Sometimes players and parents wonder what goes on in a coaches heads as it pertains to lineup selection and playing time. I can’t speak for all coaches, but I can tell you what is happening for me.
Some time before each game, often multiple times before each game including immediately after the previous game coaches will talk about what they saw from their team in practice and recent games. They’ll talk about the team as a whole and about specific players. They’ll talk about things that worked, things that didn’t work – anything that jumped out at them at noteworthy. If they’ve been in contact with parents or players since the last time the coaches got together they’ll share any comments / questions that have been raised by those various individuals.
They’ll review any scouting information that they have (including past experiences with the next opponent) to look for any specific reasons for changes – but more often the scouting information is used for game planning and preparing to adjust in game more than in deciding who to start. Coaches prefer something consistent – the same way players do.
Some coaches have additional items to keep in mind. For example, they’ll consider any rules of the league in which they coach. If the league has rules regarding playing time, the coaches may choose to finagle their lineups in order to mix in weaker players with stronger players in order to keep from having too many weak players in at the same time. This is harder for teams with more players. For teams with fewer players there will always be a spot in the lineup for the strongest players. For teams with 9 or more players it can be a more difficult decision. In those larger teams stronger players will have to sit for longer lengths of time and if you player the strongest all at once then all your strongest will also be sitting at the same time while the players who are not the strongest are left to fend for themselves, possibly against the other teams strongest still.
Sometimes there are special cases. Examples of this are things like:
- It’s a players birthday and it would mean a lot to the player. Maybe they find their way in to start the game.
- A player’s family is having a special situation and the kid would get to feel extra awesome in front of their family so an exception can be made.
- It’s senior night / 8th grade night, etc.
You get the idea. As a coach we’d probably not tell the player the reason if it is one of these special circumstances. Most of this goes out of the window during the playoffs or late in the season – but sometimes it can be a factor.
Coaches will work their way through all of that and choose a starting lineup based on their comfort level with their personnel and the situations they’d like to exploit or avoid.
And….. then game day comes and life starts happening (still prior to warmups!).
Roster Availability:
- Somebody the coach planned to start is running behind schedule. They get there right as warmups are about to end and didn’t give the coach sufficient time to get used to that idea? Well, for many coaches, if you’re late, that player isn’t starting… almost guaranteed. You’ll get an idea of why later if you’re paying attention.
- This is a stranger situation that is more youth basketball related (where the league requires players get a certain number of minutes by a certain time in the game). aybe somebody not planned to start is sick and won’t be at the game. Well that might change who I decide to start because now I have 10 more minutes to play with that I don’t have to make sure are available for that sick player. Maybe I switch out the 5th and 6th player so in my second lineup I can have 1 & 5 instead of 1 & 6.
How Players are Looking in Warmups:
- Somebody planned to start is on time but shouldn’t be at the game. For example, they look sick.
- A player being considered for a new starting role looks really scared.
- Somebody planned to start looks horrible in warmups – unfocused or just “not right”.
- A player who does not normally start looks terrific in warmups. We might choose to get them in earlier or even move them in to start.
Now the game has begun. It’s easy from here right? Just set a timer or watch the clock and get your substitution pattern going, right? Yeah, right. Only if you enjoy losing!
For the couple of minutes as a coach I’m letting players get used to getting up and down the floor, finding their person, etc. The higher the level of basketball (eg highschool is higher than middle school) the less time I’m giving players to get the bearings.
After that time I’m grading players:
- Who is hustling (or not)
- Who is mentally focused
- Who has a good attitude
- Who is making good decisions (or not)
- Who is rebounding
- Who is dropping passes
- Who is forcing passes (bad decision)
- Who is being assertive
- Who is executing the game plan
10. Who is running the plays / offense correctly
11. Who is chatting it up with the cheerleaders
12. Who is giving proper help defensively
13. Who is talking to their friends on the baseline about how their school team is doing in their game that is going on at the same time
14. Who is playing good defense on the ball
15. Who is not guarding anyone, but just taking up space in the middle of the lane pretending to be ready to help
16. Who is ONLY yelling or barking or stomping at shooting players instead of closing out and getting a hand up
17. Who is throwing lazy passes
18. Who is on getting on the floor for loose balls
19. Who is boxing out
20. Who is getting to the free throw line
21. Who is getting layups
22. Who is willing to take the open shot
23. Who is recognizing that they’re not making the open shot and being aggressive to the bucket to get themselves and their team going
24. Who is drawing fouls
25. Who is being reckless and picking up fouls (careful here, hustle and recklessness often look similar but they are not)
26. When I call a timeout who runs to the huddle [especially in early quarters because you ain’t tired enough yet to be even thinking about walking)
a. Sidenote: Players, if I call a timeout, unless it is to give the team a rest, it is because I need to talk to the team and maybe even YOU directly. If you spend half of my talking time walking to the bench, then you are limiting my effectiveness at helping the team improve. Plan on not doing that more than once because you won’t be in the game when timeouts are called anymore.
27. When I call a timeout and we discuss a play, who does that well
28. When I call a timeout and we discuss a play, who does something completely different
29. Who is “communicating” with their teammates to correct issues
30. Who is encouraging their teammates verbally and physically (highfives for jobs well done)
31. Who is getting their teammates involved
32. Who is staying with their man on defense (if man to man) or effectively managing their area (if zone)
33. Who has their hands up on defense
34. Who is hanging their head after a mistake instead of racing back to help make up for it
35. Who is looking at the parents for instruction
36. Who is over dribbling
37. Who is chirping to the refs
38. Who is forcing jump balls (defensively)
39. Who is allowing the defense to force them into a jump ball
40. Who is getting in the passing lanes
41. Who is showing a target
42. Who is cutting with a purpose
43. Who is scoring
44. Who is stealing
45. Who is turning the ball over
46. Who is putting the ball at risk (not a turnover, but they’re coming)
47. Who is playing scared
48. Who is just not there mentally
49. Who is playing above themselves (better than normal)
50. Which players seem to have good chemistry today
a. 2 players
b. 3 players
c. 4 players
d. 5 players
51. Who is repeatedly “magically” in the right spot at the right time
52. Who responds well to advice / correction
53. Who makes excuses about why they were out of position
54. Who is paying attention on the bench to what is happening in the game
55. Who knows the number of the person they are guarding when asked
56. Who knows the number of the person that they are subbing in for was guarding
57. Who is showing they’ve been practicing on their own
58. Who is goofing off on the bench
59. Who hears me when I call their name on the bench to check in
60. Who seems to be trying to will their team to a win with their effort
All of that is happening, all the time, in the coaches heads. If there are multiple coaches we may discuss during the game. For example, “Hey, Bob. Jon seems to be playing really solid defense out there today. He’s locked in. Maybe we should keep him out there longer than planned”. Or maybe Bob will say “Josh, AJ could beat his guy every time but he’s just not even trying to do it for some reason. Maybe we need to try someone else at that spot for a little bit today so we can exploit that weakness.” Or maybe “Man, it seems like Will is the only player who is helping off the back side AND actually covering his guy too.”
By the end of the first half coaches have got a pretty good idea, but not quite a fixed idea, regarding how all the players are playing and what their roles are going to be for the last two quarters. I stress that it’s not yet a fixed idea because almost invariably we are going to make adjustments to how the team is going to approach the second half. We’re going to make changes to defensive schemes and assignments and we’re going to change how we want to attack on offense. Players are going to get a chance to rest, mentally and physically, and to dig up in themselves whatever has been missing – sometimes just a few minutes to clear the minds is enough to reset and we certainly want to give players every chance to do their best.
During half-time coaches are watching player reactions. If a player looks beat down mentally, like they’ve already lost the game, we hesitate to put them back on the floor. They’re going to suck energy instead of provide it. If a player looks angry / hungry (not upset, not whiney, but ready to get back out there) about how things are going on the court, then that’s a completely acceptable state of mind and we probably want to find a way to let them channel that and release it on the court. Passion is a real thing and coaches want to see it.
Now we’re in to the second half. All the same things apply, but the free time before grading begins is cut in half. Leashes are shorter because we’ve already got some idea of what we expect to see. If you confirm it, then good (or bad) for you. If you were playing way above your normal and you come back to earth then no worries. But if you keep playing well, we’ll probably make it a point to get you extra time because this could be useful RIGHT NOW, and it could also be a BREAKTHROUGH game. If it is the latter, then the team instantly gets better (for the rest of the season) and we will nurture that like crazy. But even if it is just the former, that’s still good because it shows the potential is there.
As the second half goes on the coaches will carry over notes from the first half (and previous games) in helping them decide which players to play. We’ll also start really focusing in on exploiting weaknesses and taking advantages of matchup issues we’ve identified.
Abilities to Match Situations
Here’s the deal, if you don’t bring something unique to the team then there’s a chance that when the second half rolls around in a close game that you won’t find yourself playing late in games. Why? Attempting to exploit one weakness requires a different sort of player than to exploit a different weakness. Lets lay out the type of things we’re talking about:
- excellent defense,
- strong rebounding,
- high level passing or decision making,
- great shooting / scoring,
- ability and willingness to draw fouls
That list goes on and on. But for example, when the game is a 1 point game and the other team has a single great player who makes everything happen for their team then I believe that someone who can slow that guy down is a lot more valuable to winning the game than someone who is basically an average player but who cannot help control that opposing player (or might even give that player another area to attack). If I can put a player in who can’t shoot, can barely pass, can’t dribble, but he can stick to an opponent and prevent them from catching the ball and who will never ever quit… then there’s a good chance I can use that guy to win the game even though they are not good at so many other things. I can sacrifice the things he can’t do for the things he can as long as I can get someone else on the floor to handle those other things. The same is true with almost any major skill. Give me a player who can rebound like crazy, and in certain game circumstances, I might be able to live with the fact that they can’t do anything else. If that player understands that they are there to rebound and get the ball to the scorers or to the outlet then they’re valuable. If they can also defend around the goal… they’re a shoe in to play late in games when we need a stop.
Sometimes coaches are looking for someone to fill a role… not necessarily the best player. And sometimes the same role might be better filled by player A and other times by player B. And sometimes coaches just have to make a decision and everyone has to live with it.
At the game progresses and we get later into a game… like real late in a close game I’m less likely to sub. I’ve probably found a lineup that is working for me and I’m not messing with it too much. If I do choose to sub in that situation it’s with a very specific purpose. So, Players, make sure if you are subbed in late in the game and given an instruction that you understand and execute that instruction. Doing so will get your more opportunities that last longer. If I do a late sub with a purpose and you don’t execute on the one thing I asked for, I’ll remember that and you’ll have to try to re-earn some trust or wait a while to start earning it.
Trust is really what it is all about. During the course of the game as a coach I’ve come to trust that certain players for that day are going to do what is needed. That trust is also developed over the season, and multiple seasons. So a player that has played for me for a couple of years at a high level will get extra room for error because I know they know and will do what needs to be done. If they’ve played for me for years but not at a very high level… I also know that, right? So they are less likely to be in late in games if I can count on them not doing well.
Remember this: It’s not always about the best 5 players being on the court as much as it is about the best fitted 5 players for the situation at hand.
After the Game
So what about after the game? Does behavior after the game affect playing time in the next game? Absolutely. If you are showing a bad attitude because your playing time wasn’t what you wanted it to be, you can count on that continuing to happen. As coaches we try to give some extra space here because emotions are real. But we do expect you to control your attitude and if it’s an ongoing thing, these little after game issues will begn to look like just another example of you having a poor attitude when you don’t get what you want. I had a player once who took pride in being the guy who on game day leads the countdown in our huddles “3! 2! 1! Defense!”… that sort of thing. Once, after a win, he didn’t like his playing time and declined to do it. That’s his right, but it’s not the right thing to do; it comes across in a way that’s not good for him.
A much better course of action is to maintain a good attitude and then try to set up some time with the coach to find out why you weren’t chosen in that situation. You might find out it is something you can easily fix – and you’re coach will appreciate that you cared enough to ask and to follow up with action. Or you might find there was a great reason that you didn’t even think of and have your spirits lifted knowing it wasn’t your shortcoming.
This is probably the most crucial thing for players to understand:
“Every minute you are on the court, not just practice, but actual game time including warmups and even timeouts is like a tryout for more playing time late in games. Know your role, do your job, practice to improve and you’ll see increased time and an increased role.”
I hope as a player you’ve found this interesting and useful. You coach wants you to succeed and many of these lessons are just as valuable off the court as they are on. Take care!
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