Tips on Being a great assistant coach

Worked under ncaa/usatfccca and nfhs hall of famers. More titles between them than most could comprehend.

Advice from them:

Surround yourself with good people, give them what they need, bend like bamboo bjt strike back when you need to and get the hell out of their way.

Worked to the tune of 16 state titles and 5 runner-ups for my programs. Always in contention. Learn from the people that are consistently on top. Then decide which of 2 paths you want to take. In otherwords, what do you want your peers and athletes to remember and say most about you as a person?

Find the balance.

Respect the head coach and respect is returned.

Coach the hell out of your kids and more scholarships are given.

Do what’s assigned to you and more responsibilities are assigned to you.

Don’t act before running it by the head first and you build trust and communication. You’ll find you have more freedom to do things how you want because your head trust that it’s in line with the vision.

It’s too many assistants that don’t understand the chain of command and that’s why it’s a bunch of nonsense on here.

A lot of assistants nailed the interview because they know what to say but have no intention of being a great ASSISTANT.

Your head coach can help you to a better gig or not hire you back for being a douche. It’s really on you.

Everyone here seems to assume the head coach will do the right thing. Like do good and get more scholarship money... wrong. Respect the head coach and get respect back... wrong. Do good work and get more responsibility... wrong.

You all are assuming a good or reasonable person is the head.

Then you shouldn’t have taken that job. Who you work for and who you work with is more important than where you work.

As an assistant you are hitching your wagon to the head coach. Before you do, you better make sure they are some you trust. Way to many coaches take jobs with terrible HC and then wonder why they have a terrible experience.

It seems like there are a lot of coaches on this thread who should be looking at their poor decisions rather than blaming a HC for their terrible experience.

Not saying HC are blameless but some coaches walk into obvious dumpster fire then complain that it’s hot and smells bad.

7ate9 wrote:

Then you shouldn’t have taken that job. Who you work for and who you work with is more important than where you work.

As an assistant you are hitching your wagon to the head coach. Before you do, you better make sure they are some you trust. Way to many coaches take jobs with terrible HC and then wonder why they have a terrible experience.

It seems like there are a lot of coaches on this thread who should be looking at their poor decisions rather than blaming a HC for their terrible experience.

Not saying HC are blameless but some coaches walk into obvious dumpster fire then complain that it’s hot and smells bad.

This sums it up. If you can’t get behind the person leading the program don’t take the job or find your own program to run. Simple. Be a great assistant.

If you have a HC that respects your weekends and time off … be a great assistant. If your HC doesn’t try to coach your event… be a great assistant. If your HC talks to you regularly, breaks bread with you outside of work… be a great assistant. If your HC makes sure you get credit for your ideas… be a great assistant. If your HC is clear on his or her expectations of you… be a great assistant. If your HC shares the vision of the program and it inspires you… be a great assistant. If your HC supports the decision you make for your athletes and your recruiting…. Be a great assistant. If your HC is getting things done and all you do is coach and recruit…. Be a great assistant. If your HC talks highly of you to admins media and the athletes… be a great assistant. If your HC can constructively criticize you in private with tact and respect…. Be a great assistant.

You find good leadership like that then sit back and learn. Do what’s ask in a timely manner, the way he or she asks. Respect their position and the chain of command. It’s a lot of miserable assistants because they are in toxic environments. A good HC can find a replacement with no problems.

Who are some good head coaches to work under? Would like to avoid the dumpster fires

Grass is Greener wrote:

Who are some good head coaches to work under? Would like to avoid the dumpster fires

Lonnie Greene seems to get good reviews from his assistants. Same for Connie Price Smith, Norbert Elliot, Bob Olesen, Andrew Valmon, Lamont Johnson, Erik Jenkins, Karen Dennis, Leroy Burrell etc

Sometimes its that simple and sometimes head coaches aren't deserving of that position of authority.

In all my years of being both in charge and an assistant or even as an athlete, the head coaches who were the most successful were the ones who didn't simply have a "do what I say because I'm in charge" attitude.

Even the most conniving assistant will follow a head coach's lead with the proper structure and goals in place. So my advice to any assistant would be to ask the coach to provide or explain their vision, goal, rules, expectations of staff so that you can be better prepared as well as understand why the head coach moves the way that they do.

I've been in situations where I as the assistant was more knowledgable in both the actual coaching side of things and the leadership side. At no point did I try to undermine the coach, go behind their back or any other shady business. I respected their position and authority even when they were clearly in over their head. I simply provided input in a way that allowed the final decisions to seem like their own without coming off as if "I'm trying to take over".

It's inevitable that you're going to come across some terrible head coaches but as long as you realize that you're there to help fulfill their vision(whatever it is) you'll be closer to the right path.

It’s more likely an assistant gets fired after a year for not following the instructions of a head coach then it is for a head coach to be fired for being a terrible head coach.

That’s just the way it is. Seems this thread was created to help assistants keep their job. In short, respect the chain of command. Everything goes through your boss first. If you start doing your own thing you’re done.

As an assistant if you hire me to do a job why do I have to let you know everything that’s going on? Shouldn’t you just let me do my job and trust I’m doing the right things? Isn’t that what you hired me for?

My head coach is constantly nagging me about recruiting, and courtesy copying emails and doing small projects that really don’t matter or have anything to do with coaching. He even got mad because I asked him to help grab athlete gear boxes out my car! Like dude what

I’m to the point now where when I get a call or text I’m not answering. I know he’s going to ask me to do some sort of mindless task or get mad because I did something that’s way more significant instead.

Good luck getting your next job.

This has to be a joke right? Just trying to troll us?

I wrote a long reply but you won’t understand why you’re wrong. 2 things- get out of college coaching, you’re not built for it, and in the meantime just copy the HC on important emails. It isn’t that hard.

Not trolling. Many won’t speak out but this is true! Head Coaches need to trust their assistant s to do what they hired them to do. I shouldn’t have to check in or update you on anything. Just let me do my thing. Copy you on everything? For what? If I need anything I should be able to go directly to the AD or order whatever I need and even book my recruits and trips without having to get approval. That’s what I’m here for!

Update: Now he’s handed a lot of things he’s nagging me to do on to another assistant. I can finally focus on my own stuff.

Rodger That Cap wrote:

Not trolling. Many won’t speak out but this is true! Head Coaches need to trust their assistant s to do what they hired them to do. I shouldn’t have to check in or update you on anything. Just let me do my thing. Copy you on everything? For what? If I need anything I should be able to go directly to the AD or order whatever I need and even book my recruits and trips without having to get approval. That’s what I’m here for!

It's hard not to think this is a troll.

I was starting a lengthy response but either this is trollage or this is someone who *truly* thinks s/he's right and won't change. Either way a response would be pointless.

To aspiring coaches *other* than this poster: Ignore pretty much everything s/he said.

Bumping this post in light of the JCSU coach situation. An assistant flying too close to the son will inevitably get everyone fired in their attempt to replace head coach. We’ve seen it time and time again. Assistant is jealous of HC. Secretly Goes to admin on some bs. HC is let go. Assistant promoted to interim HC. End of year admin does nationwide search for completely new staff.

Agreed. Hate to see it. I’ve seen assistants being buddy buddy with the athletes and turning them against the head coach. Or coaching other peoples event group. Even going as far as going against the direction of the head coach. Recipe for disaster