Evaluating the Whole Player/Team Culture

Head coaches are in charge and in control of many areas of a team. We get to control who pitches and when, we control what our team works on in practice and for how long, we determine lineups and positions, offenses and match-ups in basketball, but I often contend that the most important thing a coach controls is something that often gets overlooked until it becomes an issue. That often overlooked aspect of coaching is team culture.

My first coaching positions were in basketball, and that has been and always will be my true love when it comes to coaching. There are so many competitive aspects of basketball that feed right into my personality. Basketball is such a team sport. Almost every aspect of being successful on the basketball court is dependent on your teammates. Yet, that teamwork goes well beyond what people see during the games. Great teams are made during practice, and more importantly how well those teams practice together.

When I first got into coaching I made the ignorant assumption that all players and parents on the team wanted the same thing. I assumed that everyone wanted to win more than anything. I assumed that the most important thing was if the team was winning. I mean, winning takes care of everything right? If you're winning then nobody will complain about playing time and all of the parents will be happy. If you're winning then the kids will come to practice ready to work hard right? Well it didn't take long to realize that all of those were incorrect assumptions, and more importantly I realized that no matter how much you win it can't hide or mask poor team culture or chemistry.

That first season my team finished 9-3 and avoided any major disasters, but I told myself I would do things much differently the following season in terms of dealing with parents and my players, but the most important change was how I was going to monitor how my players treated each other. I decided that I would have zero tolerance for players calling each other out verbally in games. No player would ever put another player down for making a mistake with their mouth or with their actions. I would not stand for players disrespecting their teammates in front of others. When situations arose in practice and frustrations occurred between players, I made a point to stop and tell those players how they should have talked to each other. That following season my team went 5-7, but it was the most fun I've ever had coaching a team. Those kids worked their butts off and did it the right way. In fact, when they were in high school they made sure to correct others who did not speak or act correctly to their teammates.

I made a lot of tough decisions and hard line stances when it came to creating the team culture that myself and the varsity coach wanted in our program. I had to suspend my best player one game for his actions in practice towards a teammate. I've sat kids numerous times for their poor treatment of teammates, and sometimes it cost us a win. I had to do that to try and get them to learn how to act if they wanted to be a key part of our program in the future. I once even had to sit a kid because of how his father was acting. I told the dad that his son would not get into the game until he left the bench area and stopped trying to coach the kids. Looking back, I don't know if I was always correct in my actions, but I feel confident that all of my kids and parents knew how they needed to act if they wanted to play for me.

The one thing I always tried to preach to my kids during my team culture sessions was not just how to be a good teammate, but how to be a teammate that other players and coaches would want to be around. Working in my favor was that one of my best friends was a coach for one of the leading AAU programs in the country. He had been around multiple McDonald's All-Americans, but more importantly had coach hundreds of other kids who were looking to play basketball at the next level. Being around him allowed me to have access to some of the best college coaches in the country. The list of coaches I have been able to sit down and talk with is pretty impressive. I've also had the privilege to sit down and talk with a few major league baseball scouts over the years as well.

While I have learned a ton just listening to them talk about their craft, I usually only have a couple questions for them. Almost every time that I have had a conversation with a scout or coach, I have asked them the same question. I make sure to always ask them what is the most important thing they look for when they are evaluating a player that is a borderline talent. I make sure to ask them this question, because in reality there are more borderline players than elite athletes. The elite players can get away with having a less than stellar attitude or sketchy work habits, but the borderline players are the ones that have to do all the little things just right. Inevitably when I ask this question, the most common answer I get from these coaches is the same, "I watch how they treat their teammates, coaches, and parents. I watch how they respond in times of adversity and how they react when their teammates make a mistake. I can learn everything I need to know about a player by watching the things that he does when he thinks I'm not watching." I won't name which coach said that, but let's just say he's been VERY successful.

Hearing those words only solidified how I expected kids on my teams to act towards their teammates. Other coaches and scouts have told me that they like to make their presence known to players, for obvious reasons, early in games. However, a few baseball scouts have said that they like to "disappear" after the first few innings so the player they're looking at things they have left. That's when they do there real homework. One scout said that they did not like how the player they were evaluating told his parents he needed a drink when he went out of sight. The same scout also said that he saw a kid go off on a teammate after he made an error when he was on the mound. The scout said he was glad he saw that because it allowed him to cross him off his draft list. A different scout once told me that if he knows where they player's parents are sitting in the stands without introducing himself that is a major red flag. When I asked him to clarify he said that if a kid is constantly looking in the stands at his parents for approval or in disgust at his teammates that is a major red flag, as is a parent who feels it is acceptable to coach from the stands.

I'll also never forget how hard myself and another coach worked to get one of our basketball players some college exposure. We exhausted a number of resources, and we finally got a few bigger schools to come and watch this kid play. However, we did not know that they were attending a particular game. At one point in the game our player walked off the court when he was substituted for. Later in the game he ignored another assistant on the bench when he was talking to him. At another point a kid missed a shot and he raised his hands in the air at him. After the game when coaches come down to talk to you about the game and meet with the player, the college coaches simply said don't ever call us about another player like that again. They didn't even bother to meet with the kid. He had blown a potential college opportunity by showing his true colors. Now, in the player's defense, he is a great kid that has matured by leaps and bounds over the years and went on the have a very nice college career, but it was an important lesson in how coaches evaluate everything that can impact their team culture more than their team talent.

Now maybe those opinions are from a small minority of coaches and scouts, but I took those words to heart. As a coach you cannot control every aspect of team culture, but you can control a great deal. Those lessons much be taught at a young age. Coaching youth travel baseball, I see a lot of kids and parents who think their kids are pretty good. Every year I help run our organization's tryouts and do evaluations. Every year during tryouts I keep in mind what those scouts shared with me. If I see a player constantly looking in the stands or a parent coaching from the stands I put a mark next to their name. When borderline players are done with their tryout I watch how they interact with their parents and others.

Baseball is a very difficult sport because it is a team game that is largely predicated on individual success and performance during a game that is surrounded with failure. There are many times and opportunities in a baseball season for kids to fail, and the opportunities to redeem yourself do not come as quickly as the do in other sports. Body language of one individual in baseball can drain the life out of a team more quickly than in any other team sport. I have not done a great job of eradicating that from my own team, but it does not stop me from constantly preaching about it. My only hope is that I can get my kids to the point when they think more about the team than themselves by the time they are entering high school.

I know from experience what high school coaches look for a go through in the evaluation and cut process. Sometimes kids think they can fool you during the 3 days of tryouts, but there is so much more that goes into it. Coaches remember the times and teammates who were not supportive in off-season workouts or the weight room. Coaches remember which parents are constantly meddling with their child and making excuses for them. Coaches remember how players have acted in the past. Coaches also evaluate how other teammates think of the kids they are evaluating. Again, if you're one of the clear cut best players, most coaches can tolerate some of those behaviors in the hopes that they can change them, but if you're on the borderline coaches often will choose culture over talent.

I have been through the cut and roster process dozens of times in basketball. Typically the top 7-8 players are very easy to pick. Those are the kids who are on the team because they're the most talented. You slot them into positions, and then as a staff you're left to fill out the rest of your roster with the kids who will add depth, but most importantly will cause the least amount of headaches. These are where the most arguments between coaches happen. Coaches go round and round evaluating all aspects of the player, and usually the longer the conversation goes the less it revolves around their ability on the court. I have lobbied for some really talented kids that have had issues off the court and lost. I have also lobbied very hard against kids who have had issues off the court. Ultimately as a coach and as a staff, you're looking for guys who will buy into the culture and cause the least amount of distractions over the course of a 3-4 month season. Yes talent is important, but usually the difference in talent between players 9-15 is very marginal. I have to believe the same is true for high school baseball.

As a youth sports coach I try to encourage my players to do the little things right in terms of how they act towards each other. I have run kids at practice for things they have done during games, admittedly not often enough. I get on kids when others come to me and complain about how a teammate treated them. As a coach you cannot police everything, so nothing makes me happier than when the kids start to police themselves. On the flip side, nothing makes me sicker than when I see a coach that allows teammates to belittle each other verbally or with their actions.

Following my own kids teams around and coaching some of them, I have not seen many elite athletes. I have seen and been around a number of good athletes that have a chance to play sports at the high school level. I pay close attention to how kids interact in all situations with their teammates, coaches, and parents. I try to see the big picture and peer into the future. I wonder if some behaviors are a sign of immaturity that will decrease over the years, or if they are just personality patterns that will get them cut at some point.

I make sure to talk to my own kids about these things constantly. Nothing drives me crazier than when I see one of my own kids being a poor teammate or thinking only about themselves. At some point, they will be a co-worker or a spouse. How successful they are in life will build off of the culture that has been instilled in them at a young age. That is why I work so hard with my teams to create a culture of respect. I want my own kids and the kids that I coach to carry that culture with them the rest of their life. It's not always easy, but that is the one thing as a coach that I can control and I value highly.