Michael B.

I have been coaching youth sports mainly basketball for over 17 years and adult softball for 5 years as a player/coach. I was born and raised in Chicago IL. I started my coaching experience as a high school assistant boy’s basketball coach at Percy Julian High School. I met my wife, who lived in Maywood IL. Which is 30 minutes outside of Chicago. It’s where Doc Rivers Boston Celtics Championship winning coach and Michael Finley, who won an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2007, went to Proviso East High School are from. After moving to Maywood. Michael Finley had a Basketball Camp and League which I coached in and won championships 2 years in a row for youth ages 13-16. He paid for the uniforms and our travel across the city and state. My coaching style is fair, but tough. I am a former United States Marine and I require discipline, dedication, loyalty, and teamwork. I was the assistant coach for the boy’s basketball team at Hilsman Middle School for one year. Then I moved into the head coach position in 2011, and 2012, last year I helped the boys go to the championship for the first time since 2007. We lost by one point. I was also the girls’ assistant coach; last season they too went to the championship game and lost by 2 points. I enjoyed the experience but because this season they wanted to move in a different direction with their program, I decided I did also. I love to coach and want to coach. I have experience coaching at the Middle School and High School level. So I don’t what level or I don’t care if it’s girls or boys that I coach. I have coached both. As an assistant coach I will follow the lead of my Head Coach, as a Head Coach I would be a leader and conduct myself as an adult, coach, and role model, to the students and athletes. I know I would be an asset to your basketball program and current coaching staff. When I coach, my goal is to win, but I understand that winning takes time. In basketball my coaching philosophy is to start with the basics, such as how to hold a basketball, the correct form in shooting a free throw and jump shot, how to pass, dribble, rebound, play defense and be a good sportsman when winning or losing. The first thing I tell my players are. A coach can’t teach you one thing. And that one thing is a coach can’t teach you HEART. You have to want to go out and give 100% in practice and at game time. Because if you practice at 50%. Then at game time you will play at 50%. I am not impressed with a student athlete who tries to play like their favorite NBA or WNBA player. But I am impressed with a player who hustles, asks questions, practices and plays hard and is a team player even if he or she may not have the skills of others on the team. I have strong interpersonal and organizational skills. That’s why I teach the basics, my goal is to teach players the basics so that they can go on to play high school and maybe even college basketball. I feel that I can bring out the best in my players by leading by example. I believe that if you practice hard, you will play hard and if you put in hard work you will be rewarded. And throughout the season I will maintain ongoing communication with the players, teachers, and parents. As a coach I form a repore with my players on and off the court. Because I have found that sometimes they can’t talk to their parents, teachers or guardians. I tell them I am there to listen if they need me too. Because sometimes that’s all they want is for someone to listen to them.
Sports teams that are school related have requirements for the students to be able to play on the team. Mine are a lot of the same, for a student to play on my team they will have to keep their grades up and they have to understand that they are student athletes first, not athlete students. They have to be respectable to their teachers, parents or guardian, coaches and others; they have to be a team player and dedicated to representing the school with honor and dignity. And understand that playing on a school team is an opportunity not a right. I care for young people and my passion for the game make is special.
People ask me, how I know if I am a good coach. I tell them it’s not about my wins and losses (although I like to win) I tell them that if a player that I have coached in the past sees me in public. And yells “Hey Coach” and runs over if they are a girl and gives me a hug and if they are a boy give me a pound, or hand shake. Then that tells me I’m a good coach. It that tells me that I have left an impression on that child. Either as a role model and or a coach, because they want to acknowledge me when they see me.
In closing I am very competitive, but I also believe in teaching sportsmanship and hard work. But most of all I believe in education, a young person’s education will always come first with me. I don’t care how good you are or think you are. Education comes first and I will emphasize that every chance I get with my players and other students. I don’t just communicate with the players. I try and communicate with any and every student that I come across. I enjoy coaching and if given the opportunity to be a Coach at your school. I would uphold your tradition of the basketball program and your school. Here are my coaching experience/accomplishments.

Coaching experience/accomplishments
1995-1997 Assistant Coach, Boys Basketball Julian High School
Chicago Public Schools

1997-2000 Head Coach, Boys Youth Basketball ages 13-16
Michael Finley Basketball Camp and League
1998 Season record 22-8 3rd place in Tournament
1999 Season record 25-5 Won Championship
2000 Season record 28-2 Won Championship

2003-2004 Head Coach, Co-ed 2-3rd Grade Youth Basketball
Oglethorpe County Leisure Services
Season record 5-2

2003-2009 Head Coach, 2nd-3rd, 4th-5th, 6th-8th Grades
Co-Ed Youth Basketball
Athens Clarke County Leisure Services

2004-2009 Player/Coach, Co-ed Adult Softball Athens Clarke County Leisure Services
2007 Fall Co- Ed Adult Softball Champions
2008 Summer Co- Ed Adult Softball Champions
2009 Spring Co- Ed Adult Softball Champions

2007-2008 Head Coach, Co-ed 6-8th Grade Youth Basketball
Athens Clarke County Leisure Services
Season record 6-1

2009-2010 Head Coach, Co-ed Spring League Youth Soccer
Athens Clarke County Leisure Services
Season record 7-0 2nd-3rd grade
Season record 8-0 4th-5th grade

2009-2010 Assistant Coach, Boys Basketball Hilsman Middle School
Clarke County School District
Season record-3-3
3rd place in District Tournament

2010-2011 Head Coach, Co-ed Spring League Youth Soccer
Athens Clarke County Leisure Services
Season record 10-2 6-8th Grade
2012 Head Coach, 7th and 8th Grade Boys Basketball
Franklin County Middle School Summer Basketball Camp
Camp record-6-0

2010-2011 Assistant Head Coach, Boys Basketball Hilsman Middle School
Clarke County School District
Over all season record 5-7
3nd Place in District Tournament

2011-2012 Head Coach, Boys Basketball Hilsman Middle School
Clarke County School District
Over all season record 9-3
2nd Place in District Tournament
Went to Championship for the first time since 2007
Lost by 1 point

2011-2012 Assistant Head Coach, Girls Basketball Hilsman Middle School
Clarke County School District
Over all season record 11-1
1st Place in District Tournament
Went to Championship
Lost by 2 points

2013 Head Coach, Girls Softball age 13-18
Athens Clarke County Leisure Services
Season record-10-6

2013-Current J.V. Assistant Coach, Girls Softball Clarke Central High School
Clarke County School District

Michael B. has not provided a session plan.