NHSBCA October Newsletter

October 2015

Message from President Logan

This time of the year always seems to be exciting at so many levels. Professionalbaseball is in the heat of the series race, professional football is starting to sort out the contenders, high school fall sports are leaning into the end of their seasons, and many states are having or just finishing their annual clinics for basketball as that season draws nearer.

Something that is becoming increasingly apparent to me as I visit with coaches at various levels from around the nation is that the concepts of x and o basketball, while still very relevant and necessary to the success of the game, isn’t the predictor or measure of success as much anymore. I find it ironic that at a time when we see coaches being moved out due to their won/loss records, the real need of the players and the teams they form are more in the character and interpersonal levels than the skill levels.

While each team and each player present their own sets of needs, as coaches we have to be the ones to lead form the front. As we work with the young people of all ages who play the game, we need to be purposeful in our approach to what we are teaching, and hopefully, that is more than just the x and o aspects of a great game. Soft skills, team chemistry, character, whatever you define that need, are more often the places where coaches win and lose more than in the x and o arenas.

If the NHSBCA can ever help you as a coach, or as a state, in any of these areas, with finding resources, making contact with such resources, and implementing such resources, please get in contact with us through our webpage.

That being said, we as an NHSBCA Executive Board are excited to see new states joining this organization, other states now forming their own Coaches Association, and the growth and achievements of our long time members. To you all, congratulations and continued good fortune.

Hope to see you all next July in Kansas City!!

Executive Board 2015-2016

During the recent annual meetings in Las Vegas, the NHSBCA restricted several positions on the Executive Board for the betterment of not only our association but also our member states. All board members and thegeneral membership approved the changes for this year. The board is now structured as following:

Don Logan (President - Iowa)

  • Nalin Sood (President Elect - Washington)
  • Greg Grantham (Past President - North Carolina)
  • Dave Archer (Senior Director of Operations - New York)
  • Rich Czeslawski (Director of Development and Communication - Illinois)
  • Dave Ginsberg (Secretary/Treasurer - Michigan)
  • Steve Witty (Board member Emeritus - Indiana)
  • Tom Hursey (Board member Emeritus - Michigan)
  • Tom Barrick (Ad Hoc Board member - Ohio)
  • Chris Nimmo (Ad Hoc Board member - Missouri)

We are all excited with how our board shapes up and as we move forward hope this changes will allow the NHSBCA to evolve and grow as the foremost association serving high school coaches in the United States!

Special Projects

The NHSBCA for two years promoted and organized the national tournament for NHSBCA member states. During these two years, top players and coaches from across the United States participated in our tournament that was held at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. After two years the NHSBCA decided to refocus our efforts and time on our associations goals and away from this tournament. This was not an easy decision due to the success of this tournament and opportunity it gave our student-athletes and coaches. Luckily, the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association is strongly looking into hosting this tournament next summer in The Dells Wisconsin. Keep an eye out for more information on this great event in one of the upcoming newsletters

Las Vegas Recap and Successes

  • NAIA–Chris Nimmo continues to maintain contact with this association and building off of this years dialogue at our annual meetings. We look forward to having the NAIA again be a part of our 2016 meetings.
  • NJCAA–As with the NAIA, the NJCAA presentation was a success in Las Vegas. BothSteve Wittyand Don Logan are workingtowards getting a solid Junior College representative to next summer meetings.
  • NBCA–The NBA Coaches Association with the support of HallPass Media did a great job supporting the NHSBCA this summer. Discounted tickets to the NBA Summer League and providing Coach Dwane Casey of the Toronto Raptors to speak at our Court of Honor banquet provided a great experience for those that went to games or heard Coach Casey speak. The NHSBCA expressed their “thanks” to the NBA Coaches Association and HallPass Media of which was shared with NBA coaches this past September at their meetings in Chicago.
  • Kansas City–Basketball Coaches Association of Missouri will be the host state of the 2016 annual meetings on July 12th-14th, 2016.

2015-2016 Membership Dues

  • 2,000 members and above $750
  • 1999 members to 500 $500
  • 499 members and below $250

To be considered a good-standing and voting member of the NHSBCA please make your payment to NHSBCA and mail to:

David B. Ginsberg

Secretary/Treasurer, NHSBCA

P.O. Box 117

Grawn, MI 49637

12 Attributes of Elite Point Guards

byBrian Roper

Great point guard play is easy to recognize but can be difficult to define. You could bring up the names John Stockton, Magic Johnson and Chris Paul, and everyone would agree they’re all great point guards. However, if you asked coaches what they want most in a point guard, you would get many different answers.

In reflecting on what we want here at Lynden High School (Washington), I have come up with specific qualities I hope to foster in our point guard. The first three are essential, the next four are necessary and the last five are important. In other words, I really want all these qualities, but feel we must have the first few.

  1. A desire to win.
  2. Focus on others.
  3. Ball-handling skills.
  4. Value every possession.
  5. Team coordinator.
  6. Make teammates better.
  7. Understand the situation.
  8. Directs the fast break.
  9. Penetrate gaps and make reads.
  10. Shoots a high percentage.
  11. Various gears and speeds.
  12. A defensive bulldog.

Developing point guards

  • Find them early
  • Build strong relationships
  • Ask a lot of “why?” and“how?”questions.
  • Give off-the-court assignments.
  • Ask the point guard for input
  • Develop the little things at practice

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