Marty Gross

Emotional Development

(1) As head coach, we will meet with seniors every Monday morning for breakfast and each student-athlete at least once every 2 weeks. The meeting is mainly to find out if any student-athlete on the team is experiencing any problems or conflicts.
It is also a time where we can encourage and inspire the student athlete to improve as a person.

(2) Try to develop enthusiasm in the student athlete toward what he is doing and life in general. If he is excited about the future, he will better prepare himself for it.

(3) Checking with parents or influential adults is another source of feedback on the student-athlete’s emotional well-being. It shows we care.

(4) My assistants and I will visit family or influential adults when in the student athlete’s home area. It helps keep open the lines of communication and fosters the “family” aspect of our program.

(5) We will visit the student athlete’s College room every so often. This is not a spy mission or policing action, but a sincere attempt to make sure everything is all right in terms of their College life.

Personal Development

(1) We will hold 5 one hour seminars the first two weeks of classes. Five resource people are brought in from the university community to talk on a specific subject. One person speaks per day during a one to one and one-half hour seminar. Our campus has a great wealth of resources to help us develop depth in our student-athletes.

(2) We will develop a feeling of openness and receptiveness among our players and staff. Offices and homes are always open to the student athlete. Foster a feeling that the staff is accessible and responsive to the needs of the student athlete.

(3) Over the summer, the staff will write letters to and phone the team members to check on how each is doing. Most of the time, basketball is only touched on in the communications. This, again, shows our concern for them, all year round, on a personal level.

(4) We will incorporate softball games, tag football and other fun team sports within the pre-season conditioning program to create a togetherness, chemistry and espirit d’corp.

(5) We will always involve team members as much as possible in community service projects, i.e. “Dream to Read”, attend children’s hospital, serve meals at homeless shelter, fund raising events, Winners Circle, Three Point Club, Hot Dogs and Hoops, clinics and games.

Academic Development

(1) We will always stress the importance of the student-athlete’s education. Constantly motivate the student athlete to increase his knowledge in all areas. Good academic performances will be praised and made known to the rest of the team.

(2) We will determine the academic capabilities of the student-athlete from the outset. We will work closely with Julie Griswold and the Athletic Academic Department, if any problems occur. We will coordinate the program with faculty who specialize in learning development. We will develop schedules that push the student-athlete toward normal academic progress and graduation.

(3) We will coordinate study hall with our athletic academic staff. Study Hall will be held four days per week with each session lasting two or three hours. Administer study hall by checking what the student-athlete is to work on and monitoring the progress on that assignment throughout the study time.

(4) We will set up study blocks for the student athlete twice a week for an hour. The study block time is arranged around the student athlete’s schedule. The study block is held in the athletic academic office, as this affords constant monitoring of the study time.

(5) We will provide tutors for those student athletes having problems in a class, want to improve their grades for graduate school, or just simply want a study companion. The tutor as well as the student athlete will be in continuous contact with the instructor for helpful tips and comments on the student athlete’s problems. Tutors will fill out a weekly report on the student athlete’s progress.

(6) We will check the player’s attendance and progress in each class through the athletic academic department at least once a week. We will send a monitoring form via campus mail for this purpose. It is also important to make phone contact with the instructors every once in a while through Julies’ office. This shows the instructors our concern and is a source for a constant update on the progress of the student-athlete. All of these policies will be coordinated through Julie Griswold’s office!

(7) We will require the student athlete to meet all academic responsibilities. A missed class, study hall, study block, or tutoring session must be dealt with immediately. Missed classes will result in 6:00am wake-up and study session.