Doug Collins: “Coaching Musts”

Doug Collins – Coaching Musts: From 4 Decades in the Game

• Work hard to be the best so your team can win

• “I outlived my dream” – How many people can say that?

• “Trust without truth leads to anarchy”

• Once you build trust, then you can tell the truth

• Being consistent builds trust

• Voices and choices decide where a player ends up – “Where does my voice fit and what other voices are above mine?”

• HALT – when a person is vulnerable and susceptible to poor decision making

• H – hungry

• A – angry

• L – lonely

• T – tired

• Focus on positives

• If you did have a “bad practice”, focus on who did have a good practice

• We can’t change people, we can put them in an environment and hope they change

• “Get the right people on the bus and get them in the right seat”

• Don’t get seduced by talent, talent isn’t enough

• Focus on what you can control – you can’t control talent level

• Conditioned

• Always rewards competitors

• Competition in practice is crucial

• Should have to earn spots and playing time, not matter how bad the bench is

• “My goal isn’t for you to like me today, but to love me tomorrow”

• Everybody has a comfort zone and players need to be pushed outside of their comfort zone every single day

• Coaches can’t ever be late – lose credibility

• Don’t ever have a role on your team you won’t enforce on your best player

• Don’t look for problems – you will find them!

• Stay away from negativity

• Be careful when watching film – it always leads to negativity

• Watch film day after the game cause it never looks as good or as bad as you thought

• Roles – believe in your role, stay in your role, star in your role

• Starting doesn’t matter, it’s who is in at the end of the game

• Never stepped on his son’s turf

• You better have talent

• Build a program brick by brick

• Coach K – players must defend but allows freedom on offense

• Not impressive with X’s and O’s, all about relationships

• “I wish I would have been a college coach, because you can build a lasting relationship with players”

• Whose life did you affect? Did I change anybody’s lives?

• “Every day, think about the kids that are counting on you”

• Competitive practices – 4 on 4, stops to score

• Loves 3 on 3

• Always ends practice on positive note

• “When you see what you want, finish it”. Can cut practice a few minutes short when things are going well before things start going bad.

• Start hitting on driving range and eventually you’ll start hitting it bad

• Ask players to tell you about another person on the team’s life

• Where are they from? What do they like/dislike? Etc.

• Perpetual Turd Theory – there is always a turd

• Stats – turnovers, trans d, points in paint, 2nd chance, defend 3pt line, point differential, road record, fg% differential (what you shoot vs. what they shoot), have a star that is respected by the ref late in games

• Didn’t coach for 7 yrs because he wanted to watch his kids play

• Once he is home, he gets away from basketball (no watching games at home)

• Players should get recognition

• Be yourself

• 3 things you want to give your team – faith, hope, and life

• “I haven’t won anything, but I guarantee you nobody has loved the game more than me”