It is with great interest that I am starting to see players from the successful 2002 World Championship campaign starting wind down their careers. A number of them are choosing to move into the world of coaching. This surely can only bode well for the future of basketball in New Zealand.

Well the season is under way and there we no real surprises from a win/loss point of view but certainly the start of the season unearthed some exciting players to watch this year. In one of the finest debuts in my time in the NZNBL Waikato import Eric Devondorf started with an exemplary scoring effort of 49 points to help the Pistons route Nelson on opening night of our new season. Nelson were certainly at a disadvantage not having a number of players at training as they finished their commitments in the ANBL.

Over the years I have read plenty of letter’s to the editor, received emails with complaints and listened to people complain about this or that. Why is it that a majority of these complaints come with very few if any solutions? As a coach I am often criticised for the job I do. There is always someone out there who will not agree with what I have done whether it be a sub, a certain play or the way I have instructed the team to defend a particular situation. Interestingly when I say to the person complaining what would you do, they often don’t really have a relevant solution.

Training is such an important part of an athlete’s preparation yet it astounds me that many do not have clear goals for practice. About a week ago I asked the team who had set any goals for training, given them-selves a clear focus going into practice. The response from the team was only one player out of thirteen. I was quite amazed as the one player was not a senior player or an experienced but on of the younger team members. Yet I have many members who say they want to play for the Tall Blacks at this year’s World Championships.

I finished practice tonight wondering what it is that today’s youth want out of basketball. Over the last week or so I have made it known about the possible spots available in the Hawks team for the coming season. In a continuation of my last article I am a little dumbfounded by the lack ambition by some of the young players around the Hawkes Bay area. When you ask players what it is they would like out of basketball you get all the right answers. Examples are: I want to play in the NBA, I want to be a Tall Black, and I want to play in Europe etc.

I often read articles about the younger players of today and how different they are. How are they different, well there are certainly more choices available to our youth today than when I was growing up. I grew up mostly in country Victoria in Australia and we certainly didn’t have all the choices available that the youth have today. I have really noticed it even more since I have been out and inviting some young players to our Hawks preseason trainings.

Who would be a coach? What drives people to take up coaching as a profession? You live in a world where you often feel like every day that goes by is a day closer to getting the sack. Sometimes you feel you have done a great job only to not get the results you desire. It is often said that when a team wins it is because of the players and when the team loses it is the coach’s fault. Look at Robbie Deans at the moment. Hailed as a super coach only two years ago, now being questioned as a coach.

I often feel when talking to junior coaches and other coaches that as a hole we are too soft on our players. A lot say they are not but I think in all honesty we have all been guilty of letting an athlete get away with something that they should have been punished for. But what is the definition of being tough on a player?

By: Paulo Kennedy

The Best Ever?

It's always a popular topic of conversation. Is the NBL better now than it has been on the court, or were the good old days - or just a few years removed - the glory times of the league?

Late in the 2008 NBL season, when comparing the claims of Ebi Ere and Chris Anstey for the league MVP, then Bullets coach Joey Wright said quite frankly that Ere’s efforts of scoring 27.1ppg at 49% from the field made him the standout candidate.

Who is the best coach you have? This is a great question because during our careers we come across different people that have a lasting effect on us. As a player I vividly remember which coaches made the biggest difference to me. While some were better than others I know every coach I ever had had a positive effect on me in some way. Sure at the time I didn’t see the lesson but as time went on I was able to understand what the lesson was about.