Philosophies and expectations of wheelchair and stand-up collegiate basketball coaches.

Abstract

Research effectively identifying the philosophies and expectations of collegiate basketball coaches is limited Even less is known about the philosophies and expectations of collegiate wheelchair basketball coaches. The purposes of the study were to identify how coaches for wheelchair basketball viewed their athletes and uncover the general philosophies and expectations of wheelchair and stand-up basketball coaches. Six wheelchair and eight stand-up collegiate basketball coaches were interviewed. Results revealed five major themes focused on: (a) expectations; (b) perspectives on coaching; (c) philosophies of success; (d) individual differences; and (e) thoughts about athletes. Results revealed differences among all coaches, but very few overt differences between coaches for stand-up versus wheelchair basketball. Results demonstrated that coaching differences and similarities may be more dependent on the coach than the athletes being coached.