Dear Coaches: When You're Up 20, Let the Bench Play

A Question That Needs Asking

Here's a question for basketball coaches everywhere, particularly those coaching our youth: Why is it that when you're up 20 points or more in a game, you don't play your bench?

I get it sometimes, but other times? I'm completely lost.

When you're 20, 30 points ahead, I don't understand why you won't let the little man in or the practice player get some real game time. Yeah, maybe they can't catch the ball and walk and chew gum at the same time, but throw them a bone. Give them their moment.

Now, I'm not talking about college ball. I understand that's where coaches get paid to win, where scholarships and recruiting are on the line, where every game matters for tournament seeding. I get the stakes there.

But middle school basketball? High school ninth grade? JV teams? There aren't too many high schools where the head coaches are getting paid extra for wins. So what's the deal? Can somebody explain why you're 25, 30 points ahead and still have your starters in the game?

Why won't you let those babies play?

What Sports Should Teach Our Kids

Youth and high school sports are supposed to be about more than just winning. They're about character development, teamwork, perseverance, and yes, sportsmanship. When we keep starters in during blowout games, what message are we really sending?

The legendary John Wooden, who won 10 NCAA championships at UCLA, once said, "Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming." Notice he didn't say success was crushing your opponent by 40 points. He talked about personal growth and effort.

Every kid on that bench showed up to practice. They ran the same drills. They learned the same plays. They sacrificed their time, put in the work, and supported their teammates from the sideline game after game. Don't they deserve a chance to experience what they've been preparing for?

The Real Cost of Keeping Starters In

When coaches refuse to clear the bench during comfortable leads, several things happen, and none of them are good:

The bench players lose motivation. Why would they continue to work hard in practice when they know they'll never see meaningful minutes, even when the game is already decided? These kids learn that effort doesn't matter if you're not a star player.

The starters risk injury. Why keep your best players on the court when the outcome isn't in question? One bad landing, one awkward collision, and suddenly your star player is done for the season over a game you had already won.

Team chemistry suffers. Championship teams are built on unity, not just talent. When only five or six players get all the playing time, resentment grows. The players who never get minutes feel undervalued, and rightfully so.

The wrong message gets sent. We're teaching kids that winning at all costs is more important than being a good teammate, that individual glory matters more than team development, that some players simply don't matter.

Coach Gregg Popovich, one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, has built his legacy not just on winning championships but on player development and team culture. He's known for saying, "It's not about any one person. You've got to get over yourself and realize that it takes a group to get this thing done." That wisdom applies at every level of basketball.

It's About More Than Basketball

Phil Jackson, who won 11 NBA championships, emphasized the importance of every player feeling valued: "The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." When we don't give bench players opportunities, we're telling them they're not really part of the team.

For many of these young players, this might be their last year playing organized basketball. Some won't make the cut next year. Others will decide the sport isn't for them. Shouldn't they at least get to experience what it feels like to check into a real game, to hear their name called, to contribute in some small way to a victory?

These moments matter. They become memories that last a lifetime. I've heard countless adults talk about the one time they got into a game, even if it was just for two minutes in a blowout. They remember it. It meant something.

What Good Coaching Looks Like

Great coaches understand that their job extends beyond X's and O's. They're shaping young people, teaching life lessons that will matter long after the final buzzer sounds.

Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K), who won five NCAA championships at Duke, built his program on leadership and character: "The best thing I give to people is not necessarily a tangible thing, it's about building confidence and trust." How do you build confidence in a player who never gets to play?

Good coaches recognize blowout games as opportunities:

• Development opportunities for players who need game experience

• Teaching moments about sportsmanship and humility in victory

• Team-building exercises that show every player matters

• Rest periods for starters who need to stay healthy for games that actually matter

When you're up 25 points with five minutes left in a middle school game, the outcome isn't in question. But the impact you have on those kids on the bench? That's very much still to be determined.

A Call to Action

Coaches, I'm asking you to think about your why. Why do you coach youth sports? Is it purely about your win-loss record? Or is it about developing young people, teaching them valuable life lessons, and creating positive experiences that will shape who they become?

If it's the latter, then when you're up big, clear that bench. Let those kids play. Give them their moment. Show them that all their hard work mattered, that they're valued members of the team, that showing up and putting in effort has meaning even if they're not the star.

To the parents and students reading this: advocate for playing time policies that make sense. Support coaches who prioritize player development and team culture over running up the score. Speak up when you see coaching practices that hurt more than they help.

Our kids deserve better. They deserve coaches who understand that youth sports are about more than just winning games. They deserve to learn that being a good sport, valuing every teammate, and showing humility in victory are just as important as any championship trophy.

So coaches, the next time you're up 20, 25, 30 points, do the right thing. Let those babies play. Give them their moment. Teach sportsmanship by example. That's what great coaching looks like.