Basketball on the Edge – USOC Report: The Formula for Developing Elite Athletes

This article is written by TJ Buchanan who is the coaching education content manager at US Lacrosse. The content of the article is relevant to youth basketball parents and coaches as we determine how to make youth basketball a positive experience for our kids.

USOC Report: The Formula for Developing Elite Athletes

By TJ Buchanan

When developing your players for maximum performance, what really pushes them to an elite level?

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) recently published a report based on a survey distributed to nearly 2,000 U.S. Olympic athletes. The survey intended to gauge what the USOC could do to improve the quality and effectiveness of programs focused on talent identification and development.

What do the Olympics have to do with your team of players you don’t choose and whose motivation varies? This information can help coaches of any sport and any age group guide their teams to success.

According to the USOC report, the top two reasons Olympic athletes gave for pursuing elite levels of performance were “intrinsic love of activity” (they liked being active) and love of the sport. What does that tell me as a coach?

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