The posting
REPORTS TO: Senior Athletic Director or designee HOURS: Dependent upon practice and game schedule as designed ASSIGNMENT: SY 26-27 STIPEND: $4,200 EXEMPT STATUS: Non Exempt CAMPUS: Middle School
Summary
The Middle School Head Girls Basketball Coach leads a safe, organized, development-first program that prepares scholar-athletes for successful progression into the Foundation Academies high school girls basketball program. In close partnership with the High School Head Girls Basketball Coach, the coach teaches shared basketball vocabulary, fundamental skills, team concepts, training habits, character standards, and positional foundations while protecting age-appropriate development. Success is measured by individual growth, readiness, retention, culture, safety, communication, compliance, and program alignment - not wins and losses alone.
Requirements
In order to be considered for the Middle School Head Girls Basketball Coach position at Foundation Academies, candidates must:
- Embrace Foundation Academies' college- and career-readiness mission and core values.
- Lead with patience, joy, consistency, inclusion, accountability, sportsmanship, and a development-first mindset.
- Teach basketball through clear progressions, high-repetition activities, useful feedback, and age-appropriate expectations.
- Collaborate closely with the High School Head Girls Basketball Coach and communicate professionally with scholar-athletes, staff, families, and the community.
Certification
- Appointment and approval by the local educational agency and a valid New Jersey teaching certificate or instructional substitute credential; the substitute credential currently requires at least 30 semester-hour college credits.
- Current adult CPR/AED and Basic First Aid certification through an approved provider, including an in-person skills component when required.
- NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching completed before first employment as a coach, unless an applicable exemption applies.
- Annual NFHS Concussion in Sports and Heat Illness Prevention training.
- One-time NFHS Implicit Bias and NJSIAA BeNice training, plus all school-required safety, medication-response, mandated-reporting, and emergency training.
- Completion of criminal-history and employment-authorization requirements and the ability to maintain credentials throughout the assignment.
Responsibilities
Pipeline Building & Program Alignment
- Meet with the High School Head Girls Basketball Coach before the season to confirm shared philosophy, terminology, player-development priorities, behavioral standards, and the middle-to-high-school transition plan.
- Teach the high school program's approved principles for spacing, ball movement, creating advantages, transition play, team defense, communication, and decision-making in age-appropriate ways.
- Provide regular progress updates, participate in a midseason alignment check, and complete a postseason transition summary for athletes moving toward the high school program.
- Coordinate assistants and volunteers around the development plan, encourage multisport participation, and share transparent team-access information through approved school channels.
Practice Design & Player Development
- Plan development-first practices that build ball handling, passing, shooting, finishing, footwork, rebounding, on-ball and help defense, spacing, transition habits, decision-making, conditioning, and basketball IQ.
- Use progressive drills, small-sided games, equitable repetitions, and multiple positional experiences so players learn the game without being labeled too early.
- Set one clear development focus for each scholar-athlete, provide simple midseason feedback, and document a practical next step at season closeout.
- Use observation, film, practice evidence, and basic basketball data to adjust instruction while maintaining age-appropriate workload, recovery, and enjoyment.
Team Selection, Competition & Playing Time
- Conduct safe, equitable tryouts using transparent criteria aligned with the high school program and considering readiness, coachability, effort, growth potential, and commitment.
- Provide meaningful developmental opportunities across the roster. Playing time is not guaranteed; decisions reflect learning, readiness, safety, and team needs.
- Teach game preparation, role clarity, resilience, sportsmanship, and reflection; competitive results are used as feedback and are not the program's sole measure of success.
Academic, Behavioral & Family Expectations
- Reinforce eligibility, attendance, punctuality, preparation, respectful behavior, and healthy team habits.
- Review school-issued eligibility information at scheduled intervals and complete any assigned player check-in or support referral within three school days; no independent tutoring or team GPA target is required.
- Hold a preseason scholar-athlete and family meeting covering expectations, schedules, safety, eligibility, transportation, playing time, and conflict resolution.
- Use approved communication channels, maintain professional boundaries, communicate urgent changes promptly, and address concerns consistently with school and athletics leadership.
Compliance, Safety & Procedures
- Ensure no scholar-athlete participates until the Athletics Department confirms registration, eligibility, medical clearance, and all required documentation.
- Review the site-specific emergency action plan, AED location and access, emergency communication process, and facility-evacuation procedures before the first practice and whenever facilities change.
- Inspect the court, baskets, backboards, padding, playing surface, bleachers, scorer's table, and equipment before every use; remove unsafe equipment from service and report concerns immediately.
- Provide active supervision from the assigned reporting time until all scholar-athletes are released through approved procedures; never leave students unsupervised.
- Follow concussion, sudden cardiac arrest, injury-response, transportation, and return-to-play procedures; medical decisions remain with qualified medical personnel.
- Immediately notify athletics leadership of serious injuries, threats, misconduct, hazing, discrimination, and other reportable incidents in accordance with school and New Jersey requirements.
Facilities, Equipment & Records Management
- Manage practice and game setup, breakdown, gym access, transportation, staffing, officials, and other season operations in coordination with athletics leadership.
- Maintain accurate attendance, roster, emergency-contact, lineup, evaluation, award, uniform, equipment, and season-closeout records by deadline.
- Care for basketballs, training aids, uniforms, scorekeeping supplies, keys, technology, and other equipment; maintain inventory, report loss or damage promptly, and target at least 95% equipment return.
- Submit scores and required statistics accurately by the established deadline, using the official scorebook or designated source record, and correct confirmed discrepancies promptly.
Qualifications
- Previous basketball coaching, playing, teaching, or advanced youth-development experience is preferred.
- Working knowledge of current NFHS basketball rules, age-appropriate skill and team-concept instruction, athlete development, and sportsmanship standards.
- Ability to lead a middle school team while faithfully implementing a shared grade 6-12 girls basketball philosophy and accepting feedback from the High School Head Girls Basketball Coach and athletics leadership.
- Strong organization, communication, digital-platform, record-keeping, and relationship-building skills in diverse school communities.
Goals & Performance Metrics
Evaluation uses coach-controlled evidence and reasonable program context. Development, readiness, safety, culture, and alignment carry greater weight than the win-loss record.
Development & Alignment Measures
- High school alignment: Complete a preseason shared plan, midseason check-in, and postseason transition meeting with the High School Head Girls Basketball Coach.
- Training quality: Maintain a written objective for every practice and include skill work, decision-making, and a small-sided or game-like activity when appropriate.
- Individual growth: Establish one development focus for every player by the end of week three, provide one midseason feedback touchpoint, and record one next step at closeout.
- Participation and readiness: Track every team activity, target at least 85% season completion excluding circumstances outside the coach's control, and provide broad developmental repetitions.
- Academic support: Review every issued eligibility report and complete each assigned flagged-player check-in or referral within three school days; no GPA or tutoring quota applies.
- Safety and supervision: Review the emergency action plan and AED access before the first practice, verify clearance, inspect the court and baskets before every use, and report serious incidents immediately with documentation by the next business day.
- Culture and communication: Hold a preseason expectations meeting, use approved channels, communicate urgent changes the same day, and acknowledge or route routine questions within one business day when practicable.
- Operations and records: Submit all required attendance, score, statistic, equipment, evaluation, and closeout records by deadline and correct confirmed discrepancies within one business day.
- Basketball pathway progress: Set one High School Head Girls Basketball Coach-approved development goal and review it at midseason and closeout using evidence such as ball security, shot preparation, passing decisions, spacing, defensive positioning, rebounding habits, or transition play. Wins and losses are one data point only.
Evaluation & Renewal
Performance will be reviewed by the High School Head Girls Basketball Coach and Senior Athletic Director or designee using direct observation, program records, stakeholder feedback, compliance evidence, development progress, and the metrics above. Stipend renewal is based on program need, performance, conduct, alignment, compliance, and continued approval.
Work Environment & Physical Expectations
The assignment requires indoor gym work, movement on hardwood courts, extended standing and supervision, basketball demonstrations, travel, and reasonable handling of team equipment. Reasonable accommodations will be considered in accordance with applicable law.
Perform Other Responsibilities
Perform other related duties assigned by the High School Head Girls Basketball Coach, athletics leadership, or school leadership. This description identifies the role's principal functions and is not exhaustive; duties may be adjusted for program needs, current law, school policy, and governing-body rules.
