The Kee to Coaching: When Opportunity Knocks, Do You Perform?
Good morning! The last two weeks have been very busy for me, and have included a ton of high school basketball. Over the last two weeks, I have been fortunate enough to work three of The Hoop Group's Top 100 Showcases. For those of you who don't know, The Hoop Group is probably the biggest basketball organization on the east coast. They host AAU tournaments, skills camps, NCAA Live Events, and clinics. As a young coach, working these camps and clinics have served as great networking platforms for me, and have allowed me to build relationships with high school, AAU and college coaches, across the country. I've packed on the miles, driving from New York to Virginia, to Philadelphia and to Baltimore, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything!
Next up for me is the NCAA Division 1 Final Four/NABC Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. This will be my first time attending the convention and traveling to the state of Arizona. I look forward to seeing a bunch of my coaching friends, as well as meeting new coaches, from all different levels. I've heard that the coaching clinics are amazing, and I will surely get a hand cramp from the pages of notes that will be taken!
If you've been following the NCAA Tournament, you've surely listened in on some Frank Martin press conferences. The University of South Carolina wasn't a team that many people predicted to be in the Final 4, but Frank Martin has transformed that program into one of the hottest teams in the country.
Two summers ago, I sat next to Frank Martin at an AAU tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina. I had no business watching the Carolina Wolves AAU team, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to watch Seventh Woods play in person. I didn't know much about Frank Martin at that time, other than the fact that he had a much higher salary than me, and wasn't counting pennies at the concession stand. It wasn't until this NCAA Tournament that I really researched his background and found out just how unique his path has been. He attended Florida International University, but didn't play on the team. He got his start as a high school assistant and truly grinded his way up the professional latter. This path differs from many other High-Major coaches, and is something worth praising. He talked about the countless amount of letters that he sent out to Division 1 coaches, only to get one response back. Since I've decided to get into the college coaching profession, I have probably emailed and mailed over 500 letters, and might have heard back from fifteen coaches. The coaches who have responded have truly made an impact on me, and I am forever grateful for the time that they spent to write me back.
Working camps and working with coaches at different levels has really given me an opportunity to observe and analyze others in my profession. The one thing that I've come to realize, is how good coaches are at each and every level. I know some high school coaches who could easily coach at the Division 1 level. What I've come to find out, is that it all comes down to who gets what opportunities and what they do with the chance that they're blessed with. I've gotten the opportunity to interact with a ton of young assistant coaches who, like me, are getting their start in the business and are looking to advance. A lot of outsiders overlook coaches at the Division 3 level, but many would be surprised about how knowledgable the coaches here are. Most people are afraid to take the chance on somebody who may not seem like the easy hire. Playing background, coaching lineage, and divisional level carry too much weight at times. It seems that most schools at higher levels will promote a graduate manager, as opposed to a Division 3 assistant at a successful program.
Hundreds of young coaches will be heading to the Final 4 this week, in hopes of networking and making their big break to the next level. I will be in attendance and will surely be promoting myself along with rooting for my peers. Hopefully, some school will take a chance on somebody who could be the next Buzz Williams, Frank Martin, Nathan Davis or Dave Paulsen. Coaching is good at all levels, and it's time to see more people think outside the box with their hires!
