Obedience Isn’t Development
I don’t think Coach Winegar is alone in his thinking here. There are a lot of coaches—maybe most—who would see his list and nod along. Whether it’s out of deep respect for the coaches who shaped them, or a sense of duty to uphold “standards,” there’s comfort in repeating what we were taught.
I’ve had a dress code for game days. I’ve had guys tuck in jerseys. My teams track charges.
But here’s where I start to push back: Coach Winegar’s response to Coach McCormick’s question.
He says, “We are teaching more than basketball… our goal is to develop people first, players second.” That sounds great on the surface, and you might assume I’d agree. But here’s the problem—developing people requires talking about life, not just enforcing obedience and calling it “life skills.”
If we say, “we have a responsibility beyond ball,” then we have to live that. Talk about consent. Talk about relationships. Talk about mental health.
I don’t know how to tie a Windsor knot, and I’ve been a coach for 25 years and run my own business just fine. I’ve also let my teams pick their own dress themes—hoodies, throwbacks, whatever—and those teams still found ways to be successful.
We get in trouble as coaches when we start equating wins to rituals that can’t be measured.
There’s no way to prove a tied tie helped you beat your rival—or made your players better people. All it really proves is how comfortable we are reinforcing power instead of reimagining it.
Coach Prompts
When was the last time you questioned a “program standard” you inherited instead of created?
Do your team rules teach life lessons—or just compliance?
What life conversations have you avoided this season under the guise of “we’ll talk about that later”?
Are your standards serving your players—or serving your comfort?
Player Prompts
What’s one team rule that makes sense to you—and one that doesn’t? Why?
Does your coach ever explain why certain traditions exist, or just tell you to follow them?
How do you define respect: obedience or understanding?
If you could set one new “standard” for your team culture, what would it be and why?
