What Offseason, Coach?

What Offseason Coach?

By: IndiJohn

When the high school basketball season ends for many players in late February/early March, it means the dawning of an off-season full of weightlifting and skill development, right?  Not exactly.   As soon as the high school season ends, most of the upper echelon of players throughout the country turn their attention to their club season.  This scenario begs the question of “What Offseason, Coach?”

Coaches are constantly preaching to players about the importance of proper conditioning, strength training, and offensive and defensive skill development.  Coaches are right to preach this message, but is it plausible for players to follow suit? Do coaches want these players to implement this offseason plan in the five days between the conclusion of the high school season and the start of the club season or is it better for a player to wait and begin their program in the two weeks between the July live period and the start of school?

It is safe to say that there really is no “offseason” for a high level high school player.  In fact, there has probably never been a time in the history of the game of basketball when demands of time and expectations of young players have ever been greater.   And yet, coaches “expect” them to be developing their game in this limited time space.  Is that fair?

A typical year in the life of a talented high school basketball player looks a little like this.  In mid-Octobe rpractices for the school team begin and a 30 + game schedule will follow through early March. This commitment is roughly 2-3 hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week.   About a week after the high school season, practices for the club season start.  Practices for this season are typically 2-3 days and week and games are played at weekend tournaments.   Most club teams play in 6 to 8 tournaments a season (March –July) with each tournament consisting of 4 or 5 games (often multiple games in a day).  The club season itself normally consists of another 30-40 games.  The boat doesn’t end there.

For the best players, trips to elite “camps” or “showcases” can bring more weekends of games and less time for an “offseason”.  Throw in summer high school team camps and games in the local summer leagues and it is easy to see how some of these guys play well over 100 games a year.  Heck, getting a college scholarship or even playing an NBA season, would mean a break from the schedule they are accustomed to.

All of these games and all of these time restraints begs the original question, “What offseason, Coach?”

Is it better for a player to approach his club season as his offseason?   Is this the time of year where he should implement his weight program and start to build mass to his frame? Is it in these months that he is supposed to work on some of the weaker elements of his game and develop that jump shot or post game that he has lacked in previous seasons?  Does he dare attempt to attend these live period events or high level camps with every scout, writer, and coach in the country watching his every move with sore muscles from weight training and a jump shot that is in transition?  That doesn’t seem logical.

So then the best time to train and lift is during the high school season, right?  People would have sympathy for a top player that led his high school team to a sectional championship as a sophomore, got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs the following season because he had done a rigorous plyometric workout the day before the game, right? Wrong.

In our world of media and social media, a top player getting knocked off early in the playoffs of their high school season would be national news.    By that same token, one poor performance from a player in front of coaches at a live period event could be devastating to a player’s college prowess.  There has never been a time in basketball history when young players had more hype, more mix tapes, more fan fair, and more clamoring for their attention.   But, there certainly has not been a time when one false move, one bad decision, one poor test score, or one bad shooting night can be so hurtful to a player’s reputation.

The moral to the story is this.   These are young men. They need time to develop their skills, they need time to grow their bodies, and they need our patience to allow them to make mistakes and learn from them.   If they are going to be asked to play so many games, with such high stakes, we need to applaud the efforts that they make to better themselves.

There is no clear cut solution to this dilemma.  It is the plight of high school coaches, club coaches, and parents to work with the athlete to decide what path is best to take.  If all of these parties truly do have the best interest of the child at hand, things tend to work out for the best.