It’s very exciting to join a new program and start fresh.
Whether we’re a young coach or a wily veteran, head coach or assistant, there are still some important things to remember as we begin this new job.
How to Take a Team from First to Worst
“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing that it doesn’t go into a fruit salad.” (Miles Kington)
After two different head coaching stints, I was presented an opportunity to coach at a dream job. It was the same type of school I was currently at but had more resources, more stability, a much nicer campus, and nearly every key player was returning from the prior year’s Top-25 team. The coach had left to take a big-time Division I head coaching job and they wanted me to replace him.
When you listen to coaches speak at clinics and conferences, they are quick to outline what they’ve done to rebuild a bad program. Most stories present an example to follow or a cautionary tale. In that dream job, I took the program from first to worst. That’s right, I ruined that team in just one year.
Not only did we have one of the worst seasons in school history and a 16-win DECREASE but we also lost twice to the team that I had just left.
#Oops.