This portion of the website will be updated with brief articles and videos that discuss issues that involve youth sports and particularly youth basketball. Feel free to reach out to the director with any suggestions for this portion of the website or if you have any questions about any articles/videos that are posted.

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 Role of Parents/Guardians  

The article discusses how setbacks/failures in sports can help children develop important lifelong skills such as resiliency, the ability to talk to adults, and working hard to find solutions to challenging situations.

https://coachad.com/articles/dear-parents-i-want-your-kid-to-fail/

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Frank Martin is a highly successful Division I basketball coach who shares his philosophy on being a parent and watching his sons play youth basketball.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1OGqF5Eo1k

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The article discusses the importance of attending games as a parent/guardian-

https://www.popsugar.com/moms/Why-Parents-Should-Go-All-Kids-Games-45534642

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This article is written by a program director that has been involved in AAU and skills development for almost a decade. It focuses on negative decisions/habits that he has seen too frequently among parents. Although the title of the article, Top 10 signs of a crazy parent, may be harsh, these are definitely warning signs that parents have lost their perspective. Having been involved with youth basketball for 30 years, I personally have witnessed every item on the list, and in the last 3 years as director of the RI Magic, I can honestly say I have seen all of these from parents in our program as well.

https://mailchi.mp/cb986ac22db4/richmond-skills-clinic-2761453?e=6b8a38b4e1

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Many of our Coaches are USA Gold Certified, which is an extensive online course that offers best practices in a variety of areas, including how parents can best support their child in youth sports. Some key points are below:

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1. Cheering for their child and their team

2. Providing a listening ear after games and practices

3. Refraining from breaking down the practice or game on the car ride home

4. Respecting team culture and standard when talking to your child

5. Encouraging child to communicate issues with their coach instead of speaking on behalf of their child

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Helping Your Child Improve Their Game

This link discusses how important a growth mindset is compared to a fixed mindset and how parents can help instill a growth mindset in their child.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUWo-0yAG_Y&t=3s

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Matt Painter is the head coach of Purdue. In this brief clip from a press conference, he discusses a player who walked onto the team and ended up becoming a starter and how players need to not only accept their role on the team but embrace it to help the team win.

https://twitter.com/AndrewPogar/status/1110626085958545410

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Recruiting

Coach Fitzgerald, head football coach at Northwestern, discusses how evaluating parents is now an important part of the recruiting process. 

https://www.facebook.com/NCSAsports/videos/2253722484700137/

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