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6 Reason Why Handling Team Success Is So Difficult
By Coach Randy Brown

Winning basketball games is the goal of every coach and team around the world. We put in unbelievable work and sacrifice to improve as coaches and players around the clock. Winning is the goal and anything short of victory is not good enough. What happens when success goes to the head of coaches and players? Read this article and find out.

Once a level of success is reached many different things can happen. A common saying in sports is, "As hard as it is to become successful, it's much harder to remain successful." An analysis of great teams at all levels indicates that for a multitude of reasons, success rarely remains consistent. The average fan believes that championships should generate additional titles on an annual basis. Those in the trenches of coaching realize that this is a very difficult undertaking.

1. Even when the coaches stay grounded and level headed about how good they are, the players usually don’t. Players love to listen to others tell them how good they are. The second they begin to buy into the campus talk, they become less focused and committed to the “small things” that made them a good team in the first place. Coaches can also become less demanding of themselves and their staff when thing are going well. This is a dangerous place for a team, as a loose coach will allow loose practices. When practice quality dips, a bad lose is on the horizon.

2. There is a natural tendency for practice to be better and more focused early in the season because every thing is new and all teams have a chance for a great season. At mid-season, losses are imprinted on teams who just lose steam and give up. What you are trying to do is hard, but you will be successful because you are aware of it now are want to make sure they don’t slip. Keeping practice fresh, purposeful, and short are good ideas in the midst of success.

3. Winning can be a real trap. I strongly believe that you must decide as a coach what you stand for and stick with it the entire season. My article, The 30 Minute Practice Test, will explain this in detail. Every coach must have three pieces of the game that they are totally committed to, everyday. What are your Three? Do not get away from the basics, the fundamentals of the game. Once you decide what is mandatory for winning, be committed to those things in every practice, film session, individual workout, and game.

4. Practice wins game. If I believe anything, it’s that practice quality wins games. Good teams practice well and practices are intense, competitive because winning means a lot to the kids! Carefully evaluate your practice quality, time of practice, and make players accountable. Let your kids know that a turnover in practice or missed free throw will show up in the game. There is no way around it. The idea of being a “gamer” is a fantasy for both players and teams!

5. There is a big difference between making players accountable and being demanding of them AND putting pressure on them. The good coaches I know are GREAT at the former. With a structure, they keep player loose and let them play. I think because you are a fairly new coach, this will be important for you to think about and come up with a plan.

6. I honestly believe that if your focus and your team’s focus is on minute, hourly, and daily improvement and commitment to your Top 3, you will naturally improve. The improvement will be hard to see because it is so small each day, but 5 weeks from now it will be enough to have them playing at their highest potential level! This is what all coaches desire by mid-February, and I’m confident you can get them there!

To become successful in building a program and winning games is a great accomplishment. When you are able to duplicate that success year in and your out, you join an elite class of coaches. Hopefully, these 6 keys can help you stay on top of your game and successfully duplicate success.