Having mentored young coaches for the last 25 years, I have found the experience very satisfying. There is nothing like a young coach full of passion and energy towards training that is about to explode for his big opportunity. I know the feeling because I was once there. Does any of this describe you? If so, please read this article very carefully.
I recently heard of a young coach in Missouri with the goal of becoming a college coach. He immediately signed up for my one-of-a-kind teleseminar, “The Road to University Coaching”. This pushed him to aggressively attack the goal in front of him. In less than a week, he had no fewer than 3 possible opportunities at entry-level college coaching jobs. He drove 300 miles to get an audience with a head coach at a school and this effort placed him in a small group of finalists.
In the last week, he sent me an email saying that many of the open positions did not include graduate internships tied to the coaching position. It was at this point that he prompted me to remind him that he is pursuing a profession with a microscopic chance of landing his dream job. My advice was to look for “any college coaching job” for now. All young coaches need is the opportunity to get their foot in the door, and this is not the time to be picky!
This was my reply to him:
“Whether an entry-level position doesn’t include a graduate internship or not, it’s the opportunity you want, no matter how it presents itself! You get one of those jobs, you get a job in the community to support yourself financially, and work your butt like you’ve never seen it before.
Their goal is to make themselves so valuable that they have to: 1. Create a position. 2. Move to the assistant position because one, you are so much better, or two, that assistant is moving to another job that opens up that position for you. 3. Network like crazy and build the best, widest and strongest network possible. Remember, when you take one of those jobs, you are now a COLLEGE Coach! As he corresponds, calls, and recruits, he is seen as a coach at XYZ University. He can’t get caught up in details like whether it’s a GA position or not. Who cares… all anyone in the profession knows is that you are in the profession! Now it’s up to YOU to make the most of this opportunity! That’s the best advice I can give you right now.”
If you’re one of the thousands of eager aspiring college basketball coaches, follow the advice in this article and do whatever it takes to get a shot. You’ll have plenty of time to climb the ladder, write a paycheck, drive the courtesy car, and wander the university fringes. As they say about the lottery, you can’t win if you don’t participate. The same goes for the position of the university. If you never achieve that top spot, you won’t be able to realize your dreams.
This is a journey with no guarantees, but I’ve helped over 80 coaches land college-level jobs. If this is your goal, contact me for a mentoring opportunity with me.
