Red Auerbach
Red Auerbach
Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbachwas an American basketball coach of the Washington Capitols, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and the Boston Celtics. After he retired from coaching, he served as president and front office executive of the Celtics until his death. As a coach, he won 938 games and nine National Basketball Associationchampionships in ten years. As general manager and team president of the Celtics, he won an additional seven NBA titles, for a grand total of 16 in a span of 29...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth20 September 1917
CountryUnited States of America
The coach should be the absolute boss, but he still should maintain an open mind.
You see, in sports you have so many things that aren't expected. There's so much uncertainty. So when players find themselves in a situation where management has a great deal of integrity and they can depend on my word or anybody else's word in the organization, they feel secure. And if the players feel secure, they don't want to leave here. And if they don't want to leave here, they're going to do everything they can on the court to stay here.
Everyone is born with a certain potential. You may never achieve your full potential, but how close you come depends on how much you want to pay the price.
You've got to avoid overcoaching. You've got to avoid talking too much. You've got to avoid showing players that you're the boss every time. You don't have to do that. They know you're in charge.
To a father, when a child dies, the future dies; to a child when a parent dies, the past dies.
Strategy is something anyone can learn. But not all coaches take the time to understand a man's personality.
Basketball is like war in that offensive weapons are developed first, and it always takes a while for the defense to catch up.
To be a successful coach you should be and look prepared. You must be a man of integrity. Never break your word. Don't have two sets of standards. Remember you don't handle players-you handle pets. You deal with players. Stand up for your players. Show them you care-on and off the court. Very important-it's not 'how' or 'what' you say but what they absorb.
Just do what you do best.
Look after your people.
I can't stand a ballplayer who plays in fear.
You handle animals. You deal with people.
It's not what you tell your players that counts. It's what they hear.
If you want to be a Champion, you've got to feel like one, you've got to act like one, you've got to look like one.