It really depends on the individual they're coaching. Successful coaches are good at recognizing each individual player's personality and how to best communicate with them such that they can reach their full potential. I always worked best with a tough but fair coach and struggled with those who I felt didn't hold players accountable or played favorites. I was good with being screamed at if it was deserved and something I could change. I didn't need/want to be coddled. But I can certainly say that isn't the type of coach that works with everyone.
Best team I was on we won the conference. That coach had more of a calm demeanor but held players extremely accountable and if you weren't willing to play with effort or play in the system you weren't playing. Used a deep bench and rotated people based on how they were playing. It was a great team to play on. Worst I played on was one where the coach had his starters that would play the full game, and when forced to sub in a player due to foul trouble would actively scream and embarrass that player the whole time they were on the court and would ride them hard in practice screaming at them to quit because they weren't good enough to play. To this day, I still don't know what his purpose was other than possibly scare the starters into never wanting to become a bench player. Needless to say that team lost a ton of games and it was a miserable experience.
Sadly that team holds the sporting moment I can remember most clearly. I was forced into the game due to our guard fouling out. We were down 2 points with time running out and we had the ball. For the past couple minutes my coach audibly made sure to scream pass whenever I touched the ball which I did (I was always a pass first, second, third player anyways). He drew up a play to get the ball to our star guard, however with my guy shading off of me and his guy playing him tight, he could not get free. Our big kicked out the ball to me with less than 7 seconds left. I was wide open behind the arc, it was a perfect pass, and I was shooting in rhythm. So, I took the shot. My coach screamed "NOOO!" and threw down his clipboard during the shot. I thought the shot was pure. It wasn't. Clanged back rim. That said I still charged the hoop, got my own rebound and tossed it back to our star player. He forced up the last second shot and missed it. Game over. My coach ran out on the court grabbing my jersey, cussing me out, saying I cost us the game. Hilariously the coach of the other team stepped in to try to get him to back off. Coach cussed him out too, lol. Anyways, long and the short of it, coach said I'd never play a single second again and I should find my own way home as I wasn't going back on the team bus. Ends up he was right, while I didn't quit the team, that would indeed wind up being my final minutes of playing time in organized basketball. Needless to say, bad coaches are bad and you know when you have one, but any coach will be worse/better for some than others. That said, while I wasn't in the right mindset then, I will always remember fondly that other coach stepping in and then later taking me aside in the handshake line giving me positive encouragement, to keep working hard, and that not all coaches are like mine and not to give up.
