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What does a basketball coach do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

A basketball coach is responsible for training players for school or basketball tournament leagues. A basketball coach prepares the players by providing them game techniques, developing their maximum potential through a series of practice and games. Basketball coaches identify each player's strengths and weaknesses, creating unique strategies during the mentorship. They must be highly knowledgeable of basketball's disciplines and rules, guiding them to improve their stance and movement. A basketball coach must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in handling the team's performance.

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Basketball coach responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real basketball coach resumes:

  • Develop on of the top academic programs at the high school, achieving a team GPA of 3.62.
  • Lead a team of twelve to win the 13-15 year old league championship; act as mentor and teacher.
  • Lead team to consecutive championship victories
  • Teach the fundamentals of basketball, football, track, soccer, volleyball and baseball.
  • Oversee Hudl video software usage and data.
  • Scout talent and opposing competition within the AAU circuit.
  • Comply with NCAA, conference and college rules and regulations at all times.
  • Work as strength and conditioning coach for a 7th grade AAU basketball team.
  • Serve as the assistant coach of the varsity soccer, basketball and softball teams.
  • Appoint to this position while still enroll as an undergraduate at the NAIA institution.
  • Provide instruction of fundamentals promoting the intellectual, physical and social development of JV athletes.
  • Perform necessary medical procedures such as spotting for lifters, any CPR or any aide need.
  • Head coach for freshmen and junior varsity baseball teams; assist varsity baseball coach as well.
  • Coach mini, juvenile, junior varsity and varsity categories in volleyball, basketball and track and field
  • Coach JV boys basketball team, instilling best practices and key qualities for both on and off the court

Basketball coach skills and personality traits

We calculated that 23% of Basketball Coaches are proficient in CPR, Student Athletes, and Role Model. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Dedication, and Interpersonal skills.

We break down the percentage of Basketball Coaches that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • CPR, 23%

    Participate in senior night, awards banquets Certified in CPR and First Aid.

  • Student Athletes, 16%

    Communicated regularly with parents and student athletes regarding their academic success, college preparation, and personal behavior.

  • Role Model, 6%

    Mentored youth and acted as positive role model * Encouraged sportsmanship and taught basketball fundamentals * Developed meaningful relationship and fostered growth

  • Teamwork, 6%

    Motivated and encouraged youths' individual progress with an emphasis on promoting teamwork and strategic development.

  • Basketball Program, 5%

    Coached fundamentals of basketball during seasonal basketball programs.

  • Grade Girls, 4%

    Coached 4th through 6th grade girls' basketball; encouraged team building, camaraderie, sportsmanship and individual intrinsic motivation.

Most basketball coaches use their skills in "cpr," "student athletes," and "role model" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential basketball coach responsibilities here:

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a basketball coach to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what basketball coaches do because "because coaches instruct, organize, and motivate athletes, they must be able to convey information clearly." Additionally, a basketball coach resume shows how basketball coaches use communication skills: "assisted and motivated children through basketball drills and games as well as the importance of communication, teamwork, and respect. "

Dedication. Many basketball coach duties rely on dedication. "coaches must attend daily practices and assist their team and individual athletes in improving their skills and physical conditioning," so a basketball coach will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways basketball coach responsibilities rely on dedication: "coached children ages 5-18 in a 2-month summer program teaching basketball skills, teamwork, and dedication"

Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of basketball coaches is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday basketball coach duties, as "being able to relate to athletes helps coaches and scouts foster positive relationships with their current players and in recruiting potential players." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "have a positive interaction and interpersonal relationship with the student athletes, the school and the community. "

Leadership skills. A big part of what basketball coaches do relies on "leadership skills." You can see how essential it is to basketball coach responsibilities because "coaches must motivate, develop, and direct athletes to help them reach their potential." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical basketball coach tasks: "supervised and provided leadership to 5 graduate assistant coaches* provided individual instructions and mentoring to student athletes as needed. "

Most common basketball coach skills

The three companies that hire the most basketball coachs are:

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Compare different basketball coaches

Basketball coach vs. Youth soccer coach

A youth soccer coach is responsible for helping aspiring professional soccer players in reaching their full potential and skills to win soccer competitions. Youth soccer coaches teach different training tactics and identify each player's core competencies and weaknesses and strategize techniques for them to overcome difficulties. They also select each player's roles by observing their skills during training sessions that would benefit their games and outwit opponents. A youth soccer coach must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in encouraging the players and ensuring the team's coordination within every game.

If we compare the average basketball coach annual salary with that of a youth soccer coach, we find that youth soccer coaches typically earn a $1,688 lower salary than basketball coaches make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both basketball coach and youth soccer coach positions are skilled in cpr, student athletes, and role model.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between basketball coaches and youth soccer coach. For instance, basketball coach responsibilities require skills such as "teamwork," "basketball program," "grade girls," and "jv." Whereas a youth soccer coach is skilled in "kids," "stars," "dependability," and "soccer program." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Youth soccer coaches earn the highest salaries when working in the automotive industry, with an average yearly salary of $55,186. On the other hand, basketball coaches are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $46,389.On average, youth soccer coaches reach similar levels of education than basketball coaches. Youth soccer coaches are 1.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Basketball coach vs. Assistant soccer coach

An assistant soccer coach helps soccer coaches oversee and manage players, aiming to help develop the players' skills and sportsmanship. As an expert of the sport, they typically perform support tasks such as preparing facilities and setting-up equipment, assisting coaches in developing game and training strategies, facilitating practice sessions, managing practice schedules, performing maintenance check on facilities, and motivating players to reach their goals. Moreover, an assistant soccer coach must monitor the progress of players, coordinating and reporting to the coaches regularly.

A career as a assistant soccer coach brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a basketball coach. In fact, assistant soccer coaches salary is $857 lower than the salary of basketball coaches per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Basketball coaches and assistant soccer coaches both require similar skills like "student athletes," "role model," and "jv" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real basketball coach resumes. While basketball coach responsibilities can utilize skills like "cpr," "teamwork," "basketball program," and "grade girls," assistant soccer coaches use skills like "soccer program," "assist head," "iii," and "soccer."

Assistant soccer coaches earn a lower average salary than basketball coaches. But assistant soccer coaches earn the highest pay in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $46,607. Additionally, basketball coaches earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $46,389 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Assistant soccer coaches tend to reach similar levels of education than basketball coaches. In fact, they're 1.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Basketball coach vs. Swim coach

A swim coach is someone who teaches and trains people how to swim. A swim coach provides tips and techniques for people to follow if they want to learn how to swim. Demand for swimming teachers is growing, especially during summer where people travel to the beach and resorts to enjoy their vacations. A swim coach should know how to determine a student's skill, provide suitable teaching methods, and enhance the student's current swimming skill through specialized and customized swimming lessons.

An average swim coach eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of basketball coaches. The difference in salaries amounts to swim coaches earning a $10,935 lower average salary than basketball coaches.Using the responsibilities included on basketball coaches and swim coaches resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "cpr," "student athletes," and "role model.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, basketball coaches are more likely to have skills like "teamwork," "basketball program," "grade girls," and "jv." But a swim coach is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "lifeguard," "kids," and "water safety."

Swim coaches make a very good living in the education industry with an average annual salary of $35,539. On the other hand, basketball coaches are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $46,389.When it comes to education, swim coaches tend to earn similar degree levels compared to basketball coaches. In fact, they're 1.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Basketball coach vs. Coach

The main responsibility of a coach is to motivate an individual or an entire team. Coaches are focused on improving the performance and skills of athletes by conducting training sessions, coordinating practice drills, and providing guidance. Their work is conducted both on and off the field - not only while an athletic event is in session. Coaches are sometimes tasked with recruitment activities in order to fill a team's roster to help them succeed. Other duties of a coach include fundraising, overseeing facilities, and promoting a safe environment.

Coaches average a lower salary than the annual salary of basketball coaches. The difference is about $2,142 per year.While their salaries may vary, basketball coaches and coaches both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "cpr," "student athletes," and "role model. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between basketball coaches and coaches, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a basketball coach might have more use for skills like "teamwork," "basketball program," "grade girls," and "varsity girls." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of coaches require skills like "customer service," "food handling," "customer satisfaction," and "mental health. "

Coaches enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $48,931. For comparison, basketball coaches earn the highest salary in the education industry.The average resume of coaches showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to basketball coaches. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 3.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.7%.

Types of basketball coach

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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