If you find that you no longer want to play on your basketball team then here is how you should go about quitting. First make sure that you are not choosing to leave the team because of a conflict that can be resolved. If you have a conflict that has not been discussed with your parents, coach, school counselor, or school principal, please contact the appropriate authorities to see if a resolution can be found for your issue, concern, or problem.

If you want to leave the team for health reasons, please note that you do not have to disclose the health issue to your coach if this makes you feel uncomfortable. If you feel comfortable disclosing the health reason you may but it is not mandatory if you feel embarrassed. Just talk to your coach or have your parents talk to your coach. It is best to give as much notice as possible that you will be leaving the team. That way your coach can make adjustments for your absence. You can also write a letter to the coach and team staff telling them that you are leaving the team. It is good to do both if you can write a letter and then go in and speak to the coach. You may want to speak to the coach in his or her office privately and not quit the team in front of a group of people if you are quitting for a reason you want to keep private.

Your coach may have questions for you as to why you want to leave the team. You do not have to answer the questions but if you want to, it would be good to discuss your reasoning. The coach and staff may write you a letter of recommendation for college applications or a job in the future. If you are quitting a team because you are moving to a new school or new city, it might behoove you to speak openly about why you are quitting the team.

If you are open to discussing that you are quitting the team, then tell your teammates and coaching staff along with your coach. You make friends when you are on a team sport, and people will want to say goodbye to you and wish you well in your future endeavors.

If you are quitting a team to go to another team that is in the same area make sure to note that your old team will know that you have done this because you will probably play against them in the future.

To keep hard feelings at bay, you may want to discuss this decision with your coach before quitting because it can be detrimental to your career to be known as a team hopper. It is not ethical to learn the coaching system of one coach and then go to another coach and disclose your previous coach’s methods and strategies. Coaching playbooks are special and private so you can share certain things but know that some information is privileged and meant to be kept within that specific team. Please keep this in mind when you are moving from one team to another. This is especially true in the same sport. Ethics is important.

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