This week I got the opportunity to coach with two new, local basketball clubs. Over the Halloween holiday, Maeve and I conducted a camp for the Tullamore Basketball Club and, on Friday, for the Castlecomer Basketball Club. Both were an opportunity to meet a variety of new kids and share with them our passion for the game. In order to get kids engaged in camp and the drills involved, you have to come with energy and a willingness to enjoy the task at hand alongside the campers. They respond to these quality characteristics and it makes for a magnificent day.
We had met over hundreds of kids and coached for hours, and while I had given instruction for most of the day, I learned a lot through teaching. I taught the fundamentals of basketball to kids from all ages and different experience. I’d be happy if even a few could take away something from the camp, but I think I am even more content with the things I had come to learn. It is hard to coach with little conviction. As a player, I asked myself if I was consistent with what I was trying to coach and how I, in turn, played the game of basketball. It is always imperative to go back to the basics and the fundamentals. Doing this has allowed me to reevaluate what it means to be a great player and coach, by playing the game the right way. Successfully doing things the way they are intended is enjoyable. This week’s valuable lesson has brought me to never underestimate the fundamentals.
