Winning Big Games In March

Winning is hard, and winning in the post-season is really hard. Late in the year, there is a different emotion in play in just about every game - desperation. Teams are desperate to get into the tournament, desperate for a seed, desperate to keep their season alive. The emotion is heightened because the stakes are higher, whether you are a bad team looking to survive one more night or an elite team trying to win a championship.

So what do we naturally do as coaches this time of year? We squeeze it tighter. We get more involved. We over-coach. We want more control, to make sure we we cover everything. Twice. I've been there as a head coach, and when you know you are one play away from the season ending, you naturally want to have a tighter grip. But more control actually work against you.

I've learned that loosening up your grip is a better way to get the most out of your team, especially in high pressure situations. Your kids feel the pressure too. They know what is at stake. If you show a little anxiety or a little more intensity late in the year, they will certainly feel it. They are taking their cue from you as always. Give them some freedom and confidence. Don't try and control them.

Winning big games late in the year is a lot more about your players making plays than it is about you having control. I used to squeeze it really tight when I was younger and try and coach every play, and all I did was make everyone else just as tight around me. So I completely flipped my approach. I wanted the players to know the post-season was about them, not me. It was almost like a "my work here is done," approach. You guys know what it takes, now you have to make it happen.

In the post-season I'd always tell my team to take chances, to make mistakes, to make plays. I'd tell them I hoped we made more mistakes than our opponent, because that way I knew we weren't afraid. We were laying it all on the line. I wanted playmakers late in the year, playing in the post-season. Scared goes home this time of year. Who is going to make the plays we need to win?

It's not an easy thing to do, because you feel the pressure, you know what's at stake, and it's natural to want more control. But you having more control is not going to take the pressure off your players. It's going to put more pressure on them. And that pressure will affect your decision-making as well. Trying to control every pass is hard, and it will keep you from seeing the game clearly 2 or 3 steps ahead. You'll have a harder time thinking long-term as the game moves on.

Winning big games late in the year is not about you having control. It's about your players making plays. You've trained them all year to get to this point, now give them the confidence to go out and get it done. Playmakers win this time of year. Trust the way you've trained them, and turn them loose.