SoutheasternOhioPreps.com

This topic was requested by Trojan coach Eugene Collins to be included on the SEOPS basketball forum.

Yesterday I happened to stop in and catch a few minutes of practice, and instead I saw a panel of 5 Portsmouth coaches interviewing individual players with all the other players sitting there listening. When a player's name was called, that player stood and answered questions ranging from their commitment to the program, how they will relate to their teammates, would they ask for any help from coaches, and would they spend extra time working on their skills, etc. The players also filled out a questionnaire prior to the interviews. There were about 25 players total participating, from seniors to freshmen.

Each player was assessed as to what they could bring to the program, and were reminded of the standards of Portsmouth basketball. The kids I thought responded well and the coaches were very upfront with each individual as to their strengths and weaknesses. The interviews lasted about an hour and a half total, and then a typical practice was begun, starting with a lot of running.

I personally thought it was a great idea to do this; it was something that I have never seen before and I really believe it was very beneficial to the kids. It wasn't meant in any way to embarrass anyone, instead it was done I believe to take the team concept to a new level. It was very unique and I hope that the kids will take to heart what was learned by this.

Coach Collins told the kids that he really believes that these Trojans could be the surprise team of the SE district this season, and the kids all showed a lot of emotion when he related this to them. Practice then started, and there was a huge amount of energy shown by the kids. He told me that this group is the hardest working group that's he's had in a long time. What's encouraging also is that there is only 2 seniors in the program, so the great majority will be back next season.

GO TROJANS!! OHIO'S 10TH WINNINGEST PROGRAM OF ALL TIME, AND #1 IN THE SE DISTRICT!!

that sounds great trojandave. My only take from the whole thing is what did you expect Coach to tell you? They were the worst group he's ever had! LOL All coaches are optimistic and think they will do well and will tell kids anything to get them to practice hard. It still comes down to 2 things. Can you get stops and can you put that brown ball in the round cylinder! Good luck to your trojans!

baseball16: You're right about coaches feeling optimistic about their team, but that was not the main point of the post, instead it was the methodology used in dealing with each individual player. I thought it was a very unique approach, using a group setting, rather than a one on one session. Coming off an 8-16 season, why not try something different?

Really cool idea. Not just for basketball but in life. Panel interviews are tough.

This is a common new age practice centered around a player driven rather than coach driven philosophy. It builds a standard of accountability by allowing players to see what their teammates are promising, thus allowing the players to hold each other accountable.

I have had some coaches be pretty frank with me. I'm sure they wouldn't tell the kids or let it out on media but I even had one coach make a comment that everyone calling him a genius that season would call him an idiot the next due to what they were graduating vs what they were brining back.