Becoming an ABA Celtics Basketball Coach
Coaches are the “lifeblood” of our Club!
The basic requirements for becoming a coach with the ABA Celtics are to attend the Coaches’ meeting and request to be a coach at the start of the season and complete a criminal records check. Coaches have to be approved by the ABA Celtics Basketball Club executive. Coaches are often parents of players, but this isn’t necessary. A number of ABA Celtics coaches are former players who want to "give back" and contribute to the organization. Assistant coaches often have arrangements to help specific head coaches, or step up to help their child’s team after the team selection process is complete.
In order to coach a team at the Basketball Nova Scotia Provincials, at least one coach must have completed the NCCP 'Introduction to Competition' course. Details can be found through Basketball Nova Scotia. The ABA Celtics pays for coaches clinics and courses approved by the Club executive and offers a player registration discount for all of our coaches and assistant coaches.
Coach Selection
Occasionally we encounter a situation where we have more coaches than teams at a given level. Or, we may have multiple coaches wanting to coach a given team. Ideally the individuals involved will remember that it’s about the players, not the coaches, and will find a way to work together or resolve things amicably. However, if this proves untenable the decision shall be made by the ABA Celtics executive based on a majority vote. No specific rule or formula applies to all scenarios, but the following factors shall be considered.
- Overall experience
- Experience at the age group in question
- Experience at the level in question (i.e. competitive vs. development)
- Training & certification
If one of the coaches involved is an executive member, he/she shall abstain from the vote and be absent from any discussion. For all teams, the ABA Celtics executive shall have final say in the selection or acceptance of any coach.
Team Selection and Balancing
About two weeks after Registration Night, all the players in each age/gender group are brought together to be assessed by the coaches in that group. After a few practices to assess the players, the teams are selected and balanced as deemed appropriate.
It’s important to note that team selection is about the players, not about the coaches. The ABA Celtics place a lot of value on players being at the right level, but whether a specific coach ends up with the team they want is less relevant.
If coaches have difficulty with team selection, the Division Coordinator and other senior ABA Celtics coaches are available to help provide an objective opinion.
Getting Set For League Play
Once teams are selected and balanced by the Division Coordinator, uniforms will be issued.
Each coach shall then update the Registrar with their final roster including player numbers. This should be done as soon as possible to allow registration with the Metro Basketball Association (MBA) in time for the start of league play. The coach should also provide contact information for the MBA web site, along with a suggested division. New coaches may want to seek help from other coaches at the same level in naming a starting division.
How The Metro Basketball Association League Runs
MBA League play begins in late October, as follows:
- All U10 and U12 games, plus U14 girls games, are played on Saturdays
- All other games played on Sundays
- Most levels start in late October, although U16 and above start later to allow for high school team selection
Each age/gender group in the MBA is divided into divisions, to group together teams of similar ability. These first three games are alignment games, intended to identify in which division each team should play. Note that the alignment games at the start of the year are important exhibition games that are required to properly seed teams. The league coordinators need to get a true measure of the difference between two teams. It’s important not to be misleading and “sandbag” so that your team can be placed at the top of a lower division period. It is however recommended that the coach manage the margin. If you win by 30 and feel it should have been 60, please let your Division Coordinator know.These first three alignment games can be frustrating at times as these are often “blow outs” and lop sided contests. However, there is no other way to determine proper division placement other than to play these alignment games. Games are scheduled from week to week pending results of these alignment games, beginning with the divisions suggested by each coach.
After the first three weeks, divisions are finalized and the schedule for the rest of the year is posted. (Occasionally divisional alignment and schedules are adjusted at the Christmas break.) Even after the alignment games are completed, every team will occasionally encounter games which are mismatches, resulting in either winning or losing by a large margin. When facing a big loss, try to keep positive and refocus your goals more on execution and less on victory. When playing a far less skilled team, please try to manage the margin by keeping the point spread under control in the interest of sportsmanship. There are a number of ways to do this: stop pressure defence and fast breaks; mandate a minimum number of passes before a shot; give less experienced players more responsibility; etc.
The MBA holds playoffs for all divisions starting in mid-February. Important: ALL teams make the playoffs!
All coaches should refer to the MBA web site (www.mba.goalline.ca) to get familiar with rules variations, including those for calling up players from other teams. It’s important to understand the shift system and equal play rules for Junior Mini and Mini age groups.
Playing Outside The Metro League
There are a number of opportunities for teams to play outside of the Metro League.
Each year Basketball Nova Scotia runs Provincial championships for all age/gender groups. (For Junior Mini they put on a fun tournament called the 'Junior Mini Jamboree' rather than a provincial competition.)
As an aside, teams outside of HRM are often interested in exhibition games against Metro League teams. This helps them get seeded correctly for Provincials.
In addition, there are a number of invitational tournaments available including:
If you want to be invited, it’s best to discuss with a coach from the hosting organization within your division.
Other Notes and Coaching Policies
Basketball Nova Scotia holds coaching seminars and more formal courses through the year. The intent of the ABA Celtics executive is to pay fully for these courses for all coaches, but policy is to approve each course as it comes up. (This is necessary as course fees and coach interest can vary, along with the ABA Celtics’ budget from year to year.)
Regarding playing time, please refer to the ABA Celtics Fair Play Policy
All practices are open practices, which means parents are permitted to attend and watch practices, but are not to interfere in any way unless invited by the coach.
In the event that a team needs an electronic clock scoreboard or a flip scoreboard, please contact the executive.
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