In Episode 15 of The Busted Locker: Every player wants to get in and play. They want to compete, because that's what competitors do. And coaches, especially at the youth and middle school levels, should be making every effort to get all team members into a game. To accomplish this, coaches usually wait until the end of a game that has already been decided to "empty their bench".
The biggest problem I have: Some coaches are more concerned with getting players in than worrying about how much time is left on the clock. Getting bench players in the game with just seconds remaining does nothing for the player. It is usually an embarrassing and frustrating experience. No player wants to go hard in practice, sit the bench the entire game, and then get put in with 9 seconds left on the clock.
As a coach, I've always told my players, "You might not be getting the time you want, but make the best of the time you get." However, you really can't make the best of 9 seconds. You can't even break a sweat in 9 seconds.
It seems to me some coaches do this not for the player, but instead, to cover their own rear ends. Coaches do this so they can say, "Hey, I got everybody in the game," and then they can sleep better at night.
Coaches have to realize that sitting at the very end of the bench shouldn't mean getting in at the very end of a game. A solid minute is a quality minute ... 9 seconds is just a waste of time.
Also in this episode:
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