Inspiration often comes from those who come before us and those we aspire to one day be like. Use these quotes to inspire and motivate you to move to a new level and become a better basketball coach.
“I always designed my practice plans the night before and then made tweaks a few hours before practice began” – Bob Knight
“The key is to maintain an evenness. Try to play one possession at a time, regardless of what happened on the last possession” – Brad Stevens
“What do you do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it” – Dean Smith
“I’m looking for activity. I put players in and take them out based on effort and defense, not making or missing shots” – Doc Rivers
“Plays are not as important as players, and players are not as important as teammates” – Don Meyer
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“The worst day coaching is better than the best day doing anything else” – Don Meyer
“No one is bigger than the team. If you can’t do things our way, you’re not getting time here and we don’t care who you are” – Gregg Popovich
“Don’t try to imitate other coaches. Be your own person with your own style and do your own thing” – Hubie Brown
“Other people go to the office. I get to coach. I know I’ve been blessed” – Jim Valvano
“What do you do to help us win when you’re not scoring baskets?” – John Calipari
“1. Be on time.
2. Never criticize a teammate.
3. Never use profanity”
– John Wooden
“A coach must never forget that he is a leader and not merely a person with authority” – John Wooden
“You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one” – John Wooden
“Put great thought to what and how you practice. Once practice is done you can never get that time back. Did you simulate the game?” – Kevin Eastman
All the successful teams I’ve ever seen have 3 characteristics: They play unselfish, they play together, and they play hard” – Larry Brown
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A common mistake among those who work in sport is spending a disproportional amount of time on “x’s and o’s” as compared to time spent learning about people” – Mike Krzyzewski
“In developing teams, I don’t believe in rules. I believe in standards. Rules don’t promote teamwork, standards do” – Mike Krzyzewski
“We communicate all the time, even when we don’t realize it. Be aware of body language” – Pat Summitt
“Switch if you have to! It’s not the mismatch that beats you, it’s the open shot!” – Rick Majerus
“Not talking on the floor is the least recognized form of selfishness but maybe the most dangerous to your team having success” – Tom Crean
“Discipline is the greatest form of love you can show someone. Great players crave discipline” – Tom Izzo
“A bad day coaching basketball is better than a good day doing almost anything else” – Bob Hurley
“Offense is spacing and spacing is offense” – Chuck Daly
“Don’t ever have a rule that you won’t enforce with your best player” – Doug Collins
“The more things we can get kids to do correctly off the court, the more they will do correctly on the court” – Mike Jarvis
Coach Matt Dennis is the current boys basketball coach at Otsego H.S. in Otsego, MI. His goal is to create a winning basketball program from top to bottom. He enjoys working with coaches and helping them find more success in less time just as he's done in his coaching career. You can learn more about Coach and his journey by clicking here .