Announcement
10 Commandments of Sports for Parents by Morgan Wootten
Posted by Donald Wilkerson on
May 30 2004
at
05:00PM PDT
(by Morgan Wootten*)
1. Make sure that your child knows that win or lose, scared or heroic, you love him, appreciate his efforts, and are not disappointed in him.
2. Try your best to be completely honest about your child’s athletic capability, his competitive attitude, his sportsmanship, and his actual skill level.
3. Be helpful, but don’t coach him on the way to the court or on the way back, or at breakfast.
4. Teach him to enjoy the thrill of the competition. Don’t say “Winning doesn’t count,” because it does.
5. And hear this, parents: Try not to relive your athletic life through your child in a way that creates pressure. Don’t pressure him because of your pride.
6. Don’t compete with the coach. Remember, in many cases the coach becomes a hero to his athletes, a person who can do no wrong.
7. Don’t compare the skill, courage, or attitudes of your child with those of other members of the squad or team...or at least not in his hearing.
8. You should also get to know the coach so that you can be sure that his philosophy, attitudes, ethics and knowledge are such that you are happy to expose your child to him.
9. Always remember that children tend to exaggerate, both when praised and when criticized. Temper your reactions when they bring home tales or woe or heroics.
10. Make a point of understanding courage and the fact that it is relative. Some of us climb mountains but fear a fight; some of us fight but turn to jelly if a bee buzzes nearby. A child must know: Courage is not absence of fear, but rather doing something in spite of fear.
11. Don’t have the coaches thinking about you while they are coaching your child.
*Morgan Wootten, a native of Durham, North Carolina compiled a 1,274-192 (86.9%) record in 46 seaons at DeMatha High School in Washington, D.C., the all-time best record among high school basketball coaches. Under Wootten, who had coached at DeMatha from 1956-2003, DeMatha has won mythical national championships in 1962, 1965, 1968 and 1984. In 1984, USA Today named Wootten the National Coach of the Year. His teams have recorded 44 consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins and have won 33 Catholic League championships. Most impressively, DeMatha has finished the season ranked No. 1 in the Washington, D.C., area 20 times in the last 33 years. When Wootten's teams have played games outside the area, which is common for DeMatha, the results have been impressive. The 1965 DeMatha team broke the 71-game winning streak of Lew Alcindor's Power Memorial team. To his credit, more than 150 of Wootten's former players have played college basketball, while a dozen have played in the NBA, including Adrian Dantley and Danny Ferry. More than 20 of his former coaches or players are now coaching on the high school, collegiate or professional level. Wootten attended both Montgomery Junior College and the University of Maryland. Wootten announced his retirement on November 6, 2002.
"Morgan Wootten has been called the finest high school basketball coach in the country.
I disagree. Morgan Wootten is the finest coach, at any level, I have ever seen."
Former UCLA Head Basketball Coach and Basketball Hall of Fame Member John Wooden
1. Make sure that your child knows that win or lose, scared or heroic, you love him, appreciate his efforts, and are not disappointed in him.
2. Try your best to be completely honest about your child’s athletic capability, his competitive attitude, his sportsmanship, and his actual skill level.
3. Be helpful, but don’t coach him on the way to the court or on the way back, or at breakfast.
4. Teach him to enjoy the thrill of the competition. Don’t say “Winning doesn’t count,” because it does.
5. And hear this, parents: Try not to relive your athletic life through your child in a way that creates pressure. Don’t pressure him because of your pride.
6. Don’t compete with the coach. Remember, in many cases the coach becomes a hero to his athletes, a person who can do no wrong.
7. Don’t compare the skill, courage, or attitudes of your child with those of other members of the squad or team...or at least not in his hearing.
8. You should also get to know the coach so that you can be sure that his philosophy, attitudes, ethics and knowledge are such that you are happy to expose your child to him.
9. Always remember that children tend to exaggerate, both when praised and when criticized. Temper your reactions when they bring home tales or woe or heroics.
10. Make a point of understanding courage and the fact that it is relative. Some of us climb mountains but fear a fight; some of us fight but turn to jelly if a bee buzzes nearby. A child must know: Courage is not absence of fear, but rather doing something in spite of fear.
11. Don’t have the coaches thinking about you while they are coaching your child.
*Morgan Wootten, a native of Durham, North Carolina compiled a 1,274-192 (86.9%) record in 46 seaons at DeMatha High School in Washington, D.C., the all-time best record among high school basketball coaches. Under Wootten, who had coached at DeMatha from 1956-2003, DeMatha has won mythical national championships in 1962, 1965, 1968 and 1984. In 1984, USA Today named Wootten the National Coach of the Year. His teams have recorded 44 consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins and have won 33 Catholic League championships. Most impressively, DeMatha has finished the season ranked No. 1 in the Washington, D.C., area 20 times in the last 33 years. When Wootten's teams have played games outside the area, which is common for DeMatha, the results have been impressive. The 1965 DeMatha team broke the 71-game winning streak of Lew Alcindor's Power Memorial team. To his credit, more than 150 of Wootten's former players have played college basketball, while a dozen have played in the NBA, including Adrian Dantley and Danny Ferry. More than 20 of his former coaches or players are now coaching on the high school, collegiate or professional level. Wootten attended both Montgomery Junior College and the University of Maryland. Wootten announced his retirement on November 6, 2002.
"Morgan Wootten has been called the finest high school basketball coach in the country.
I disagree. Morgan Wootten is the finest coach, at any level, I have ever seen."
Former UCLA Head Basketball Coach and Basketball Hall of Fame Member John Wooden
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