MUKWONAGO BOYS BASKETBALL
PROGRAM HANDBOOK
2015-2016
Congratulations on making this year’s basketball team! To the new freshman families, we welcome you to the high school program. We wish all of you many successes this year and hopefully, throughout your high school career. Please remember that you are an athlete at Mukwonago High School and that carries with it a long-standing tradition of excellence! You are expected to always represent MHS with class, honor, and integrity. In this booklet you will find all the necessary information to make this season a success. Information specific to players, to managers, and, perhaps most important of all, to parents, is contained in these pages. As I’m sure you will learn, the coaches will work hard this season and upcoming off-season to help your son become a better person, student, and player. If you have any questions about the contents of this booklet, please don’t hesitate to ask. I think you’ll find the coaches to be open and helpful. -Coach Haasser
I. INTRODUCTION
· Head Varsity Coach- Mr. Jim Haasser
· Assistant Varsity Coach- Mr. Kyle Barton
· Assistant Varsity Coach- Mr. Jim Essman
· Sophomore Coach- Mr. Steven Pollnow
· Assistant Sophomore Coach- Mr. Jay Dybul
· Freshman Coach- Mr. George Johnson
· Freshman B Coaches- Mr. Jay Christiansen and Mr. Ryan Vodnik
II. EXPECTATIONS
· “Teamism”- There are a ton of cliché’s out there regarding team and team chemistry. We love them all. It is imperative that coaches, players, and parents realize we are ALL members of the same team- The Mukwonago Indians. As indicated above, being an athlete at MHS puts you on a team of young men and ladies who sacrifice much of their free time for the privilege of representing our fine school. Do not take this opportunity lightly as that would disrespect everyone else before you who have worn the jersey! Great efforts will be made by the coaches to insure a positive relationship with each of the young men on the team. Coaches need to effectively communicate to players their role (this includes playing time) on the team so as to maximize that positive relationship. Players do not need to like their role. They do, however, need to work hard to fill that role as best as they can. If a player does not like his role, he should make an effort to speak with the coaches outside of practice/team time to discuss ways of changing that role. This is the responsibility of the young men in our program.
“Earn the right to be proud and confident.”
· Player Expectations- As a member of the Mukwonago High School Boys Basketball Program, players are expected to be positive members of the team, school, and surrounding community. All team members must abide by the MHS Athletic Code as well as the following:
1. Basketball players are expected to be students first. We want our players to be the best scholar athlete they can be. Don’t allow yourself to be a one-dimensional student (just an athlete) very much like you wouldn’t allow your “game” to be one-dimensional. Missed practice time as a result of getting extra help is considered an excused absence.
2. No player may engage in activities that seem to put him before the team. Players are expected to be well groomed as well as have an appropriate haircut for the entire season. Coaches at each level have their own policies on these issues so specific questions should be directed to them.
3. Players are expected to participate in the weekly “Character Education” activities as assigned by his coach (if applicable).
4. Being members of this basketball family, players are expected to be supportive of each other.
5. Fundraising. A very real part of all school activities and clubs so ours is no different.
6. As is the case with expectations like these, there will be exceptions. Surprisingly, very few situations are exactly the same and as such, some flexibility needs to exist on the part of the staff to ensure unequal situations are treated as fairly as possible. As players, some understanding of this fact is necessary in order for harmony to exist on the team. Petty jealousies only confuse the process of developing a cohesive team working together to attain a season of significance.
· Parent Expectations- It is the hope of any coaching staff that parents are supportive of all players and the coaching staff. There may be times when you, as a parent, have a disagreement with the determination of roles. This is not unexpected. We ask that you keep this out of your conversations with your son. If your son is happy with his role and you are not, this is a situation you will have to remedy on your own. If your son is unhappy with his role, as already stated in this booklet, it is his responsibility to discuss the matter with his coach. If that conversation isn’t helpful and an additional conversation is desired (with you present-at his request), please seek to discuss this with the coaches in an appropriate place, at an appropriate time (not after a game—use the 24-hour rule!), and in an appropriate conversation. Remember this thought: players hear their classmates discussing issues of roles on a daily basis. Let’s work hard to make sure you are not adding to that pressure at home. Not all issues will be resolved in a satisfactory way for all involved parties. The coaches have the opportunity to work with the players on a daily basis so their knowledge of the game, the player, and the team determines each player’s role.
“The best way to improve the team is to improve yourself.”
· Parents are reminded that they too represent our team in the school community and on game days. We hope all parents exhibit positive, supportive, and non-combative behaviors no matter how bad the situation seems to be. An example of this would be on those nights when it is perceived that a game is being poorly officiated. Another embarrassing example is when parents verbally or non-verbally undercut players or staff members while at games. These actions single those parents out for who they might really be—unsupportive detractors for our basketball teams.
· It is a long-standing tradition in our program (varsity only) to have team dinners at the homes of our parents on game days. For this tradition to continue, we ask for your support. We also seek your input in case you see a way to improve the tradition. It has been reported to us as coaches that the guys are typically very well behaved at these events and if they aren’t, please feel free to involve us in the process so we can help. On these nights, please don’t attempt to be the “best feeders” as much as you might aspire to be the “most nutritious while still keeping the kids happy”! J
III. PRACTICES
· Players are expected be on time for all practices, team meetings and team functions.
· All practices are closed to parents, friends, and other family members unless modified by the head coach of a particular team. We cannot overstate the pressure or discomfort parent attendance at practice brings even if your son won’t admit it.
· Players are expected to have their practice gear every night. They may also wear items which are not allowable on game nights like tights or non-medical sleeves.
· An excused absence from practice must include a note/email from a parent, a teacher, or from a doctor. Examples of an excused absence may include being sick and not in school, a doctor appointment, or a family vacation. At all times, communicate with the appropriate coach in advance of any absence- all it takes is a quick phone call/text or email. If a player must leave school during the school day for an illness or appointment, that player should stop to talk to one of his coaches before leaving the building. As a rule, missed practice time results in the player falling behind his teammates. Parents please understand that this is an extremely tough situation for the coach, as all players must be treated fairly. Again, each coach has his own policies on this issue so questions should be directed to them.
· Practices on Saturday mornings as well as those occurring over vacations should be approached with the same level of commitment and effort as those occurring at regular times.
· In the case of inclement weather and school is cancelled, there could still be practices for the JV and/or Varsity teams. These practices would be optional for those participants and word of these would come from either Coaches Pollnow or Haasser or the varsity captains.
· All members of the team are expected to be competitive on a daily basis in practice. ALL PLAYERS NEED TO WORK HARD ENOUGH EACH NIGHT TO INSURE IMPROVEMENT FOR ALL INVOLVED. Anything less is a waste of time and will not be tolerated. As a player, never let yourself wonder if you could have worked harder to improve yourself.
“Big things are accomplished only through the perfection of minor details.”
IV. GAMES
· The first expectation on game night is that the Indians display passion and respect for the game of basketball, for their teammates and their fans. Through these actions, opposing players, coaches and fans will gain an appreciation for what we do, how well we do it and ultimately respect us for our efforts. This happens whether we win or lose and whether we are talented or not.
· Keep in mind that all players are representing their team, their school, their family, and their community at all times. As members of the various teams, players are expected to dress on game days in a way that is reflective of a team. Tights, sleeves, radical socks and other items that serve to draw extra attention to a single player during a game are considered undesirable items. Before and after the games, dress shirts, ties, sweaters, dress pants, and dress shoes should be considered necessary. Dress shirts should be tucked in before and after the game while no one is to wear their stocking and/or baseball hat indoors.
· All underclassmen are expected to stay for the varsity game on Friday nights. The goal of any underclassman player should be to one day make the varsity team. With that thought in mind, watching and supporting the current varsity team is part of that growth. We allow some flexibility on Tuesday night road games due to homework issues. Underclassmen players that routinely skip out of varsity games will be noted.
· Players on the bench during the game are expected to be actively involved in the game. Cheering, clapping, yelling words of encouragement and/or advice are all acceptable forms of bench behavior. When it is your turn to get into the game, be sure you are mentally prepared to help the team. Players going to the bench will remain positive and coachable taking a seat next to the coach to receive instruction.
· All players must treat officials with respect. It is not the job of players to question the calls made during the game. Every negative reaction is hurting our chances to get the next call in our favor. Great sportsmanship will be expected at all levels.
· The school’s policy regarding bus travel is very clear. Any player wishing to ride home with a parent needs to have his parent speak to the appropriate coach. Any player wishing to ride home with the parents of a teammate must have the proper form on file with Mr. Andy Trudell or his secretary by the end of school on game day.
· At the conclusion of the game, players should go directly to the designated location for post game discussion.
· No players are allowed to sleep in the day following a game or the day of a game. This completely undermines our mission of placing academic performance above athletic performance and will be dealt with severely. We ask our parents to support us in this mission. Remember this always: your child’s best chance at gaining acceptance into the college of his dreams is through his diligence in this area.
V. MISCELLANEOUS
· The uniforms that are handed out to all players at the beginning of the season are special. They have our team name on them and thus carry with it the great history of Mukwonago Athletics. Remember, Mukwonago has been represented at the Boys State Tournament four times in the past 25 years so there should be great pride in wearing these uniforms. Please take good care of them.
“The man who is afraid to risk failure seldom gets to face success.”
· The managers that volunteer their time to help our program deserve the respect of all involved. Just as coaches would not take their assistance for granted, players should also recognize how committed these people are. Anything that can be done to help make their job a little easier should be done.
· All program participants are expected to be positive members of their team, the school, and the surrounding community. As coaches, we expect our players to be role models in the classroom so referrals and/or detentions will be dealt with severely. Being a problem in the classroom is sending a message saying you believe you are more important than the team.
· With the ever-expanding world of technology come new and difficult challenges. Almost monthly, we hear of a prominent official or athlete who jeopardizes his or her career by being careless with social media. Facebook, Twitter and text messaging are extremely popular ways for our society to communicate with one another but we need to remember we are members of a team. As such, you need to be just as careful about your comments and photos as you would be in a normal conversation. If you wouldn’t want pictures or comments to be on the front page of the Journal Sentinel/Chief, then it’s a good bet these items have no business being posted anywhere else. We ask that you always remember you represent yourself, your family, this community and more importantly during your time with us, this team at all times and if you do something irresponsible it reflects negatively on all of us. Keep things positive and fun please!