LEE GREEN BASKETBALL ACADEMY
How Your Child Earns More Opportunities This Season
As a parent, few things are harder than watching your child pour themselves into this game and then wait for their number to be called. You see the work they put in at home. You know what they can do.
So when the minutes don’t come, it’s easy to wonder what the coach isn’t seeing. Can I share something with you?
After years of coaching school and club basketball, I can tell you the answer is almost never talent.
The players who earn more opportunities, more minutes, more touches, more chances in big moments, almost all have one thing in common.
And it’s something your child can start building this week.
That brings me to today’s topic: Trust.
A Real-Life Example: From the End of the Bench to the Starting Five
A few seasons ago, I watched a player go from the last spot on the bench to the starting lineup, and here’s the part most people miss: her skills barely changed.
Her jump shot in November looked just like her jump shot in February. So what changed?
Her coach’s answer was five words: “I know what I’m getting.”
She had become the player who sprinted back when a play broke down. Who took a correction, nodded, and fixed it.
Who did her job on possessions where she never touched the ball.
Her coach stopped worrying about her, and coaches play the kids they don’t have to worry about.
So how does your child become that player?
There are three places to start.
Three Ways Your Child Can Build Trust with Their Coach
The next time a coach corrects your child, watch the three seconds that follow. Eye contact, a nod, and a real attempt to fix it tells a coach: this player can grow. Rolled eyes, an excuse, or slumped shoulders tells a coach something very different. And here’s the truth most players never hear: coaches don’t lose trust when a player makes a mistake. They lose trust when a player won’t own one.
Every team runs on work nobody claps for: sprinting the floor, boxing out, talking on defense, taking care of the ball. Your child may believe the coach doesn’t notice any of it.
I promise you, it’s what we notice most. A player who scores ten points but gambles on defense makes a coach nervous. A player who does their job every possession makes a coach comfortable. Nervous coaches sub you out. Comfortable coaches leave you in.
That comfort is trust, and it’s built one unnoticed possession at a time.
Coaches hand opportunities to players they can predict. Same energy at a Tuesday practice as a Friday game. Same attitude up twenty or down two. On time, ready, every single day. That’s what the player in our story figured out, and it’s why her minutes went up before her skills did. Consistency is what turns a coach’s “maybe” into “absolutely.”
So here’s my challenge for you this week. Ask your child one question on the ride home: “What did you do today that made your coach trust you more?” Not points. Not highlights. Trust. Because when a coach trusts your child, opportunities stop being something you hope for and become something your child has earned. And when that first big opportunity comes, you won’t have to wonder if they’re ready. You’ll already know.
July Player Awards…
Recognizing the players who set the standard… on and off the court. Each month we spotlight players who best embody the values of Lee Green Basketball Academy. These awards recognize the qualities that create individual growth and team success.
Hudson has made big leaps in his development this summer. He walks into every practice ready to work, and his energy sets the tone for everyone around him. When Hudson is locked in, the whole gym follows.
This is Maddie’s first year with our program, and she has already made great improvement. She keeps her teammates connected on the floor and finds a way to make winning plays when it matters most.
Isaiah impacts the game in more ways than one, but his selflessness is what sets him apart. He puts the team first without being asked, and that character shows up in everything he does.
Addison is the definition of staying the course. Through the highs and the lows, she keeps showing up and keeps getting better. That kind of steadiness isn’t taught, it’s who she is.
Noah brings the same effort to every game and every practice, and that work ethic has fueled a tremendous leap in his development. His teammates are better because of the pace he sets.
Braylie competes on both ends of the floor, every single possession. She raises the level of the players around her, and she’s the kind of competitor every coach wants on their team.
The Tryout Lab: Make the Team
Tryouts are won before tryouts ever start.
When the roster gets posted this fall, some kids will find their name on it and some won’t. 21 training sessions, twice a week from August through October, built to make sure your player walks into tryout day prepared, confident, and impossible to cut.
Register before July 29 and save $80, price goes to $920 after. • Grades 6–12 • Boys & Girls • Denton Guyer High School
FALL & WINTER TRYOUTS
Covers one tryout • Non-refundable
Denton, TX 76210