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2022 Personal Improvement Plan

In Basketball, Coaching, Leadership, Teaching by Brock Bourgase

If I coach again, here are some of the areas that I will work on: Motion: During the course of the season – due to combination of complicated school rules and players’ health – numbers fluctuated. Also, it seems as if I personally gravitated towards small-sided games that emphasized pick and roll play. In game situations, we did not involve all five players as much as we would have liked until the middle of the season. I think that more passing and cutting will be harder to defend while also energizing more players. Ball Pressure: The season started later than …

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Basketball Lessons

In Coaching, Leadership, Teaching by Brock Bourgase

After reflecting, I wanted to post some thoughts about how I feel regarding recent events in the news: One of the best aspects of basketball is the opportunity to compete with diverse people. When you play the sport long enough, you realize that anyone can play, irrespective of their background, gender or stature.  When you want to win, you pick up the players who will get buckets, no matter who they are.  Success on the court is earned by skill and effort, as it should be in life.

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Making the Most of High School Basketball

In High School Basketball, Teaching by Brock Bourgase

As September approaches, student-athlete and teacher-coaches are returning school and a new basketball season is upon us. Here are some little changes that coaches can make in order to develop players into responsible people. Coach the entire student-athlete so that they can make the most of their high school experience. It is unfair to expect teenagers to devote all their free time to a sport or one particular interest. Sports offer physical fitness, social interactions and fun and are a healthy part of the school experience, although levels of commitment will vary. Build Personal Connections with Players Get to know …

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School Artwork

In Teaching by Brock Bourgase

Visiting diverse schools over the years, I have had a chance to see some of the different messages posted in gyms and classrooms to instill values and build a culture. Coaches and teachers should be authentic (but why are so many “No Dunking” signs posted by the court?).

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Values Education

In Teaching by Brock Bourgase

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” – John Wooden Coaches and teachers concern themselves with values education, a subject as integral to the construction of elite teams as defensive fundamentals or offensive skill. No good team has progressed to the excellent level and maintained that greatness over time without a core of solid values. Frankly, the current generation of student-athletes shares a different perspective from their predecessors and this is neither good nor bad. It means that what used …

Teaching and Coaching

In Teaching by Brock Bourgase

As coaches, we endeavour to guide athletes to the next level. As teachers, we strive to do likewise for students. Along the road to success, the court and the classroom provide parallel paths. What student-athletes learn in one environment is reflected in the other. Coaches value basketball ability and skills such as initiative, teamwork, mental training, leadership, and work ethic. When athletes demonstrate that they have met these expectations, they are rewarded with minutes and touches (along with praise, constructive feedback, and self-confidence). These rewards are not equally distributed; coaches allocate burn and ball based on most consistent and most …