College Basketball has a distinct rhythm to its annual march through the calendar. Like a symphony has varying movements with particular moods, sounds, levels of intensity, and volume, so does the rhythm of college basketball ebb and flow like the tide.
The following paragraphs describe the nature of each portion of the year for the coaches and players. You will certainly perceive how our opportunities for faithful and effective service as character coaches follow and sometimes even lead the team through these changes.
Summer – June through early August.
· The focus is, “Get to know you.”
· The primary activities are recruiting and summer workouts.
· New coaches arrive on campus.
· New players arrive as well (sometimes many).
· They have approximately eight hours of formal workouts, plus individual workouts.
· If afforded the opportunity to meet with the team, focus on building relationships.
Preseason – mid-August through early November.
· The focus is, “Get ready.”
· From August through most of September, they have approximately eight hours of formal workouts, plus individual workouts.
· From the third week of September forward, they are allowed twenty hours per week of formal workouts, plus individual workouts.
· This period sets the primary rhythm of how practices will be for the remainder of the season.
· Build relationships with everyone at practices.
· This period is perfect for both values-based and faith-based character moments. Work with the head coach to discuss subject matter, scheduling, and duration of each session.
Non-conference season – early November through late December.
· The focus is, “Who are we?”
· Coaches use these games to discern what kind of team they have.
· Lots of players will get playing time. This is a period of testing, proving, and discovery for coaches.
· In this portion of the season, the process is very important and winning is secondary.
· We do well to observe and perceive things about relationships, communication, and attitudes, especially at practice and after games.
· Game day character moments, especially faith-based ones, are often a good fit from here and throughout the season (if the head coach approves).
Conference season – late December through early March.
· The focus is, “Win now!”
· Once this begins, there is a palpable rise in intensity, pressure, and urgency about everything.
· The coaches and key players will especially be dealing with the spike in pressure.
· Fewer players will be getting playing time. Their diminished time in games can sour attitudes and will have some of them considering the transfer portal.
· These games and the resulting table of wins and losses in conference play will determine the seeding of the conference tournament at season’s end.
· One’s seed in that tournament determines the relative difficulty or ease for winning the tournament and receiving the conference’s automatic bid into NCAA, NAIA, Juco, or other national tournaments, soon to follow.
Postseason – early March through mid-April.
· The focus is, “Win or go home.”
· The conference tournament is single elimination. If you lose, your season is over.
· The national tournaments are single elimination. If you lose, your season is over.
· Some players will announce their intentions to enter the transfer portal.
· Some coaches will leave for positions with other teams, or leave the game entirely.
· Some coaches will get fired.
· Our ministry approach with any and all of the situations arising in this portion of the season must be:
o Be present as much as possible. Especially if eliminated from a tournament. This is ministry in the pain of loss.
o Be a source of perspective for everyone. Some careers are ending, others are just beginning, and every team except the champion feels the grief of losing.
o Love the people. These moments will alternately reveal the best and worst of those you serve. Love them through the intensity of this situation.
Off-season – End of season through early June.
· The focus is, “Start over.”
· The head coach will do evaluation meetings with his coaching staff, players, and support staff.
· Believe it or not, some players will be in the gym the day after being eliminated from the postseason tournament.
· Coaches will be recruiting and scouring the transfer portal for players to bring to the team.
· This is the least intensive time of the season and about the only time players get to rest their bodies.
· This is the perfect time to meet with the head coach to evaluate your service of the team, to offer to serve in more ways, and to receive some feedback. Don’t miss this opportunity.
In summary: each portion of the college basketball calendar has a unique flavor and it weaves a tapestry of complex relationships, team dynamics, wins and losses, success and failure, joy and grief. It’s life. We who serve as character coaches are immensely privileged to walk with these people. Let’s properly respect the opportunity and fulfill God’s purposes for it.
