Spanish youth basketball coaches put a lot of effort into planning a basketball season for
their teams. At Club Estudiantes, the process involved a number of steps, from selecting
players and developing team strategies to creating a practice schedule and organising
games. Here is a brief overview of how Spanish youth basketball coaches plan a basketball
season.

First, the coach typically starts by selecting players for the team. This involves holding
tryouts for players not only from Madrid, but also all of Spain, and other countries. Coaches
are evaluating each player’s skill level, attitude, and willingness to work as part of a team. I
experienced some really great youth players sent to other clubs because they didn’t have
the right approach to playing e.g. not a team player (I’m not sure how this sits with me after
all this time, I think the whole player needs coaching). The coach will also consider factors
such as height, speed, and agility when making these selections.

Once the team is assembled, the coach will work on developing strategies that will help the
team to succeed on the court. At Estudiantes, the club philosophy involved playing with the
fastbreak, playing 1v1 and shooting well. After that coaches would look at the strengths and
weaknesses of each player, and building a style of play from there. The coach will then
create a game plan that emphasises the team’s strengths and minimises their weaknesses.
With a game plan in place, the coach will begin to develop a practice schedule that will help
the team to improve their skills and implement their strategies. This involves scheduling
regular practice sessions that focus on key areas such as shooting, dribbling, passing, and
defense, but developing these skills within the clubs philosophy of fast breaking, playing 1v1
and shooting.

The coach will also work on building team cohesion and developing a positive team culture
by incorporating team-building exercises and activities. Coaches and players spent time
before and after practices and games chatting and connecting! We had many team meals
over the season. With the older ones this was in restaurants and with the little ones we had
packed lunches on the bench. For a coach like me who is passionate about building a
connection with players, I really enjoyed these team building activities and the benefits were
there for all to see. It was definitely a take home for me when I went back to coach in the
U.K.

Finally, at the end of the season, the coach will evaluate the team’s performance and identify
areas for improvement. This involves looking at both individual and team performance, as
well as analysing the strategies and tactics that were used throughout the season. The
coach will then use this information to plan for the next season, making adjustments and
improvements based on the lessons learned from the previous year. Often teams were two
year projects for coaches so it was a great opportunity to plan for two seasons rather than
one e.g. season one the individual skills will be focused upon and in season two we will
focus more on team tactics.

Of course, this is just an outline and there are many more details within the details but that is a good start. From selecting players, to developing
strategies, creating a practice schedule, and evaluating performance it is clear that planning a season is a complex process that requires a lot of time, effort, and attention to detail, but it is essential for helping young basketball players to develop their skills, build teamwork, and achieve their full potential on and off court.