COACHES’ PHILOSOPHY

• James Naismith invented the game of basketball so that all of us could have fun playing it. We don’t think he had a vision of professional leagues, March Madness, and coaches and players making millions of dollars.  We also don’t think he invented the game to create stress in the lives of teenagers and their families.  We don’t think he invented the game so that coaches and parents would get visibly upset after a player commits a costly turnover.  We simply believe that he invented the game so that people would enjoy playing it. We want the game to be fun for everyone in our program.
  
  
• Basketball is a great activity, and just a rare few people are ever going to make a living playing it and coaching it.  So we will strive to remember that our goal is not to produce future NBA players.  It is to provide a positive experience for everyone involved with our program and help all of our players become the best that they can possibly be.
  
  
• We coach because we simply love the game, and we love being around young people.
  
  
• Being an outstanding young man, an excellent student, and a first-class son are far more important than being a good basketball player.
  
  
• The success of a season is not defined by the number of games won or championships earned.  We gain enormous satisfaction from watching a team develop into the best possible team that it can be, whether or not it wins a championship.  People get too caught up in how the “world” defines success . . . we will be the judges of the success of a team and its players, and we won’t be concerned with what the “world” says.
  
  
• The sound of basketball shoes squeaking on a freshly cleaned gym floor is one of our favorite sounds.
  
  
• We are here to help youngsters learn how to play the game . . . not necessarily how to set up a specific play, but how to actually play the game.
  
  
• We are indeed role models for the young men that we are fortunate enough to teach and coach.  We believe that they will be more inclined to do what we do, not what we say.  So we will do our best to handle ourselves the right way at all times.
  
  
• “Straight-up” communication is vital.  We don’t want our players to guess what we’re thinking, so we will communicate with them openly and honestly.  We work hard to define roles for each player that we coach, and we take the time to communicate that with each player.
  
  
• Successful teams have players that truly believe in the concept of WE BEFORE ME.
  
  
• Basketball is a great team sport when all of the players on the team put aside their individual agendas and strive to do what is best for the group.  We love working with young men who don’t care about how much playing time they get, how many points they score, or how many times they see their name in the newspaper.
  
  
• The individual “real skills” of basketball -- defending, dribbling, passing, shooting, rebounding, pivoting, screening, etc. -- are crucial. So we will spend a lot of time in practice working on those skills.
  
  
• Playing as a team -- transitioning from defense to offense and vice versa, talking and moving on defense, passing and moving on offense, etc. -- is also very important.  So we will also spend practice time working on those things.
  
  
• There is a lot of important “stuff” that doesn’t show up on a statistics sheet -- defensive pressure on the ball, deflections, boxing out, setting solid screens, great passes out of pressure situations, talking on defense, hedging on ball screens, encouraging your teammates, good sportsmanship, and having a great attitude.  We believe that “stuff” like that is really important.
  
  
• Parents and other fans should ask players questions like, “What did you do to help your team?” and “How well did you play defense?” rather than “Did you win?” and “How many points did your score?”
  
  
• Basketball is a game of effort. We love working with guys who love to work, guys who can’t wait for the next open gym or jump rope workout during the off-season, guys who can’t wait for practice during the season.  Those “gym rats” -- guys who could practically live in the gym -- bring great joy to our hearts.
  
  
• Basketball is also a game of skill.  We believe that players can get better all by themselves by working on their individual skills during the off-season.
  
  
• Successful players have what we like to call a “streak of nastiness.” They compete with every ounce of their hearts, and they expect nothing but their absolute best effort.  But they play by the rules, respect the game, and display outstanding sportsmanship.
  
  
• We love working with guys who play with great heart, guys who dive all over the floor for loose balls, guys who battle under the boards for rebounding position, guys who fly into the bleachers trying to make a hustle play.
  
  
• We want our teams to be known for their constant effort and their team spirit.
  
  
• Family time is very important.  We will do our best to put together a practice schedule during the holidays that will allow our players and coaches the time to travel and be with their loved ones.  We want to be the most effective coaches that we can be, but we also know that it’s very important for us to strive to be effective leaders for our families.
  
  
• The parents of our players should feel extremely proud of the way that their sons represent Middletown High School on and off the basketball court.
  
  
• Middletown is a great place to coach because the parents of our players allow their sons to be coached.  They love and support their sons, but they allow the coaches to do their jobs.
  
  
• At times, kids need time to play basketball at neighborhood parks and playgrounds without the structure provided by adults.  We grew up playing pick-up games without coaches, referees, and scoreboards, and we had a blast doing it.  We want our players to have those same kinds of opportunities.
  
  
• Coaches, teachers, parents, and leaders of people “catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”  We will do our best to encourage and motivate our players by providing plenty of praise and positive reinforcement.
  
  
• Coaches coach the way they were coached . . . and we’re extremely grateful for the coaches that we played for in youth leagues, high school, and college.
  
  
• Finally, and most importantly, we’re grateful to God for the many blessings that He provides for us each day and for the opportunity to lead the Middletown High School basketball program.  Since we are human and will make mistakes, we know we will fall short of our ultimate goal, but it remains the same -- we will always strive to honor His name with all that we do, all that we say, and all that we are.

Head Coach Aaron White