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Schools

Coaching Philosophy with Winters Mill's Dave Herman

State title-winning basketball coach Dave Herman talked to Patch about how to motivate student athletes.

Dave Herman, the men's basketball coach at Winters Mill High School, has taken his team to the top, winning a state title several years ago.

Patch: Why do you coach?
Dave Herman: I coach because I enjoy seeing the kids get better and work together.  I love the game, and I enjoy teaching it to high school players. 

Patch: What do you try to impart on your athletes? What do you want them to get out of you as a coach?
Herman: As coaches in our program, we try to tell our kids that it is a privilege to play. They have responsibilities away from the court like grades, conduct, community service, and working to make our program better. Players must make the team, and their teammates, a priority, and they must like playing for Winters Mill High School. We expect a lot out of our players, and it is not for everybody.  But our kids rise to the expectations that we set for them, and I hope it helps them if they choose to play at the college level, or just in their life in general. In addition, we ask for maximum effort each day in practice, and practice performance is the key factor in who plays in the game. Our practices are constructed to be very competitive. 

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Patch: What are the best and worst parts about coaching?
Herman: The best part of coaching is to see kids grow up and go on to be successful. I really enjoy seeing our alumni return, so I can see what they are doing with their life. Last year we had five alumni of our program on our coaching staff. I think that is really cool. I always hope that playing basketball for us has helped them, in some way, be successful in their job and with their family. 

And I really enjoy coaching, but if I had to point out a negative, I think there would be two things. The first would be the increasing number of county/state requirements for coaches. Classes, paperwork, etc. are really getting tough for coaches, especially young coaches. The second thing is the rising influence of non-high school coaches on the players. There are people out there that do not have the best interest of players in mind. The high school coach is still in the best position to help parents with the college recruiting process since they have access to grades, test scores, etc. As an educator, the high school coach should be a trusted figure in the recruiting process and guiding players in the best way to improve their game.

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