+ Roster Formation: I want to be clear from the beginning that I will not have swing players. After a week of evaluation the coaches will choose our squads. I will have no more than 12 athletes on my roster. If there are injuries during the season, players quit, are suspended or are ineligible the coaches will discuss roster moves from the JV to varsity.
+ Playing Time: Our philosophy is simple. You come to work every day with a good attitude, you work hard in practice, you take care of business in school, you are a good teammate, you will get playing time. How much is entirely up to the coach to decide, but the athlete will get “paid”. On the other hand, if the athlete does not meet these requirements, it does not matter how skilled they are, they will sit the bench until their behavior changes.
+ The Do Nots as Parents:
1) Do not approach coaches after a game to complain about your child’s playing time or any other matter. Our job after a game is to get into the locker room and get our athletes re-focused on the next step.
2) Do not criticize on social media: If you have a complaint about a coach, there is a personnel policy that allows a complaint to be investigated.
3) Do not undermine the coach to your child: One of the most difficult aspects of coaching an athlete is when the coach and parents are not aligned. If you are bad mouthing a coach to your child at home, this will only be detrimental to the team’s progress. Use Par 2 above as the appropriate means to address issues that you see. If your child is having an issue with another player or coach, encourage them to first seek the guidance of one of our tri-captains (Jake Moore, Jamison Nystrom, Pete Kamel). If this does not solve the problem, the next step is to approach the coach for a more formal meeting.
4) Do not cause issues in the stands: Our athletes can hear you, it distracts them from the game and does not help us perform. Coaches will make their complaints to referees known when they must, but parents criticizing referees, athletes or other fans serves no legitimate purpose.
+ Understand that the coaches are aligned as one unit. We are extensions of the other coaches and what we do is discussed and decided on as a program.
+ We measure success by player experience/development first. Wins and losses are a product of everything outlined here. I want to be very clear that if we develop as a group, enjoy our season, learn, and continue to love the game, we have won, regardless of how many times we outscore our opponents on the court.
Bellows Falls Basketball 