The Art of the Time Out

What do you do when you don’t have any more time outs? Coach C discusses the art of the time out, helping your child love the game and why travel ball is not a necessity.

Q: I coach a boys’ middle school team. Can you suggest a good way to manage my time outs during a game? It seems like I’m always coming up one short when I need it most.
Coach C: When you come up short with time outs, it’s usually at the end of the game – those last two minutes when you want to have a time out. When you don’t have a lot of practice time, you’re going to have those types of situations. What I would do during my practice time is to start preparing for a shot after a free-throw shot. We used to call them “special situations.” Practice these situations so you don’t need a time out.

Remember, when you a call a time out, you’re also helping the other team prepare for what you might be doing. So it may be best not to call a time out. It’s good to work on these things in practice – so you’re ready, in case you don’t have a time out. Make sure your players know what to do.

Q: My 11-year-old son is very talented. I know that, in order for him to be the best he can be, he has to work extremely hard on his game. I don’t want to force him to practice, but I also know that he needs to practice in order to be great. How much pressure should I put on him to practice on his own?
Coach C: Since I’ve left youth basketball I’ve watched youth sports and have seen the pressure that parents can put on their kids. And I’ve seen a lot of young kids quit the game of basketball, for that reason. The hardest thing for a parent to do is realize that the fun stage lasts a lot longer. The game is fun. Your child will like it, and then love it. To become a great player, you have to love it. Loving it usually comes in high school.

As a parent who wants his child to succeed, you have to really rein in your emotions and let your child go through the like-love stage. If you can do that, the process will get them to the love stage. But if you’re pressuring them, remember they have rules to go to school, do their homework, etc., the process is going to stop.

I would rein in your emotions and let your child do what he wants to do. This will help your child get to that love stage.

Q: I have a 13-year-old daughter and am debating whether I should put her on a travel team for the summer. On the travel team, she will be able to play a lot of games against pretty good competition. Should she play on the travel team or skip the team to be able to practice on her own?
Coach C: The travel team is one of the biggest things that have happened to American basketball. I started recruiting in 1975 and didn’t see a travel team until 1988. This has really helped drop the use of fundamentals in the sport, and we are behind the game with the international player.

In the off-season, basketball should be an individual sport. Your child should continue to work on her game. Competition isn’t going to get you any better. You’re not going to work on your weaknesses. You’re not going to work on that right hand or the left hand, or that shot you need to improve.

You need to do a procedure where go out two to three times a day like a pro and work on things. Just playing games is not the answer. The answer is to go work on the game by yourself.

Remember, during the season, basketball is a team sport. After the season, it is an individual sport. I think we have gotten away from that, so not playing on the travel team might be the best thing your daughter could do. OC

Remember, during the season basketball is a team sport. After the season it is an individual sport.

With more than 27 years of coaching and recruiting experience, Kevin Cantwell knows the physical and mental impact the game has on today’s players. For 16 years he served as an associate head coach for Bobby Cremins at Georgia Tech. He also served as an assistant and head coach for Appalachian State University. He has coached and recruited 22 NBA players.

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