It has been almost two years since the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIF-SS) decided to eliminate the association rule, giving all California high school girls basketball coaches, among other sports, freedom to work with their athletes year-round (with the exception of a three-week “dead period” during the month of August). As a result, California student-athletes have seen, in some cases, high school coaches playing the dual role of high school and club coach. Although this freedom has been established in other states for some time, the level of intensity (both physically and mentally) that high school sports cultivates today gives plenty of room for discussion on what effect this dual role has on the physical and mental growth of the student-athlete.

As a current high school coach and former club coach/director, I find myself torn on the issue. I think most (if not all!) coaches would agree that high level competition is important in the overall development of the student-athlete, especially for those athletes who desire to play at the collegiate level. However, one could also argue that the development of the team and one’s pride and loyalty to the organization, in this case the school, are also key components to the overall development of the student-athlete, regardless of whether she desires to play collegiate sports or not. It may also serve an athlete well to have the same coach be able to learn and grow with them for four complete years. Or maybe it is better to learn different parts of the game from different coaches to expand one’s knowledge and skill? So, which is the most important? High level competition? Team unity? School loyalty? Consistency in leadership/coaching? Or possibly something else entirely?

Student-athletes constantly find themselves torn between loyalty to their high school program and their desire for exposure at the club level. Let’s be honest, an average high school program cannot compete at the elite club level, or at least shouldn’t be able to if the club team consists of the top players from a given area. But let’s also be honest on the other front, an average club team, in my opinion, cannot compete with the type of unity and team pride that comes from being a part of a high school team.

“Consistency in coaching can only benefit the student-athlete. The more a talented coach knows a player’s game, the more they can help develop their individual skill,” says Courtney Banghart, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Princeton University. “For those programs where the high school coach is willing and able to coach the team all year round, there are clearly benefits.”

Along with the consistency in coaching, the building of a team is important and will serve a student-athlete greatly, far beyond anything she will accomplish on the court. Loyalty is something that I have seen quickly deteriorate at the high school level, so an emphasis on this trait could also be beneficial in the long run for student-athletes in their personal and professional life. These arguments serve as support for high school coaches taking his or her team year-round.

“High school coaches have probably been the most adversely affected in this process and unfortunately, so has the high school teams and the spirit of high school sports,” said Greg Adams, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Western New Mexico State. “I think what high school coaches may find is that their efforts to form a club team to help their teams develop close bonds and team chemistry may actually have an opposite effect, because the purpose and goals of the club season may conflict with their own team-based desires.”

However, high level competition, the kind that most high school teams can’t compete with, can arguably be great practice for life beyond the court as well. How many times will a student-athlete’s experience on the playing field against elite competition be a valuable learning experience for a potential job interview or a high intensity board room discussion with his or her superiors?

As a club coach, I wanted the best kids in my area. I would have conversation after conversation with high school coaches and work with them to make it a win/win situation for the high school programs and the kids. While some high school coaches are supportive of this approach, others are seeking to build a program that can compete at the top levels. But getting there is a challenge, and sometimes it is to the detriment of the student-athletes if it means that they need to sacrifice playing club ball to please their high school coach.

“(But) there are also benefits to the AAU program and the opportunity it offers for student-athletes to play alongside and against more collective talent than many high school sectors can provide alone. This eliminates the possibility of playing for the same coach all year round, but often increases the level of competition, “ said Banghart. “I’m a firm believer that much is learned through healthy competition. In hot beds of national talent, a high school team may be able to compete at the highest level. In many other areas of the country, AAU promotes the development of the game by bringing talented players from a variety of areas.”

What about those student-athletes who leave their high school teams to play with a club team, only to find that the club coach is not teaching new skills and is not promoting the growth of the player? Or maybe worse, what if a high school coach insists that the players stays with the high school team year-round, but the high school coach is not experienced and is not capable of offering the level of knowledge and understanding of the game that a potential club coach can?

I think that no matter what the rules state there are going to be situations that are better or worse for different players, depending on the skill level of the player as well as the coach’s experience and expectations of the team.

As a high school coach, I want my kids year-round. I want to grow a program; I want to create the strongest team unity that we possibly can, which cannot be done in four months. I want to travel with the team, I want the families to feel a part of the program, and I want the girls to grow together to truly know what it feels like to be a team. However, I also want my kids to compete at the highest levels, which I know is not possible with our high school program (yet!).

My solution to date has been to leave the decision up to the player. Every decision a player makes is a learning experience and allows them to grow and become more decisive when it comes to what is important to them. It’s these types of decisions that prepare the student-athlete for bigger ones down the road, the next one most likely being where to attend college. This approach may change in the future for my program, but for now I see this option as the best opportunity for the student-athlete to use the game and grow as an individual.

Mallen has coached girls’ basketball for 11 years at the High School, AAU and NCAA Div. III levels and is currently the Asst. Coach at Newbury Park High School in Southern California. She earned a dual B.A. degree, Summa Cum Laude, in Marketing Communication and Psychology from Cal Lutheran University in 2006. A 2006 NCAA “Woman of the Year” Candidate, Mallen was a four-year captain and starting point guard for the Regals, who won Back-to-Back SCIAC Conference Championships in her junior and senior seasons. Mallen has lead her club and high school teams to numerous tournament championships and has aided the Lady Panthers to three Marmonte League Championships in the last four years. In addition to coaching, Mallen is the Western Territory Manager for Nfinity Athletic Corp and also serves as the President of WISE-Los Angeles.

View Original Post at prettytough.com

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