Greg Kot pens basketball book, compares coaching and music writing

Chicago takes its music and sports pretty seriously, and for good reason: The city has much to be proud of in both arenas. But while our love for both is apparent, the two rarely intersect. So how did Chicago Tribune music critic, Sound Opinions co-host and Wilco biographer Greg Kot come to pen a book about coaching youth basketball?

“I've played basketball most of my life, then got involved in coaching when my two daughters started to play in grade school,” Kot tells Paste:Local. “I’ve been coaching ever since. Miraculously, my daughters survived my coaching them.” (I know Kot through my work with the Tribune.)

Kot and fellow coach Keith Miniscalo run Over The Edge, a local youth basketball program, and together they've written Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Basketball (Human Kinetics). Recently, Kot shared with us the parallels he sees between his music beat and coaching duties.
 
1. Collaboration
"Basketball teams are a lot like bands: Different personalities from different backgrounds working together toward a common goal. It’s like being married to several people at the same time. The best teams and best bands set aside their differences to create something that’s bigger than the sum of their parts."
 
2. Multi-tasking
"Coaching is a lot like being a band manager or producer. You’re a teacher, confidante, adviser, mediator and therapist all rolled into one."
 
3. Perseverance
"The hardest part of coaching is learning how to stay positive and keep teaching the kids even when they’re getting pounded by a bigger, faster, better team. It’s like a band in the middle of a bad gig. Sometimes you just have to fight through it and remind yourself that the next gig will be better."

4. Teamwork
"Teams and bands are only as strong as the player you least notice. A great rhythm section can make or break band, no matter how good the songwriting is. In b-ball, the scorers get all the accolades, but it’s the players who do the 'dirty work'-- diving for loose balls, grabbing rebounds in traffic, playing tough defense-- who are the glue of any great team."
 
5. Honesty
"Band members have to be honest with each other. If a song isn’t working, someone in the band needs to say so. The same applies to coaching. To be effective, you inevitably need to critique your players’ performance. But there’s a wrong and a right way to do it. Artists are sensitive people. So are kids learning a game. For every criticism, sandwich it with a couple of positives. The bad news goes down a lot easier if it’s accompanied by a pat on the back."

A release party for Survival Guide will commence tonight, Friday, Nov. 14th, at 7 p.m. at the Irish American Heritage Center, featuring appetizers, desserts, a cash bar, Irish music and appearances by the authors.

Related links:
News: Paste's editor-in-chief debates Juno with Greg Kot
Feature: Perfect PItch: Music & Baseball's Love Affair
Celebrate Bob Gendron's 33 1/3 contribution at Hideout tonight