The Baffled Parent's Guide to Coaching Girls' Basketball

Overview

"If you're serious about coaching girls' basketball, Coach Hatchell's book is a must-read."—Dean Smith, the winningest coach in NCAA men's basketball history

"Coach Hatchell covers everything you need to know about coaching girls' basketball."—Betty Jaynes, CEO Emeritus, Women's Basketball Coaches Association

OK, you’ve got the clipboard and the whistle, you’ve entered the gym, and twelve eager young faces turn to you. Now what? Even if you know little or nothing about the sport and even less about coaching, Coaching Girls’ Basketball will lead you step by step through a successful season, from meeting your players and organizing your team, through teaching fundamentals, to making crucial game decisions.

Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame coach Sylvia Hatchell helps you master the skills, drills, plays, and game-day tactics that will make you a great coach. She also helps you cope with important issues like treating players equally regardless of ability, unhappy parents, helping all your players experience growth and success, and recognizing the crucial differences between coaching girls and boys. Coach Hatchell shows you how to:

• Prepare for your first practice and first game
• Match drills to ability
• Promote good habits, concentration, and teamwork
• Learn what's unique about coaching girls from age 6 to 14
• Make practices fun, effective, and rewarding
• Improve your players and your team
• Reach all your players
• Be the coach your players will remember

"Learn from the best. Coach Hatchell knows basketball."—Charlotte Smith-Taylor, forward, Washington Mystics; 1995 ESPN National Player of the Year

Table of contents

Introduction: Now That I’m a Coach, What's Next?
The Coach’s Role
Developing a Philosophy and a Style
What Are Your Goals?
Coaching Girls Versus Coaching Boys
How to Use This Book
Part One: Coaching 101: The Coach's Start-Up Kit
1. Preparing for the Season
About the Game
Setting Up the Season
Starting Up
How to Run Effective Practices
2. Teaching the Fundamentals
Warming Up
Footwork
Pivoting
Catching the Ball
Dribbling
Passing
Shooting
Rebounding
Getting Open: Moves without the Ball
Moves with the Ball
Screens
Post Play
Handling Traps
Individual Defensive Skills
3. Teaching Team Offense
Principles of Team Offense
Basic Plays
Man-to-Man Offense: Continuities
Man-to-Man Offense: Set Plays
Zone Offense
Fast-Break Offense
Out-of-Bounds Plays
Press Break
Last-Second Plays
Opening Jump Ball
4. Teaching Team Defense
Half-Court Defense
Full-Court Defense
Defending Screens
5. The Season Is Underway . . . Now What?
Handling Your Players
Motivating Your Players
Building Team Unity
Injuries
Dealing with Parents
6. Game Time
Mind-Set and Expectations
Pregame Routine
Choosing a Starting Five
Substitutions
Time-Outs
Halftime
Statistics
Assistants
Creating the Best Game Plan
Strategies and Tactics
Postgame Routine
The Season Is Over . . . Now What?
Part Two: Drills: The Foundation for Development and Success
Footwork Drills
Conditioning Drills
Stationary Dribbling Drills
Other Dribbling Drills
Passing Drills
Moving without the Ball Drills
Shooting Drills
Defensive Drills
Shell Drills
Rebounding Drills
Fast-Break Drills
Appendix
Sample Tryout Evaluation Sheet
Sample End-of-Tryouts Letter
Sample Player-Parent Handout
Sample Master Practice Plan
Sample Daily Practice Plan
Sample Stat Sheet
Sample Scorebook Sheet
Sample Game Sheet
Referee Signals
Glossary
Index
Acknowledgments
About the Authors

Biographical note

Sylvia Hatchell has been a college head
coach for 29 years and won the NCAA national championship
in 1994. She is an inductee into the Women’s Basketball
Hall of Fame.

Back cover copy

"If you're serious about coaching girls' basketball, Coach Hatchell's book is a must-read."—Dean Smith, the winningest coach in NCAA men's basketball history
"Coach Hatchell covers everything you need to know about coaching girls' basketball."—Betty Jaynes, CEO Emeritus, Women's Basketball Coaches Association
OK, you’ve got the clipboard and the whistle, you’ve entered the gym, and twelve eager young faces turn to you. Now what? Even if you know little or nothing about the sport and even less about coaching, Coaching Girls’ Basketball will lead you step by step through a successful season, from meeting your players and organizing your team, through teaching fundamentals, to making crucial game decisions.
Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame coach Sylvia Hatchell helps you master the skills, drills, plays, and game-day tactics that will make you a great coach. She also helps you cope with important issues like treating players equally regardless of ability, unhappy parents, helping all your players experience growth and success, and recognizing the crucial differences between coaching girls and boys. Coach Hatchell shows you how to:

Prepare for your first practice and first game
Match drills to ability
Promote good habits, concentration, and teamwork
Learn what's unique about coaching girls from age 6 to 14
Make practices fun, effective, and rewarding
Improve your players and your team
Reach all your players
Be the coach your players will remember

"Learn from the best. Coach Hatchell knows basketball."—Charlotte Smith-Taylor, forward, Washington Mystics; 1995 ESPN National Player of the Year
Sylvia Hatchell has been a college head coach for 30 years, and her University of North Carolina Tar Heel teams have won five Atlantic Coast Conference titles and the 1994 NCAA National Championship. Sylvia was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.
Jeff Thomas, a long-time writer and editor, coaches high school and AAU girls’ basketball in Richmond, Virginia.