Coaches Information

A key ingredient to any successful basketball program is coaches. Coaches for all programs are volunteers. To maintain a consistent coaching approach for the program as well as provide assistance, we will:

• Provide coaching materials which includes drills and practice content.
• Additional assistance available from HBA upon request

We encourage all people with basketball experience to apply, as we always need volunteer coaches. Please complete the volunteer section on the registration form if you are interested in coaching a team!

Coaches Links

For additional information refer to these links.

• www.ihoops.com

Coaches Guide

A volunteer coach is a vital component to the success of the Hudson Basketball Association. Our children rely on the coaches for many needs that allow the players to participate in and enjoy the game of basketball.

The decision to want to become a volunteer coach is sometimes complicated by the unknown demands of the coaching responsibilities. We have put some of the major responsibilities into a list for prospective coaches to review in order to help guide the coach through the basketball season with as few surprises as possible. As always each team is different and there may be different needs for different teams so this should be a summary of most of the major responsibilities but not all.

1. The coach should foster an atmosphere that will allow the players to enjoy the game of basketball. The basic fundamentals of the game should be focused on heavily as these are young players that are eager to learn.
2. The coach will conduct themselves and the players in a manner that represents the Hudson community in a positive manner regarding ethics and sportsmanship.
3. At the start of the season, the coach should contact each of the players and parents through a phone call or team meeting to discuss the tournament or playing schedule for the basketball season. Communication between the coaches and parents/players is vital. Create an email distribution list if possible as this will assist with getting any updates to the players. Enlist the services of another parent to serve as team manger to fulfill this vital role.
4. The coach should set up the travel tournament schedule as early as possible so that the desired tournaments can be entered. There is a packet available to all coaches that contain numerous tournaments throughout the year.
5. Work with the representative within the Community Education Office responsible for scheduling practice time in Hudson school gyms. It may be helpful to have practices on the same day and same time each week.
6. Ensure signature release forms are filled out prior to each tournament that requires the form.
7. Always have first aid kits on hand for practices and games. The kits are supplied by the association. The kits will need to be replenished when items are used. At the end of the year, the kits need to be turned into the association.
8. The coach will be issued enough basketballs to allow for one ball per player. The coach is required to bring the balls to practices and a smaller quantity to games. At the end of the year, the coach will turn in the same quantity of balls as issued at the start of the season to the association representative responsible for basketballs.
9. The coach should provide a list of contact numbers and email addresses if available to each player/parent. This list should include the players information and the coach and assistant coach's information. This is helpful when parents have questions or they need to contact another player about sharing rides.
10. The coach should provide a practice schedule and tournament schedule that is as up to date as possible. The practice schedule may need to be updated two or three times per year due to the inability to obtain practice times in advance. This list should be sent to the players/parents and the administrator of the association website so the information can be posted online. In addition to the above items, the website should be used to post any item of interest that players and parents may need to know.
11. Collect the players uniforms at the end of the year and turn into the association representative responsible for uniforms.
12. Enlist the help of other team parents. Find an assistant coach to help execute practices and provide critical coverage for emergencies. A team manager is another vital position that can allow the coach to off load a variety of repetitive tasks (i.e. scheduling, communications, picture coordination, etc.) allowing the coach to focus on the development of the kids.