Have you ever thought your coach or your child’s coach was playing favorites? In the coaching profession you often hear many complaints. In basketball, one complaint that particularly sticks out is playing favorites. Do coaches play favorites? Yes they do.

Coaches do play favorites. I play my favorite players and am not ashamed to admit it. You might be surprised to hear that, but I hope you understand after reading. As coaches, we play the players who possess the best (and often our favorite) traits. Here are 10 traits that make a player a coach’s favorite.

Be a hard worker.
Coaches love players who show up for everything. We love the players who are the first ones in the gym and the last ones to leave. A hard-working player gives their best effort every time they take the court, whether it’s a practice or a game.

Be a leader.
Coaches love players who lead in action and through words. Leaders inspire their teammates to reach another level. They inspire their teammates to give it their all through their example. Leaders are an extension of the coach on the floor. They buy into the program’s philosophy and get their teammates to as well.

Be a great teammate.
Coaches love players who support their fellow teammates. Great teammates are accepting of all team members and help others to get better. Coaches love it when an upperclassman goes out of their way to help the underclassmen learn. A great teammate embraces their role no matter what it is and does it to the best of their ability. Great teammates are all about “we” and whatever is best for the team.

Be a competitor.
Coaches love players who do the little things it takes to win. We love players who treat practice like it’s a game. Great competitors never go through the motions. They want to win every drill, game, and contest. Through their desire to win, and more importantly their preparation to win; great competitors inspire their teammates to give more.

Be a good citizen.
Coaches love players who represent the program well on and off the court. We love players who give back to the game and their community. Being a good citizen means doing the right thing even when it’s the most difficult thing to do. Good citizens behave in school, get good grades, and support the entire school community.

Be a playmaker.
Coaches love players who not only know what to do but can do it. Playmakers step up and make the big plays when the team needs it most. They are always making plays. Coaches love players who ask questions that will make them better. Playmakers know “why” because it gives them the confidence to go out and perform.

Be coachable.
Coaches love players who can take constructive criticism. We want players who want to be coached and who want to be told what they need to do to get better. Coachable players never roll their eyes at the coach. They make eye contact with their coaches, and aren’t afraid to ask questions. Coachable athletes listen to their coach and not the stands.
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Have pride
Coaches love players who consistently wear and represent the program’s gear. We want players that help promote our programs. Players who exemplify pride express it through their words and actions. They act like being a part of the program is a big deal and means something. Coaches love players who take pride in the little things and doing them well.

Be dependable.
Coaches love players who are always on time. Don’t be late. Don’t miss practices, events, or games. We love players who offer no excuses and no explanations. Coaches want players they can depend on both on and off the court to make the right decisions. Being dependable also means you’re always there for a teammate in need.
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Have heart.
​Coaches love players who play with enthusiasm, courage, and spirit. Having heart means having and playing for a purpose beyond the scoreboard. When the score’s out of reach, players with heart continue to play hard to honor the game. They play for purpose that means something to them. We love players who never give up or give in. Having heart means getting back up and going again, even when it seems the most difficult.
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If a player has these traits, they will quickly become a coach’s favorite and earn more playing time. It’s not always about talent. It’s about what you do with that talent. It doesn’t take the most athletically gifted person to have any of these traits. It doesn’t require skill. However, it’s not easy. It requires a lot of mental and physical fortitude and it’s not for everyone. That’s why the few who are able to do it become Coach’s favorite.

There are only a handful of players in the world that won't run into a defensive player quick enough to stop them on the perimeter.

So there is a good chance that you'll face a lockdown defender. A defender that seems impossible to get by.

So how can you counter that?

It's quite simple...

Become a good post player.

Just like most post players have trouble defending players on the perimeter, most guards have trouble defending in the post.

This is part of the reason why Michael Jordan became unstoppable and the GOAT.

This is why players like Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Gary Payton, Chauncey Billups, Andre Miller, and Sam Cassell extended their playing career into their late 30s...

Now if you can't shoot at a high percentage, handle it, or finish, you should get really good at those things first. This is geared towards serious high school, college, & pro players with a solid skill set.

Besides guards being poor defenders, here are three more reasons why you should consider improving your post play... even if your defender is a good post defender.


3 More Reasons Why You Might Want To Practice Post Play
1 - It's one of the most efficient shots in basketball.
Depending on what you look at, shooting in the low post is either the 1st or 2nd most efficient shot in NBA basketball. This is excluding free throws.
So at the youth, high school, and college level, it is probably the most efficient shot.

2 - You get more free throws... An even better shot!
When you shoot closer to the basket, you tend to get more fouls called which leads to more free throws. This happens via post play or driving to the basket.
If you include free throws, this is the most efficient shot in basketball. Even if you're only a 55% FT shooter, this is a highly effective shot.
That means you score 1.1 points every possession.
There was only one team in 2015-16 that averaged better than... The Golden State Warriors. In 2016-17, there were only five teams.
And this is why you have to be an AWFUL free throw shooter in order for coaches to employ the "Hack-A-Shaq" strategy... I'm talking less than 50%. Maybe even less than 45% at the high school level.

3 - It leads to more foul trouble for your opponent and even more scoring for you.
Getting your opponent in foul trouble can have a tremendous impact on the game.
It allows you to become more aggressive because they become more tentative.
It takes their best players off the court.
Late in the game, you get more free throws. And as mentioned in #2, even if you're a poor free throw shooter, you are still highly efficient. This means late in the game, you will tend to outscore your opponent

May I have your attention, please?

Not some small sliver of your already too-divided attention, but your full focus and attention.
You are too distracted. We are too distracted.

We aren’t paying enough attention to WHAT really matters, and what’s worse, we aren’t paying enough attention to WHO really matters.

Instead of living in the present moment, we have allowed our focus and attention to be spread too thinly and across too many things at once.

We pride ourselves on our ability to do many things at once, even though the results we produce across the whole range of activities are far less than they would be were we to have given ourselves over to one activity, one outcome. We pride ourselves on our ability to multi-task, as if it’s a positive attribute. It is anything but. And our results prove it.

We sit across the table from the most important people in our lives, and instead of being engaged with them for the short time that we have them, we stare into the small screen and divide our attention among people who aren’t even there, most of them strangers. LOST are the shared moments that make up intimate human relationships, lifelong friendships, and LOVE, as our screens demand that we pay attention to the trivial, the novel.

And we pay for giving the small screens our attention with lives that are less than they might be because our relationships are less than they might be.

We have allowed the tools that allow us to improve some aspects of the way communicate and connect with others to destroy our ability to communicate with the people that are closest to us, the people we care most about.

By being always connected, we are always truly disconnected.

In the future, the most successful of us will be those of us with the ability to disconnect from the small screens, and to give our full focus and attention instead to the people next to us and standing in front of us. The most successful of us in life will be those of us that are fully connected to the people we care about because we are fully disconnected from the small screens.

The most successful of us in business will be those of us who have the ability to give our full focused attention to the what’s truly important, without dividing it among the trivial and unimportant.
To truly connect, you must truly disconnect. To give something or someone your full attention means that you must completely ignore everything else, everyone else.
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Disconnect. Connect.

TO STAY HERE:
BE COMMITTED TO YOUR ACADEMICS – Be on time each day. Sit up front. Take good notes. Do all extra work possible. Plan ahead and talk to your teachers when you are having a problem or have to be away. Get tutors when you need them ( especially peer tutors).

BE COMMITTED TO HAVING CLASS – Treat teachers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and all you meet with respect. Treat other people the way you want to be treated. Moody people are rude. Remember to smile, to say please, thank you, yes sir, and yes ma’am, and give people the benefit of the doubt.

BE COMMITTED TO DOING THE RIGHT THING – We have plenty of school rules … know them. Realize if you just try to do the right thing you will be OK. Try to do the next right thing right and you are as close to perfect as any person can be.

BE COMMITTED TO THE PROGRAM – We realize that our players are in a fish bowl. Every word and action will be watched. Our program’s reputation provides many opportunities yet brings many responsibilities. We must be committed to build on to the tradition of our program and respect those that have gone before us and paid the, price to build the program.

TO PLAY HERE:
BE COMMITTED TO HARD WORK – Our program is built on the concept that hard work pays off. We believe that we work harder than anyone else … and because of that we always deserve to win. There is a reason we are the best … we work at it.

BE COMMITTED TO BECOMING A SMART PLAYER – Our players must be ready to learn. We believe we work smarter than anyone else … We must develop players who understand the game. Our players must be good listeners and learn by watching. We must make good decisions, we must play with poise. We prepare mentally for practice and games.

BE COMMITTED TO OUR TEAM ATTITUDE CONCEPT – We must have players who believe in our team concept. Our program is built on the concept that the team/program is bigger than anyone player … We need unselfish players.

COMMIT YOURSELF TO A WINNING ATTITUDE – Our players must be committed to winning but understand we don’t measure our success by winning alone. Each time we play we evaluate ourselves on reaching our potential. The test for our team is to play against the game not just our opponent. We never quit. We always are looking for a way to win.

TO WIN HERE:
BELIEVE IN OUR SYSTEM – Commit yourself to our philosophy, to our system of play. Be a sponge and soak up the concepts of how we play. learn your role … then accept your role and do it the best you can.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF – Play with confidence … think positive … realize you are a great player in a great program. Don’t get down when you play poorly … you were chosen to be here … be a leader. lead by example.

BELIEVE IN YOUR TEAMMATES – Communicate with each other … help each other. Remember the strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack. Encourage each other and support each other. Don’t ever forget the importance of the shell around the team. Be a friend. We understand that we are all different – be tolerant of teammates and others.

BELIEVE IN YOUR COACHES – Understand that your coaches are trying to help make you better people and players. Ask questions … don’t whine and complain. learn to take tough coaching. You must believe that the coaches are doing what they think is right for the team and you.