Hoop Mom: Coaches

In her 10th column for HoopGurlz.com, Teresa Wippel offers a checklist for what to look for in a select coach.

We are starting a search for a select basketball team for our 11-year-old daughter. We’ve heard some horror stories about bad coaches and wondered what we should be looking for when our daughter goes through the tryout process. Specifically, in your opinion, what makes a good coach?

Wondering

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Dear Wondering:

I can give you a basic checklist of what to look for – and avoid – in finding a good basketball coach. But first, I have to issue this disclaimer: it is not a “one-size-fits-all” process. A coach who suits one girl perfectly may drive another girl crazy.

For example, if your daughter thrives on positive feedback and calm instruction, don’t place her with a coach who constantly yells at his or her players, is confrontational with the referees and otherwise exhibits an “in-your-face” attitude. There are some girls, believe it or not, who seem to handle this type of coaching well and respond to it, however.

As a parent, you know your daughter best. Think about the types of teachers she has enjoyed – and strongly disliked – at school, and let that be a starting point for the coaching style that best fits your daughter’s personality.

That being said, here are some suggestions as you start your search:

Rely on word-of-mouth recommendations. Once you’ve begun the tryout process, ask around about the reputations of the coaches you are considering. Talk to parents of players on the team and talk to coaches of other teams. Encourage people to be honest about both the positive and negative traits of the coach. The girls’ basketball community is a close-knit one, and after a while people know which coaches to avoid.

Attend a game and watch how the coach interacts with players. Is there a balance between encouragement and constructive criticism? Does he or she exhibit a personality on the sidelines that is different from what you saw during the tryouts? Most important, as mentioned above, will his or her style mesh well with your and your daughter’s expectations?

Ask the coach about the structure of team practices. Does he or she focus practice time on individual player development as well as team success? If your daughter is 11, you want to make sure her coach is helping her develop the skills she needs to successfully compete for a spot on her own middle school and high school basketball teams.

Ask the coach about team finances and his or her role in the budgeting and accounting process. Some coaches run basketball programs fulltime and make their living that way. As a result, part of player fees that parents pay subsidize their salaries. Other coaches are strictly volunteers and all of the fees go toward gym rentals, tournament costs, etc. Make sure that the coach provides you with a summary of how player fees will be spent. If he or she is drawing a salary from those fees, ask what percentage goes to that versus other expenses. It’s hard to imagine, but I have heard some horror stories about youth coaches in several sports, including basketball, who have been less than honest with team finances and the parents and players have suffered as a result.

Remember that there are many good coaches out there. If you take your time and do some research, you will find the right one for your daughter.

Hoop Mom

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Teresa Wippel is team manager of the Warriors Basketball Club, a 5th Grade girls' team from the Seattle area, and mom to Warriors post player Amanda Waldron. In her other life, she is a freelance writer and editor. To ask Teresa a question, email her at

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Hoop Mom on Nutrition on the Run
Hoop Mom on Looking for a Select Team
Hoop Mom on Commitment to Team
Hoop Mom on Talking to Coach Dad
Hoop Mom on Starting Select Ball
Hoop Mom on Subbing for Coach's Daughter
Hoop Mom on Subbing for Injuries
Hoop Mom on Sleepovers