There are varying opinions on the best approach to building a team.  I have been in the coaching profession since 1988 and I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of fine people.  As both a head coach and an assistant I have tried to absorb as much information as possible, as it relates to coaching.  No one idea, one philosophy, or one approach is necessarily better then another.  It’s a matter of what works best for you.

This is what I have implemented in regards to “team building.”  Mine has ten parts.

CLASS CAPTAINS:

I pick a player from each class (freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior) to act as a captain for that class.  I meet with these four players at a weekly lunch to get their ideas on what's happening with the team.  I have found that it is a great way to produce leaders and to stay on top of issues in your program before they become “issues.”  It is much easier for incoming freshmen to relate to fellow freshmen.  Likewise, upper classmen have been together for two or three years so it makes it easier for them to work with one another.

COACH ON THE FLOOR:

I have found it to be extremely productive to have weekly sessions with all my point guards.  I liken it to football and how coaches work in concert with their quarterbacks.  Football coaches meet with the quarterbacks, offensive coordinator, and position coaches.  What we do accomplishes the same, minus all the coaches.  It’s a way to build trust between head coach and those players who have to run the show for our team.

BONDING:

I begin every year with a team cookout and nine holes of golf.  The cookout is obviously a very laid back event, which helps to get the players interacting well in advance of the season.  It’s a simple and fun way to get everyone on the same page, moving forward.  The 9-hole golf outing serves as a good lesson for the players.  They get an understanding as to how difficult the game of golf is and it gives them a better appreciation for basketball.

CONDITIONING:

In addition to the more conventional methods, our condition includes Indian or ladder runs that makes players depend on each other to reach the goals of that particular day.  Like with so many aspects of coaching, it helps to reinforce life lessons.  You might be an exceptional player but you still need someone to make a pass or set a screen.  The idea of working together can never be a negative.

MAKING THE GRADE:

Academically, we stress that players hold each other accountable for our overall goal as a team, which is a team GPA of 2.5.  Furthermore no individual can be below a 2.0.  Those are reasonable goals.  Our current GPA is well above our stated goal.
 
WORKSHOP:

We have a goal workshop where I discuss with the players what type of teammate they’d like to be and what characteristics make a good teammate.  It’s not just a forum for discussion.  I have them commit to paper and I randomly share them with other team members.  It holds players accountable for what they say and what they do when it comes to being a good teammate.

FAMILY:

I really stress the importance of family because there really is nothing more important.  I encourage each player to spend time getting to know the parents and siblings of their roommate as well as the other members of the team including the staff.  We can learn a lot about each other through talking to others.  In addition Birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates are given to all players and we try to make a big deal out of those days.  Our secretary even creates a small card on the computer for all to sign when there is a birthday or important date.  You often hear coaches talk about being a family and as a family you would be attentive to all the little things.

ASSISTS:

It’s not just on the court where we want to make an assist.  Off the court we assist players through discussion – in motivational and other ways to reinforce that sacrifices must be made in all good families and teams.  No one gets to do all that he or she wants to do and that each and everything that one does has an affect on the entire family.  Furthermore each person must be accountable for his or her actions.

CIRCLE OF TRUST:

By no means are we functioning under the veil of the “secret society,” but I do caution our players often about who we can and cannot allow in our inner circle.  Outside influences don’t always have the team’s best interest in mind.  We don’t want become paranoid, but rather just be careful and use good judgment.

RESPECT:

It can never be talked about enough.  You have to learn to respect the role of teammates.  A while back I had a discussion with two of my best rebounders.  One player was averaging over ten rebounds per game, while the other averaged about five per game.  The player with ten per game pointed out to me that he got so many chances to get his hands on the ball because of the work his teammate, with five rebounds a game, was doing.  He recognized that he was doing all the dirty work (if you will), which made it easier for him to pull down rebounds.  I went back to watch the tape and that is exactly what was happening. I thought it was the ultimate compliment and sign of respect for the one to recognize the role of another teammate.

It’s important because I was really trying to motivate the player who was getting five rebounds per game to do more.  He was doing more and his teammate recognized and appreciated that effort.  It also helps point out something that we all, as coaches, try to get across to players -- Hard tasks must be shared and no one can do it alone.  There are common things we all want and they can only be attained by pulling our talents together.

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