ASSISTANT COACH

Jeff Goodman over at Fox sports is a very good writer – he blogs on the college game and is on point with a lot of his material. Recently, at Fox they posted a list of the top college assistant basketball coaches in the country. I enjoyed the list – seeing so many guys who deserved to be recognized.

But to be honest, the list really doesn’t mean anything.

There are many assistant coaches who work their tails off, and go about their business that don’t get recognized.

A large part of this business is ‘who you know’. Like in most professions, having contacts is vital. There is an assistant coach I know who is currently out of work – every year he is listed as a possible head coaching candidate when jobs pop up. He has been listed as high as the #3 assistant in the nation by one ranking a couple of years ago.

Every assistant coach should aspire to be a head coach someday; that’s the goal. But that coach should also never lose focus of the main goal – help the program win!

Recruiting is by far the most important trait in college basketball. If you can’t get players, you can’t win. Most of the names on Goodman’s list have recruited very good players.

Individual Development is another area an assistant coach should be very good in. Working with players as often as the NCAA allows is vital. Too bad a lot of college basketball fans aren’t privy to this area because workouts are usually done behind closed doors.

Sure there are other traits an assistant coach needs in order to succeed, matter of fact there are too many to list from being an ambassador of the school to running a summer basketball camp.

Usually when a school does well the assistants put themselves in a great position to get a head coaching gig. Just look at Memphis, this years runner-up to Kansas. Derek Kellogg and Chuckie Martin were hired by UMass and Marist this past month. John Robic, Cal’s other assistant worked for him at UMass before being hired at Youngstown State.

Cal has done a great job at getting his staff ready for a head coaching gig; (see Bill Bayno, Bruiser Flint and Tony Barbee.)

Here are a few guys who were left off Goodman’s list who do a tremendous job. (In no particular order).

Scott Spinelli – Texas A&M

Chris Caputo – George Mason University

Jason Levy – Loyola Marymount

Pete Hermann – Georgia

John Rhodes – Ohio U.

Larry DeSimpelare – Cleveland State

Jeff Smith – Utah

Tony Chiles – Drexel

Cornell Mann – Western Michigan

“You have to have a mission, a desired State. Have the courage to put aside ego for the common good. You must give up something to get better in the future. You must be an active participant in your own rescue…Determination conquers every fear and failure.”

-Pat Riley