Twitter is a social media outlet that gives athletes and coaches the opportunity to communicate with their fan base and the media like never before. It’s been around for a while, but it’s popularity has grown within the past few years. When used appropriately it can be used as a platform to the athlete to gain supporters, and connect with their fans on a personal basis. When used inappropriately, it can also bring a lot of negativity to the athlete and coaches. This morning, Julius Mays’s high school coach, Joe Luce, decided to express his opinion on Mays’s commitment to Kentucky through his Twitter account. This was not a very smart move. If you scroll down his timeline, it is obvious that he wanted Mays to go to Purdue, he is good friends with Matt Painter as well. Rule number 1 of high school coaches who have Twitter is that they should not tweet negatively to their players. It makes them look unprofessional. This is the first time I can ever remember this happening between a high school player and coach on Twitter, but I also don’t regularly creep on other high school basketball players Twitter accounts who aren’t in consideration for Kentucky, so who knows if it is common or not. There have been plenty of incidences where coaches and players get in trouble for what they decide to Tweet, so I decided to make their life a little easier and give them some tips on what to Tweet and what not to Tweet.

Do Tweet:

1. How Much You Love Your Fans: There is nothing like scrolling down your time line and seeing how appreciative a player is of their fan base and the people who have supported them all season.

2. Pictures of Yourself: Take a cue from Twany Beckham. This one is self-explanatory.

3. I Gotta Get #9 Tweets: Every morning when I check my timeline and see a Nerlens Noel original I gotta get #9 tweet my day starts off to an amazing start.

4. Tweet Your Fans Back: There is nothing a super fan loves more than getting Tweeted or Retweeted by one of their favorite players.

Do Not Tweet:

1. Anything Negative About La Familia: I don’t even think this needs to be said because I don’t think it will ever happen. Just keep tweeting your bromance.

2. Pictures of Your New Shoes: Unless your shoes are something extraordinary and ones that I have never seen before, I don’t want to get updates on every new pair of kicks you buy.

Overall UK players do a great job on Twitter, promoting themselves, and keeping the Kentucky program in a positive light. Tweet on.