The most important person to any coach's career is the one who never gets credit for it.

In this episode, I write about my wife Monica, and about the spouses, partners, and supporters who do the unglamorous half of every coaching life. The ones who eat dinner alone during season. The ones who hold the household together while we are in the gym. The ones who are part of the coaching infrastructure even though they never appear in a box score.

For every coach, and for every person who has ever loved one.

The work is done. The practices are over. The plan is in place. And now there’s nothing left to do but wait.

In this episode of Between Whistles, I talk about the strange uncertainty of the night before a season opener—the questions coaches ask themselves, the temptation to keep preparing, and the moment when preparation has to become trust.

At some point, you have to close the laptop and let the players play.

There is a freshman standing against the wall watching a returning junior put up shots. She has not been evaluated by anyone yet. Tryouts have not started. And she is already trying to cut herself.

In this episode, Coach Kays reflects on the first day of tryouts. What kids reveal in the first fifteen minutes before instructions have been given. What the coach sees while pretending to be watching basketball. And why the first day matters more than the first day seems to matter.

Approximately seven minutes.