Player Development and Information Overload

Today's Los Angeles Times features an article about promising young center DeAndre Jordan and his growing frustration. As starting center Chris Kaman explains:

"He's got pretty solid hands and he's aggressive. The thing I really like is his heart," Kaman said. "He's just a good guy. That's gonna help him in the long run. He has a lot of people in his ear — everybody is talking to him and I can see how he gets frustrated and he's just got to learn to deal with it."

"I think he over-thinks it a little bit," he said. "He definitely has to be a sponge to try to soak it all up as much as you can. There's a lot of people talking to him, a lot of people are looking out for his best interests.

"No one is trying to hurt him — he has to realize that. He definitely has a bright future and needs to continue to work hard."

Sometimes, even when everyone means well, the information overload is too much and actually causes mistakes or poor play.

As a high school AAU game yesterday, I listened to coaches yell constantly at the players, while parents in the stands often yelled conflicting messages. How can a player relax and perform when his father yells at him on every possession and his coach barks instruction without pause for the entire game?

By Brian McCormickDirector of Coaching, Playmakers Basketball Development League