Baffled Parent's Guide to Coaching Girls' Basketball

"If you're serious about coaching girls' basketball, Coach Hatchell's book is a must-read."―Dean Smith, the winningest coach in NCAA men's basketball history

"Coach Hatchell covers everything you need to know about coaching girls' basketball."―Betty Jaynes, CEO Emeritus, Women's Basketball Coaches Association

OK, you’ve got the clipboard and the whistle, you’ve entered the gym, and twelve eager young faces turn to you. Now what? Even if you know little or nothing about the sport and even less about coaching, Coaching Girls’ Basketball will lead you step by step through a successful season, from meeting your players and organizing your team, through teaching fundamentals, to making crucial game decisions.

Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame coach Sylvia Hatchell helps you master the skills, drills, plays, and game-day tactics that will make you a great coach. She also helps you cope with important issues like treating players equally regardless of ability, unhappy parents, helping all your players experience growth and success, and recognizing the crucial differences between coaching girls and boys. Coach Hatchell shows you how to:

• Prepare for your first practice and first game
• Match drills to ability
• Promote good habits, concentration, and teamwork
• Learn what's unique about coaching girls from age 6 to 14
• Make practices fun, effective, and rewarding
• Improve your players and your team
• Reach all your players
• Be the coach your players will remember

"Learn from the best. Coach Hatchell knows basketball."―Charlotte Smith-Taylor, forward, Washington Mystics; 1995 ESPN National Player of the Year

Sylvia Hatchell has been a college head coach for 29 years and won the NCAA national championship in 1994. She is an inductee into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jeff Thomas, a long-time writer and contributing editor for Sailing Magazine, has published over 50 articles on boats, sailing, and sailors. He coaches high school girls’ basketball and AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball in Richmond, VA.Hometown: Richmond, VA