Section 1 · Managing your players
Why are some players so difficult to coach?
Difficult athletes usually have one of three problems: communication (they don't understand the ask), relationship (they don't trust it's in their interest), or motivation (they don't want to be there). Each has a different fix — pull before push, invest individual time, and check joy/ownership/mastery. A quick test: if they'd lift their drill score for a reward on the next attempt, the capability is there; what's missing is the environment to bring it out.
How do I keep an injured player involved?
While they're out, give them a real job — charting tendencies, tracking box-outs, encouraging from the bench — so they stay connected rather than becoming a spectator. When they return, bring them back through the bench, not straight into the starting lineup; game fitness differs from training fitness. Communicate the plan to the player, the parents and the team.
A player is in a shooting slump and losing confidence. What do I do?
Shift the standard from make-or-miss to shot quality: "I'm not watching whether it goes in — I'm watching whether you take the right shots. Keep taking them." Never remove a slumping shooter's permission to shoot; give them high-volume, low-pressure reps to rebuild the feel. Chase shots during a slump and you teach them to fear slumps; stay consistent and you teach them slumps are temporary.
A player is always late. How do I handle it?
Find out why first — actually ask, don't assume. A kid relying on a parent's late finish and public transport isn't disrespecting you. Be solution-focused ("how can we help you get here on time?"), and check whether your training time is even realistic for your athletes.
What about the player who only wants to play, never sit?
Set playing-time expectations in writing before the season, then give the player coming off a specific job on the bench. Athletes with a role are far less resentful than athletes just waiting — and what happens on the bench is part of their development.
Multi-sport athletes — when do they choose?
At junior domestic level (under-16 and below), multi-sport is actively beneficial; specialisation comes later. Only at state level and above does the training load force a choice. For domestic coaches: encourage other sports — those athletes are more resilient and more likely to still be playing at 25.
Section 2 · Managing parents
A parent ambushed me about playing time. What do I do?
In the moment, absorb it calmly and offer a specific later time ("can we talk Tuesday before training?"), then leave. Beforehand, review your playing-time records — if the minutes were roughly equal, the conversation changes; if not, own it. The permanent fix is a written playing-time philosophy distributed before the season.
How do I stop parents coaching from the sideline?
Address it before it happens, at the pre-season parent meeting: athletes hearing instructions from both coach and sideline get conflicting cues mid-play — the ask is encouragement for effort only. If it happens, handle it privately after the game. Most parents aren't undermining you; they're invested and don't know the harm.
Section 3 · Selection & the coaching craft
Balanced team or just the best players?
It depends on context — a balanced team serves a development tournament; earned spots serve a championship. The principle across both: never select an underprepared athlete on talent alone, and treat consistency of effort as a selection criterion, not an afterthought. And pick the offence that fits your players, not the one you love conceptually.
How do I keep the team motivated when results are average?
Make motivation process-driven, not result-driven ("are we getting better? are we doing what we said we'd do?"), change the stimulus to beat mid-season predictability, and bring your own energy — a flat coach makes a flat session.
My team won't box out.
If you value it, they value it. Rebounding is a habit and a culture, not a skill — practise it, track it, reward it, and add consequences (a missed box-out is an instant turnover in a scrimmage). Box out every practice and it becomes automatic.
How do I start using video with a junior team?
Start with the question, not the footage — decide what you want to learn, then a propped-up phone is enough. Find three clips (not eleven), and send a specific question before athletes watch, or they'll just watch themselves. Start with free tools (YouTube, iMovie) and add paid ones only as you need them.
A rival is running zone against under-12s and beating us.
Don't run zone back — circumventing the under-12 zone ban costs your athletes development time. Improve your spacing so the zone has fewer places to hide, teach the gaps (elbow, short corner, high post), keep moving, and report it if it's banned at that level. The teams winning with zone now will be weaker at 16.
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Coaching Conversations — Full Q&A
The full mailbag across four sections — managing players, managing parents, selection and balance, and the coaching craft — with the source season for every answer. No sign-up required.
Download the guide ↓Unofficial fan-created resource. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Basketball Victoria. All content based on the Talking Split Podcast. Full credit to Rob Calder, Mike Zeppel, Justin Shuler, Ash Arnott, Zoe Carr, Darren Best, Nathan Cooper-Brown, and all guests.