The Vital Role of Student Coaches

About twenty years ago we piloted a new idea within our basketball program by replacing the traditional ‘manager’ role with ‘student coaches.’ We wanted to get away from having student volunteers handing out and picking towels or filling up water bottles. After all, what did having fellow students waiting on our players teach our athletes about being responsible and self-reliant? Additionally, it reinforced a negative stereotype that ‘jocks’ are to be pandered to and that non-athletic students are rightfully in a position of servitude. 

No way!

But the most important reason for the change was a great deal of human capital was not being fully developed and harnessed. We had talented kids who were potentially great leaders not being encouraged to reach their potential.

We could do better.

So in the late 1990’s we started specifically recruiting prospective coaches from the student body. More often than not, these candidates were students who had previously played basketball at the sub varsity level and who retained a genuine interest in playing a significant role within our program.

We were looking for prospects with certain characteristics. Having a basic understanding of basketball was a necessity—remember we were in the market for coaches not managers. But much more than knowledge of the game were many less tangible yet crucially important character traits.

We were looking for responsible people. We wanted young people who we could trust. Possessing above average communication skills was highly valued. Probably the most important thing we were looking for were people skills. Simply put, we needed student coaches who could connect with the players and work collegially with the adult coaches. In short, they were going to be a vital part of the team and they needed to be a good fit.

So what did our student coaches do? 

It depended a lot on their skills. It was not uncommon for student coaches to be with us multiple seasons. Each year we asked them to stretch themselves and do more than they had previously. The most basic thing we needed were an additional set of eyes. There are a lot of things happening within a basketball practice or game. We wanted our student coaches to watch for little nuances which may have otherwise escaped notice. Something we valued highly was rebounding. As a coach it is really hard in a practice setting to take note of all ten guys to assess whether each executed their role and did so with great effort. With the benefit of the extra eyes on the play, we could do a much better job of observing and recording the performance of individual players.

This leads to a second crucial role the student coaches played which was providing feedback. We wanted our players to know in as close to real time as possible how they were performing in whatever facet of the game was being recorded. We highly encouraged our student coaches to talk to players throughout practice and during breaks of ball games.

Can you imagine a traditional manager walking up to a starter and giving him feedback on his shot selection?

Our best student coaches did!

In addition to talking one on one with players during practice, a summary of observations were also given to the team as a whole at the conclusion of practice. Finally, the full report was given to the head coach every day. This information became an important part of planning for the next practice.

Looking back, the development of the student coach position was one of the best practices utilized over the past two decades. While making the transition from Pella to East, recruiting the right people as student coaches was a high priority. Our team was blessed to have two wonderful young women serving in this capacity. Next week’s post will feature a member of the East High Class of 2018 helped to make a very challenging year more enjoyable and rewarding.