Teachhoops.com WintheSeason.com GameChanger Website Dr Dish Website CoachingYouthHoops.com https://forms.gle/kQ8zyxgfqwUA3ChU7 Coach Collins Coaching Store From the 5th quarter studios in Madison, Wisconsin, you're listening to Coach Unplugged with your host, Steve Collins. Hey, everybody. Welcome to Coach Unplugged. I'm so happy you decided to join us today. Before we jump into the podcast, I'd like to give a big shout out to our sponsors. First of all, Dr. Dish, the number one shooting machine on the market. We own three of them, and their customer service is second to none. Mention Coach Collins or Coach Unplugged, and you'll get $450 off. Also, check out teachhoops.com for coaches who want to get better. We offer a 14-day free trial to see if you like it. Today, we're going to talk about coaching in non-urban or rural areas and some of the obstacles faced. Both urban and rural areas have their challenges, but today we'll focus on rural areas. In urban areas, there's often more movement of players, but in rural areas, the challenges can be quite different. One major challenge in rural areas is the smaller size of schools. With smaller schools, there's often less interest in basketball, leading to lower numbers of players. For example, you might start a season with ten players and end with only four. This is a big problem and can make it difficult to sustain a team. Another significant challenge is travel. Rural teams often have to travel long distances for games. For instance, you might have to take a five to six-hour trip for a game. This means spending a lot of time on uncomfortable buses, which can be exhausting for both players and coaches. In my first job in Northern Wisconsin, every game felt like a long trip, and you end up feeling like you live on a bus. In addition to these challenges, there are fewer opportunities for competition and development. While urban areas have more local competition and opportunities for pickup games, rural areas lack these advantages. Even with the rise of AAU basketball, rural areas still struggle to find regular competition. Coaches in these areas often have to create their own opportunities for their players to improve. Overall, the main obstacles in rural areas are interest in the sport, travel, and limited opportunities for competition. These challenges require coaches to be resourceful and dedicated to building their programs despite the difficulties. Thank you for listening. If you'd like to support us, go over to teachhoops.com and join our community of like-minded coaches who want to make the game better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices