You gotta love the game! Getting all your schoolwork done before practice. Hitting preseason training hard. Rebounding from a tough year. Coach C has your game plan.
Q: With homework and tests mounting, what is the best way to get my child motivated for the upcoming basketball season? Coach C: When it comes to coaching, we always hear the phrase, “teaching your child life lessons through sports.” What a wonderful time to time teach your child the skills of time management. Whether he’s playing for a school or for the fun of it, he can learn that if he gets his homework done before practice, he can practice. We always say that sports teaches the tools of life. Even if your child never plays high school or college basketball, he will learn how to have the balance doing these things can provide.
Q: My son loves basketball, but I’m having a hard time getting him to buy into the preseason conditioning program at his school. Any advice? Coach C: First of all, your son doesn’t love the game of basketball, because if he did, he would want to do everything he could that revolves around the sport – whether it’s preseason, during the season, whatever.
Your son likes to play the game. What he will have to understand is that if he doesn’t like to do things during the preseason, then he probably won’t like to do things during the post-season. His dream is going to come to an end shortly. The dream of playing basketball in college is not going to be there. Sometimes, these are the consequences of liking the game vs. loving it.
Q: My daughter had a tough sophomore season last year. I’m starting to see a little doubt heading into the upcoming season. What can I do to help? Coach C: The good thing about it is that if your daughter is on the team, she is pretty good. Now she has to start working hard on her own. She can’t think it’s just going to happen. She can’t mope around about what happened last season. Just like anything else in life, if you don’t have confidence, you’re not going to succeed, especially on the court. She needs to take some time by herself and build confidence. It sounds like her self-esteem is slipping a little bit. She needs to be the best player she can be, and then she won’t have to worry about anything else. Tell her to go out there and work hard and build her confidence. If she does, it will resonate on the court. OC
With more than 27 years of coaching and recruiting experience, Kevin Cantwell knows the physical and mental impact the game has on today’s players. For 16 years he served as an associate head coach for Bobby Cremins at Georgia Tech. He also served as an assistant and head coach for Appalachian State University. He has coached and recruited 22 NBA players.
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