Prompt
You are the volunteer head coach of an under-12 community basketball team with ten players. The league rule says only that every player should get "meaningful minutes." All season you have given each child roughly equal time, and the team has surprised everyone by reaching the championship game this Saturday. Your assistant coach wants to play the five strongest players for most of the game, saying the children worked all season for this chance and that several parents have told him they expect it. Three players have scored only a handful of points all year. One of them, Sam, is 11. His mother told you privately that he has a hard time at school and that this team is the only place he feels he belongs. How would you decide who plays, and for how long?
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After you practice: what this question tests and how to approach it
What this question tests
- Ethical reasoning
- Empathy and compassion
- Communication
How to approach this question
This MMI station tests how you weigh winning against inclusion when one child's sense of belonging is on the line and everyone has a stake in Saturday's game. Name the stakeholders: Sam and the two other players who rarely score, the five strongest players, the parents, your assistant coach, and the values the team has kept all season. Ask what meaningful minutes should mean in a final, and consider options such as guaranteed time for every player with stronger lineups at key moments. Keep Sam's private situation confidential while you decide. Then commit to a plan and explain how you'd tell your assistant coach and the parents. When a child asks to sit out because he's afraid of letting the team down, respond to his fear first and think about what your answer teaches him.
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