Coaching Teaches Life Lessons

By JAYANT SUBRAHMANYAM Palisadian-Post Intern Growing up in Pacific Palisades allowed me to participate in a variety of youth sports leagues, from the Palisades Pony Baseball Association and AYSO Region 69 soccer to basketball and flag football at the Palisades Recreation Center. Most of these experiences took place in my adolescent years, when questioning authority is the norm, not the exception. I was no different. Whether because of teenage arrogance or simple overconfidence, I always thought I knew more than my coach and that I could do a better job. This summer I had an opportunity to test my own coaching acumen. My friend Edwin Pouldar (a fellow senior at Palisades High) and I coached the Huskies, a junior basketball team (ages 14-16) at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center in West LA. We met the team at the first practice in late June. Several players immediately stood out: Solomon, the heady point guard whose mini-Afro bounced every time he jumped for a rebound; Kevin, who could always be counted on to play defense; and Anthony, whose cocky attitude we would need to rectify in the coming weeks. Several problems emerged as the season started and we won only one of our first three games. First, because we lacked significant size and hustle we got out-rebounded almost every game. Second, we were stagnant on offense, with little ball movement, penetration or cutting. I told my team that size is merely a luxury, not a necessity. The team that boxes out, grabs loose balls and tries hardest will always win. I repeated this at practice and games. We also installed a basic offense to counter a 2-3 zone defense and designed several plays to free up Daniel, who had developed into our best shooter over the course of the season. As our season progressed, the team and the entire coaching experience increasingly confounded me. Once we lost by allowing an offensive rebound off a free throw with four seconds left, despite our emphasis on boxing out and rebounding. In many instances we were still lost on offense, no matter how many times Edwin and I screamed, “screen,” “cut,” or “penetrate to the basket!” Our plays and offense were so simple that I couldn’t see how anyone with any experience playing organized basketball could not understand them. My frustrations hit their peak when we called timeout with seven seconds left in the first half of our sixth game and drew up a play to get Daniel an open three-pointer in the corner. Instead, Anthony caught the inbounds pass, took two dribbles, and hoisted up a jumper. Airball. I wasn’t mad because of the shot itself or Anthony’s initiative to create his own offense. Rather, it was his disregard for the team and the disrespect to Edwin and myself in ignoring our instructions that bothered me. I intimated this to the team in the post-game huddle and later in private to Anthony. I explained that when I played basketball, I hated a structured offense, but eventually I realized it benefited my team. By explaining that I was once in his shoes I was able to communicate my message much more effectively. In previous cases I thought my age hindered my ability to establish authority, but here my experience lent my words credibility. Our season was not a success in the traditional sense. We finished 2-6 in the regular season, hampered by our lack of size and the reduction of our roster to five or six players for practices and games. In my eyes, however, the season was meaningful. Rather than wins and losses, I focused on our effort level. I was never mad if we played hard and lost by 20 points, but I was angry if we lost by 30 and quit in the last 10 minutes. That is what I stressed to the players and what I hope they take away from the season. Coaching a team gave me new perspective on how I view authority figures. Staying positive while attempting to get my players to listen and follow directions has given me a new appreciation for coaches and leaders. Not only will I feel my own coach’s frustrations when we play poorly, but I will understand even more the elated feeling when we play better and beyond our abilities. I still believe I am a good coach simply because my players learned from me. I showed them that the journey is ultimately more important than the destination, and that as long as they gave the effort and played hard, I would proud of them. This idea will certainly help me this year at PaliHi where I’ll be playing soccer and volleyball. So the next time I am inconsolable after a loss and my coach begins his speech, I’ll believe him when he delivers my least-favorite line: “Keep your heads up and be proud. There’s always the next game.” (Editor’s note: Jayant Subrahmanyam is a senior outside hitter and middle blocker on the Palisades High boys’ volleyball team.)