The following comes from Morgan Wootten's book, "Coaching Basketball Successfully." It is the perfect title for a coach that did just that for an extended period of time. This is an outstanding book that should be in every coach's library. I think the annual evaluation of a program is extremely essential for growth. Coach Wootten gives a great guideline to follow."No matter what kind of season you had, you need to sit down and thoroughly evaluate your program. What you want to find out is where you were, how you did with what you had, and where you are going. As I've mentioned, there is no progress without change. But all change is not necessarily progress. It is the evaluation process that will allow you to discover what needs to be changed and what needs to be left along."
SENIOR FEEDBACK
The first step I recommend in analyzing your program is to have your graduating seniors write out their thoughts on the program. Tel the seniors that you are not looking for flowery accolades, but substantive ideas and criticisms that they believe will improve your program. It should be a private, personal evaluation by the seniors; for it to be helpful, they must be completely honest.
ASSISTANT COACHES' INPUT
I also seek all of my coaches for a written evaluation of the past season. I learned a long time ago from George Allen, the late, great coach of the NFL's Rams and Redskins, that if you really want someones opinion, get it in writing.
EVALUATION OF ASSISTANT'S' PERFORMANCE
As the same time, you should evaluate your staff. Again, I suggest that you do this in writing. Then sit down with each member of the staff and go over that evaluation with him.
PURPOSE OF EVALUATIONS
The evaluations should be completed for positive reasons, primarily so that all of the players and all of the coaches (including head coach) can grow.
POST SEASON PLAYER EVALUATIONS
My assistants and I evaluate our personnel the same way we evaluate ourselves and our program. We have each player submit a written evaluation of himself to the coaching staff. I will then meet individually with each player and discuss with him his own and the coaches' evaluations.
