Travel Coach Application

The following info is an exert from the travel handbook on the process we use to select a travel coach:



15. Coaching

15.1 Coach Selection

The Board will select coaches for each team. Prospective coaches should submit an application, available on the club website, to the Board by the posted deadline. The President identifies board members who will interview all boys and girls team coaching applicants (new and returning) each year. The Board makes coach selections based on:

• Previous experience
• Knowledge of basketball
• Player and parent evaluations from previous years
• Commitment to the mission of the SLPPBC
• Discussions with past players, coaches, or parents

The interview team will make final coach recommendations at a future board meeting for approval by the Board. In the event that no one applies for a certain grade level, the Board will post that opening on the club website and do its best to find a coach. If no coach can be secured by the posted deadline following tryouts, there will not be a team.

Coaches are selected first and foremost based on experience and ability. For situations where the coach selected for the A team has a player competing in tryouts and the player does not score high enough to automatically be on the A team the coach may select his or her player as a coach’s pick if that player scores in the Top 12 in the overall tryouts. When the coach’s player scores lower than the top 12, the tryout committee will need to evaluate the circumstance (most likely with tryout evaluator input) and approve the player as a coach’s pick. In instances where the player in not approved for the A team, a discussion between the A and B coaches and the board to discuss possible coaching changes will happen. This is designed to ensure that players play on the team best suited for their skill level.

Coaches selected as B team coach who have a player who makes the A team as a result of tryouts, have option to opt out of coaching or, with tryout committee permission, their player may choose to play on the B team.

Assistant coaches are selected by the head coach with their consent after tryout outs and team formations are final. All head coaches are required to have at least one assistant coach.

15.2 Background checks

The Board conducts annual background checks on all head and assistant coaches. There are no exceptions.

Once head coaches’ selections are complete, they are required to complete a concussion training, every three years, and a background check, annually, through the Trusted Coaches program as directed by the board. The SLPPBC requires all coaches to pass the background screening without any “flags” as identified by Trusted Coaches. For information on the background screening process and what constitutes a “flag” please reference the Trusted Coaches Background Check Policy and Disclaimer on their website at http://www.trustedcoaches.org/. Coaches identified with a “flag” will be asked to step down from their role with the program.

At the conclusion of team formations all Assistant Coaches are required to complete the same concussion and background screening if they will be participating in practices or sitting on the team bench during games. They must also pass all Trusted Coaches screening as described above.

15.3 Coach’s Code of Conduct

The head and assistant coaches must sign the Coach’s Code of Conduct.

15.4 Coach Development

A variety of online resources exist for coach development, and the Club works to ensure coaches have development opportunities. Please see the coaches’ resources portion of the web site for more information.

At the end of the season, the three objectives for each child in our sports program are:

• Did the child have fun?
• Did the child learn and progress in their chosen sport?
• Do they want to come back and play again?

15.5 Coach-Board Relationships

The program cannot exist without good coaches. The Board is always eager to assist coaches in any possible way.

(a) Board Liaison

A Board member will be assigned to each team as a Board Liaison. The Board Liaison will meet with the team parents at the beginning of the season (usually at the first practice) and will attend team games or practices from time to time during the season. The Board Liaison should be the parents and coaches first point of contact for any questions or concerns.

(b) Attendance at Board Meetings

The Board may invite coaches to attend Board meetings during the year. The purpose of these meetings is to encourage dialog between coaches and the board, and to discuss any concerns or questions the coaches have about the program. Board meetings are an open forum and coaches and parents are welcome to attend any meeting throughout the year.

15.6 Coach-Parent Relationships

Coaches and parents must work together to create the best possible experience for the children on the team. Children learn what they are taught, but they also learn from what they see, including how their coaches and parents behave and interact.

Sometimes a parent will disagree with a coach’s decisions or will be unhappy with the way their child is being treated. When these situations arise, it is best to discuss them with the coach – but not when the coach or parent may still be under the stress of the immediate incident. The Parent’s Code of Conduct describes the Club’s expectations of parents, and includes:

• I will respect coaches and their authority during practices and games and will never question, discuss, or confront coaches at a game, and will take the time to speak with coaches at an agreed upon time and place.

Here are some additional suggestions for working out disagreements:

• Remember that coaches are genuinely trying to do the best thing for the team and for each child. Traveling basketball is competitive, and coaches will make player substitutions and assignments based on giving the team the best chance to win in a given situation. That may mean some players don’t get as much court time.
• Wait until the day after an incident before mentioning it to the coach. Sometimes “sleeping on it” will give you a better perspective.
• You can disagree with a coach’s decision without attacking the coach on a personal level. Both the parent and the coach need to treat each other with respect, even if they disagree.
• Conversations between a coach and a parent should remain private. Neither the coach nor the parent should discuss their disagreement with other parents or with players. To do so can easily lead to feelings of “ganging up” and make it more difficult to resolve the problem.
• If the problem can’t be resolved after the initial conversation, then the parent and the coach should ask the team’s Board Liaison for help. If you don’t know who your Board Liaison is, consult with the Traveling Director. The Board Liaison will arrange for a Board member to meet with the parent and the coach to discuss the issue.
• If the issue still cannot be resolved, then the parent can initiate a formal complaint. This should happen very rarely. The complaint process will always produce a decision, but it may be a decision neither the coach nor the parent likes. The individuals can usually find a better result if they work things out themselves.
• Don’t involve your children. Your disagreement with the coach is for you and the coach to work out. Kids see, listen, and talk. Keep them out of it.
• Never use email to complain to a coach. Email is a great communications tool, but it does not work well when emotions kick in. There is a tendency for people to put things in emails that they would never say to someone’s face. It’s also very easy to misunderstand an email and read it as a personal attack when no attack was intended. Each angry response leads to another, in rapid succession. Finally, emails are simply too easy to pass along to others. Disagreements between a parent and a coach are private matters. Trust between the parties will completely and immediately be destroyed if one side broadcasts their version of things “to the world”.
• Remember: if you can’t work things out privately, bring in a Board member for help.

15.7 Team meetings

The Club encourages coaches to conduct a team meeting at the beginning of the season to set expectations, review schedule and any other housekeeping items. Additionally, coaches may meet with team parents during the season. Some coaches hold individual one-on-one meetings with parents (similar to parent/teacher conferences at school). This gives the coach and parent an opportunity to discuss the player’s development, as well as any concerns the parent may have.