The most important role in my life is being a parent. I am the proud father of two wonderful daughters, and I have also had a lifelong love affair with the game of basketball.
As my daughters grew up, those two parts of my life came together, and I took on a new role: Youth Basketball Parent.
Over the past nine years, I have come to realize that basketball is about much more than wins, losses, points, and rebounds. The game can be an incredible vehicle for teaching our children lessons they can carry with them for the rest of their lives—lessons about hard work, perseverance, confidence, teamwork, disappointment, and success.
My journey as a basketball parent has certainly not been perfect. I have made plenty of mistakes along the way, some of which contributed to my oldest daughter eventually walking away from the game. I have also learned from those mistakes and, hopefully, done a few things right.
My youngest daughter has developed into one of the top basketball players in Wisconsin in the Class of 2023, recently receiving recognition from Prep Girls Hoops as the No. 3-ranked player in her class.
Those experiences—the successes, the failures, and everything in between—are why I decided to create Youth Basketball Parent. My goal is to share what I have learned as a basketball dad and, hopefully, help other parents navigate their own family’s basketball journey.
My Basketball Journey
Basketball has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I began playing on my middle school team, and I wasn’t particularly good. I was about 5-foot-9, overweight, and, at that point, hadn’t put in the work necessary to become a good basketball player.
That changed after eighth grade.
I grew about five inches that summer and, more importantly, began working diligently on my game. I made the varsity team as a sophomore and became a significant contributor during my junior and senior seasons. I finished my high school career with 987 points and 582 rebounds.
My high school career caught the attention of Coach Knapton at Beloit College, where I went on to play three seasons as a part-time player.
Eventually, basketball took on a different role in my life.
After getting married and having children, I spent five years coaching youth basketball. When my coaching days ended, I moved to the other side of the court and began chasing my daughters around the country as they competed in club sports.
Being a player taught me one side of the game. Coaching taught me another. But becoming a basketball parent may have taught me the most.
Why I Created Youth Basketball Parent
My experiences don’t make me an expert on basketball—or on parenting. Far from it.
But they have given me a perspective that I believe is worth sharing.
I have experienced the game as a player, coach, and parent. I have celebrated great moments and endured difficult ones. I have made mistakes that I wish I could take back, and I have learned lessons that I hope other parents can benefit from without having to learn them the hard way.
Along the way, I have also been fortunate to develop relationships with coaches, trainers, players, parents, and others throughout the basketball community. I plan to draw on their knowledge and experiences so this site isn’t simply about my opinions. My goal is to make Youth Basketball Parent a resource for families trying to navigate the increasingly complicated world of youth basketball.
Some of the topics I plan to cover include:
- Basketball skill development
- Developing the mental side of the game
- Navigating club and AAU basketball
- College recruiting
- Basketball travel, including hotels and restaurants
- Interviews with coaches, trainers, players, and parents
- Reviews and resources for basketball parents
Most importantly, I want this site to discuss the things that don’t always show up on the scoreboard.
How do we push our children without pushing too hard? How do we help them deal with failure? When should we speak up, and when should we stay quiet? How do we handle playing time, coaches, recruiting, travel, expenses, and expectations? And how do we make sure that, when the basketball journey eventually ends, our relationship with our children is stronger because of it?
Those are questions I have wrestled with myself, and they are the conversations I hope we can have here.
Thank you for taking the time to read my first post.
If you find value in what you read, I invite you to subscribe to Youth Basketball Parent so I can let you know when new articles, interviews, resources, and opportunities are available.
I look forward to sharing this journey with you.