Key Takeaways
- USA Basketball’s E-Learning program allows youth organizations to build customized certification paths from a library covering development principles, practice planning, and skill instruction
- Ogemaw Youth Basketball in West Branch, Michigan has used the platform for four years and reports measurable skill improvement as players advance to middle school
- D.C. Parks and Recreation certifies hundreds of volunteer coaches across multiple sites using five selected courses
- The platform lets administrators track progress and issue certificates upon completion
- D.C. implemented rule modifications for 6U and 8U age groups based on coach training, including eliminating trapping to prioritize skill development
Solving the Volunteer Coach Problem
Most community basketball programs run on parent volunteers. Many show up with no formal coaching background. Josh Lucas, founder of Ogemaw Youth Basketball Organization in West Branch, Michigan, recognized this challenge when he launched his program four years ago.
“In our small town, we know that what you have are parent volunteers,” Lucas said. “Often those volunteers literally show up to coach kids without any background knowledge just because somebody was needed.”
Lucas wanted a solution that prioritized age-appropriate development over wins. He found it in USA Basketball’s E-Learning platform.
The online certification system lets organizations build customized learning paths for coaches. Administrators select from a course library covering youth development principles, leadership, practice planning, and skill instruction. Courses can be tailored to specific age groups or experience levels, and volunteers earn certificates upon completion.
Customization Drives Adoption
Willie Bennett, compliance manager for the District of Columbia Parks and Recreation, oversees hundreds of volunteer coaches across multiple sites and age groups. Consistency in training presented a significant logistical challenge.
“USA Basketball was generous enough to create this E-Learning program that all our coaches can go on and complete,” Bennett said. “They gave me the opportunity to pick the courses that we wanted. I picked five courses, which would then certify them as youth basketball coaches within our league.”
The ability to select specific courses proved critical for scaling the program across different age divisions.
“The flexibility made it really easy for us to tailor it for our coaches,” Bennett said. “Whether for high school, middle school or whatever age group, we could fit it for that group so they could get a certification.”
On-Court Results
Both programs report tangible improvements in player development and game quality.
Lucas has tracked players from his program into middle school and observed clear gains in fundamentals and skill sets. He attributes this directly to coach education.
“This education helps a coach feel like and understand that winning isn’t the only goal,” Lucas said. “It helps them realize that the more important things are fundamentals, which the courses help them with. It gives actual strategies to teach and even the drills that they’ll benefit from.”
In D.C., Bennett’s department used training insights to implement rule modifications at younger age groups. Before the changes, games at the 6U and 8U levels often devolved into turnover battles.
“Before, everybody was just pressing and trying to trap,” Bennett said. “Anybody who couldn’t handle the ball, they’d just steal it from them and kids would get layups. The ball never got across halfcourt a lot of times.”
The department now prohibits trapping at those age groups and requires verbal communication on picks and screens. The result: more teaching, less chaos.
“Basketball became a teaching tool and not about winning,” Bennett said.
Looking Ahead
For community programs operating with limited budgets and volunteer staff, accessible coach education remains a persistent need. USA Basketball’s platform addresses both cost and flexibility constraints while maintaining development-first principles.
“It’s well-developed, well thought out and appropriate for the different ages and stages of kids development in basketball,” Lucas said. “USA Basketball builds out teachable drills that helps kids, families and community not just worry about winning but developing.”
via: USAB
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