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Shawn Jones

DIRECTOR, ATHLETICS

Shawn has 30 years of head basketball coaching experience combined with 11 years as an athletic director. He has coached in Colorado and Texas, and has taken teams to three Final Four tournaments and a state championship. He has seen numerous players of his continue on to compete at the college and professional level of the sport. He is also proud to have seen many of his athletes become high school and collegiate coaches themselves. As director of athletics, Shawn is a key member of Ballogy’s team, driving the company’s athletic strategy, partnerships, coach engagement, and product vision. He has been married to his high school sweetheart for 32 years and they have raised three wonderful children together. Shawn has a passion for player development and the desire to assist coaches with effective, time-saving tools of administering and assessing skill development drills.

by Shawn Jones on Feb 3, 2025

Every team faces fatigue. Some may be able to press the whole game and wear others out, but somewhere down the road, even those teams begin to feel the effects on their legs and bodies. The dilemma coaches always face is how much conditioning to do leading up to the season and how much to do to maintain during the season—especially with holiday breaks in the middle, full of mashed potatoes, turkey, egg nog, and sugar cookies!

Physical fatigue is certainly a real concern, but many coaches overlook an ever-present, real fatigue that can erode a team from within without anyone even noticing it. Mental fatigue is a very real and dangerous dilemma. Physical bodies can be in top shape, but if the mind is tired, performance will suffer greatly.

Coaches would be wise to consider the “push” of a long season in their sport and how it affects their athletes. It’s dangerously easy, as an adult, to get stuck in an occupational routine of coaching and keep the foot on the gas from day one, month by month, only to find our athletes worn out and indifferent by playoff time. Other pressures begin to pile on top of season pressures and become overwhelming for kids. Relationships, academics (especially at grade checks and Finals!), and family issues can deplete the mental gas tank of your players quickly.

BUILD IN RECOVERY DAYS.

I hated that thought. We never take days off! We aren’t good enough to take days off! While I still believe that, I learned that doing other things can still be productive and not just a “day off.” I learned to build in rest days for both physical and mental recovery. You don’t have to do them at the same time if your old-school conscience fights with you—take a day to just do film, resting the bodies. They are still learning and getting better; their bodies are just getting a break. Or take a day and just do a ton of shooting—no strategy, scheme, or skill drills. Just do a ton of shooting and include some fun shooting games. Sometimes that alone will hit the mental reset button, and your athletes will be recharged for another hard push.

BREAK THE SEASON UP INTO SMALL SEASONS.

Instead of looking down the whole road of several months, create small seasons inside your season. Group a couple of weeks, name them something, and have a goal to reach. Preseason chunking of time like this is valuable so kids can see the finish line. In-season chunking of time could include practice weeks before the first game, the period of time for preseason games, tournament weeks, the first round of district, the second round of district, and playoffs. Each chunk has its own goals and finish line. It helps to keep kids fresh and focused.

Finally, we never really talk about winning future games. I like to leave that pressure in the future. We talk about doing our jobs and the little things right to WIN TODAY. But with each win, I strongly believe you should celebrate appropriately. I believe in soaking up the joy and medicine of each and every win. Too many coaches take winning lightly. It is difficult and precious. Take pictures, award key performances, laugh, sing, and enjoy the night. The next day, it’s back to business and work.

There are many ways to skin a cat, and many thoughts on managing physical and mental fatigue in teams. I know what has worked for me. Kids need little breaks and treats to stay healthy and focused. Coaches need kids to be healthy and focused. It’s an investment in your success to consider it. And… we haven’t mentioned it at all, but deep down, we as coaches need a little break or treat to stay focused and healthy ourselves! Our wives or husbands would applaud one night of early practice dismissal to invest in the family team. It won’t kill you… but it might just turn you into champions!