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Coaches and Captains Preseason Meeting

Last week I met with a Division III Women's basketball head coach, her new assistant coach, and her three team captains to discuss team leadership development ideas and how to help their team embody their team culture's values.


I have known the head coach since she was a freshman at Southern Illinois University. After her freshman year, a knee injury and surgery, we had a coaching staff change, leading her to transfer to a D-II program. In her senior season she was a national player of the year and her team won a national championship. After playing some professional basketball in Europe, she returned to the USA and began her coaching career. We have stayed in touch across the years and often conversed about challenges she was encountering. It has been and continues to be a privilege to invest in her coaching career and life beyond basketball.

Below are the notes I sent to the head coach ahead of our meeting. They served as the outline for our discussions. I had an hour with the coaches and captains, and then another hour with the head coach and assistant.

Millikin WBB

Captains - (60 minutes)

Introduction -  Leadership = Responsibility
Not that your teammates are responsible to you; rather you are responsible for them.

Leadership levels - (from a John Maxwell book).
◦ Lead by Personhood (highest)
◦ Lead by Elevating others
◦ Lead by Production
◦ Lead by Permission
◦ Lead by Position (lowest)

Team Captains are responsible for: C.A.U.S.E. characteristics (translate to on court & off court matters).
• Complete - developing skills (drills / class). “I see Chris becoming more complete by….”
• Authentic - be real (no drama, no lies). “Abby has been totally authentic through a really tough week.”
• Undeniable - persistence (we never quit). “Jenny had several opportunities to quit this week, but wouldn’t.”
• Selfless - Reward passers, screens, loose balls, taking charges. Clean up the locker room and bus. Off court acts of selflessness). “Makenzie took three charges in Tuesday’s game.”
• Every Day - Consistency (Work ethic, on and off court). “Jill was in the gym for extra shooting four times this week.”
Captains recognize, “Teammates in the CAUSE” weekly at a practice.

Coaching staff discussion:
1. Meet with the captains how often? For leadership development? For CAUSE review?
2. When are you each at your best?
3. What responsibilities can you (head coach) reasonably entrust to an assistant?
4. Do those responsibilities seem possible for you (assistant coach) to do?
5. The goal is to free Coach Lett to operate at a higher level.

We had a tremendous conversation with the coaches and captains, and they seemed enthused to lead their teammates in the process of developing their team's culture. They played deep into the NCAA tournament last season, and believe they have an opportunity to challenge for a national championship. The group of three captains include a junior guard who was an All-American last season.

I am excited to follow the Millikin Women's Basketball team this season. I hope our discussion of leadership, responsibility, and CAUSE will help them achieve greatly.


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