and placed in the appropriate team.

The process also entails a significant input from coaches via the assessment sheets circulated midway through the previous season. It is important that these forms are completed in full describing each player's strengths, weaknesses and ability.

All Team Coordinators will observe the teams competing throughout the season and record their observation of each players development.

All of this data is reviewed and used to assist the Team Coordinators in the placement of players in teams for the following season.


SHORTAGE OF PLAYERS

Any coaches who find themselves with a shortage of players for any game (5 players or less) should notify their respective Team Controller as soon as possible who will arrange for replacement/s (fill-Ins)

To be eligible to fill-in the player/s must be currently playing in the same age bracket or lower and in a lower grade than the team they will be a substitute for. A player from a different association ie KABA or DABA can play in the opposite association as a fill in without repercussions providing the player signs the back of the scoresheet at the completion of the game.


TEAM MANAGER

Coaches should arrange for a parent to fill this role for their team. The main duty for this person is to complete the scoresheet prior to the game commencing with each players FULL name and their uniform number and in numerical order. The team sheet will be stamped as paid as the club collects fees in advance and pays the Basketball Associations in advance.

Other duties for the team manager include the collection and distribution of fixtures and club newsletters. Having a team manager doing these duties allow the coach to concentrate solely on the coaching and training of the team.

FIRST AID KITS - These are the responsibility of the team manager and must be taken to ALL games. The maintenance of these kits will be done through the clubs property officer.

NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTION - The club will issue a bi-monthly newsletter that is vital to the running of such a large club as ours. It is vital that all members and players receive and read their copy. To ensure all players receive a copy each players name should be placed on the top of each newsletter to assist the Team manager in the distribution of the Newsletter.

SCORER - Both participating clubs must supply a competent scorer. To ensure this burden is spread evenly a roster is to be drawn up at the start of the season and rotating the job between the participating families throughout the course of the season.

VOTING - The club will issue voting sheets that are to be completed after each game by two people attending the game nominated by the team manager. The aim is to identify the best team player throughout the season.