Coaching in the USA…
When I came back from France late in the summer of 1978, my thoughts were on getting a job somewhere in the profession. My Aunt, Barbara Hedges, was the women’s athletic director at the University of Southern California, which was the dominant collegiate women’s athletic program in the nation in that era. They were NCAA championship caliber in every sport and won 17 NCAA titles in her tenure. Aunt Barbara would go on to become the Athletic Director at the University of Washington in 1990 and be the first woman to head up a power five football program, which made national news. In her first year there, the Huskies won the national championship in football under head coach Don James. I called Aunt Barbara when I got home from France to see if she could help me, but it was late in the summer, so there wasn’t much available. I got two interviews- San Diego State and UC Santa Barbara in the women’s programs for assistant positions, but I didn’t get offered either position. I thought no big deal- this is easy, I will catch a big time job sooner or later. The Universe had other plans.
Aunt Barbara called late in August to tell me of a high school position that was open at a small private boarding school in Paradise Valley called the Judson School. She knew the principal there, Dennis Gray, because his son, Riki Ellison, was on the USC football team. I had heard of Judson, because that was where Coach Youree got his first high school job. I did not have a teaching certificate, but I did have a Bachelor’s Degree in a dual major- Political Science and Physical Education. That degree would play a huge role in the next thirty years of my life- which is why I am thankful that the advisor at Wyoming had no clue what he was talking about when he told me to switch majors. The position at Judson was for a head basketball coach and phys ed teacher. I met with the AD of Judson, Joe LaMer, and within five minutes of walking in, I was the new basketball coach. They were as desperate as I was, as school was just about to start.
I did not have a teaching certificate, nor had I ever done any student teaching. I don’t know how it is today, but in those days you could earn a certificate in one of two ways- student teach or work at a private school for a minimum of two years. That was the upside. The down side was that I had no practical experience teaching phys ed, or coaching in high school. The guys that I had coached in France were men who played for money, and there might be a difference in perspective there.
Here is an observation for the readers of ArizonaVarsity- don’t become a head coach without having a philosophy that is written down and thoroughly understood, first by you, then by your charges. Making up things as you go will not be healthy for your career. I think a lot of people get into coaching first and foremost because they love a particular sport that they played and want to pass that love onto others. Remember, I got into it because I just believed there had to be a better way to do it than my coach at Wyoming. If I would have been smarter, I would have begun to write down the main principles that I believed in and how they would relate to coaching. I did not have those written down going in to Judson, but gradually began to work them out in very difficult circumstances. For the sake of discussion here are the six principles that shape my life and coaching, as they appear in our basketball philosophy that all players have received, with some revisions, since 1980:
“My philosophical approach to coaching, teaching, and living revolves around six principles. I let these guide me and help me know who to associate with. The first principle is to be a good person. Being a good person is a function of living according to timeless natural principles of behavior that are universal and inarguably linked with what humans consider as “good”. Those would be honesty, loyalty, fairness, desire to serve others, spiritual, and aligned with the “true north” of the ethical compass. I do not espouse perfection, rather alignment, which is easy to spot. You can depend on good people, and you can trust them. When I write a letter of recommendation for someone, that is my highest compliment- that they are a “good person”.
The second principle that guides me is the constant desire to learn. In our basketball philosophy, we refer to this principle as “education”, and tell our charges that it is the chief business of a good life. If being good is the ultimate, then learning what good is follows. There is too much to learn, therefore you can never learn too much. It is a lifetime pursuit and is the baseline for wisdom. Being considered wise by good people is an honor.
The third principle is loyalty. I believe it is the best of all human qualities and is analogous to the rudder on a ship. Loyalty keeps us from floating loosely and dangerously, and gives us direction and purpose. We tell our players that if an endeavor is not worth your loyalty, then it is not worth your time. We must be careful what we attach this great quality to, for if it is misplaced it can cause great harm. Used correctly, it gives achievement its truest blessings.
The fourth principle that guides me is self-discipline. We tell our players that you cannot goof around all day in class and then come into what you believe is your passion, basketball, and suddenly be totally self-disciplined. Your habit of bad self-discipline will rear its ugly head when times get tough on the court. I believe that applies to my life, as well. If I have been self-disciplined in my approach to routine tasks, it will carry over to tasks which are more complicated and/or stressful. I have found that my ability to prepare for an opponent as a coach, has influenced my ability to prepare as a teacher, as a husband, and as a father. The old axiom for this principle is ‘your actions speak louder than your words’.
The fifth principle of influence is relationships. These are cultivated and nurtured by the aforementioned timeless principles of a good person. Loyalty is not to be given casually, and if carefully managed, relationships have great meaning. They are the bond to this world, and spiritually the bond to the next. We tell our players to care for each other, as I care for my immediate family and friends. There will be tough times, but they will be less bitter of relationships are true and strong.
The sixth and final principle that guides me is building skills in whatever endeavors are important. Family relationships, teaching, and coaching require constant improvement. This part of my philosophy has led me into an intense study of leadership over the past few years. The qualities that make good leaders also lend themselves to making good husbands, fathers, teachers, and coaches.”
If this helps get some young coaches off the ground, then it is worth sharing. It is definitely important to have something that you live by in the hands of players, because the old axiom is “who you are is more important than what you teach”. Players will see right through a phony. Judson was a good place to start to test who I was, because it was a private boarding school for rich kids from around the world. Many were damaged goods, because they had problems that their parents no longer wanted to deal with. Those problems became our problems right away, and these kids were sharp- you couldn’t BS them. In that sense, it was a great place to start building a coaching philosophy, but again I would highly recommend having one already built before you start out. You can tweak it as you go through the years, as I have and as John Wooden did with his Pyramid of Success.
Next…Growing…
When I came back from France late in the summer of 1978, my thoughts were on getting a job somewhere in the profession. My Aunt, Barbara Hedges, was the women’s athletic director at the University of Southern California, which was the dominant collegiate women’s athletic program in the nation in that era. They were NCAA championship caliber in every sport and won 17 NCAA titles in her tenure. Aunt Barbara would go on to become the Athletic Director at the University of Washington in 1990 and be the first woman to head up a power five football program, which made national news. In her first year there, the Huskies won the national championship in football under head coach Don James. I called Aunt Barbara when I got home from France to see if she could help me, but it was late in the summer, so there wasn’t much available. I got two interviews- San Diego State and UC Santa Barbara in the women’s programs for assistant positions, but I didn’t get offered either position. I thought no big deal- this is easy, I will catch a big time job sooner or later. The Universe had other plans.
Aunt Barbara called late in August to tell me of a high school position that was open at a small private boarding school in Paradise Valley called the Judson School. She knew the principal there, Dennis Gray, because his son, Riki Ellison, was on the USC football team. I had heard of Judson, because that was where Coach Youree got his first high school job. I did not have a teaching certificate, but I did have a Bachelor’s Degree in a dual major- Political Science and Physical Education. That degree would play a huge role in the next thirty years of my life- which is why I am thankful that the advisor at Wyoming had no clue what he was talking about when he told me to switch majors. The position at Judson was for a head basketball coach and phys ed teacher. I met with the AD of Judson, Joe LaMer, and within five minutes of walking in, I was the new basketball coach. They were as desperate as I was, as school was just about to start.
I did not have a teaching certificate, nor had I ever done any student teaching. I don’t know how it is today, but in those days you could earn a certificate in one of two ways- student teach or work at a private school for a minimum of two years. That was the upside. The down side was that I had no practical experience teaching phys ed, or coaching in high school. The guys that I had coached in France were men who played for money, and there might be a difference in perspective there.
Here is an observation for the readers of ArizonaVarsity- don’t become a head coach without having a philosophy that is written down and thoroughly understood, first by you, then by your charges. Making up things as you go will not be healthy for your career. I think a lot of people get into coaching first and foremost because they love a particular sport that they played and want to pass that love onto others. Remember, I got into it because I just believed there had to be a better way to do it than my coach at Wyoming. If I would have been smarter, I would have begun to write down the main principles that I believed in and how they would relate to coaching. I did not have those written down going in to Judson, but gradually began to work them out in very difficult circumstances. For the sake of discussion here are the six principles that shape my life and coaching, as they appear in our basketball philosophy that all players have received, with some revisions, since 1980:
“My philosophical approach to coaching, teaching, and living revolves around six principles. I let these guide me and help me know who to associate with. The first principle is to be a good person. Being a good person is a function of living according to timeless natural principles of behavior that are universal and inarguably linked with what humans consider as “good”. Those would be honesty, loyalty, fairness, desire to serve others, spiritual, and aligned with the “true north” of the ethical compass. I do not espouse perfection, rather alignment, which is easy to spot. You can depend on good people, and you can trust them. When I write a letter of recommendation for someone, that is my highest compliment- that they are a “good person”.
The second principle that guides me is the constant desire to learn. In our basketball philosophy, we refer to this principle as “education”, and tell our charges that it is the chief business of a good life. If being good is the ultimate, then learning what good is follows. There is too much to learn, therefore you can never learn too much. It is a lifetime pursuit and is the baseline for wisdom. Being considered wise by good people is an honor.
The third principle is loyalty. I believe it is the best of all human qualities and is analogous to the rudder on a ship. Loyalty keeps us from floating loosely and dangerously, and gives us direction and purpose. We tell our players that if an endeavor is not worth your loyalty, then it is not worth your time. We must be careful what we attach this great quality to, for if it is misplaced it can cause great harm. Used correctly, it gives achievement its truest blessings.
The fourth principle that guides me is self-discipline. We tell our players that you cannot goof around all day in class and then come into what you believe is your passion, basketball, and suddenly be totally self-disciplined. Your habit of bad self-discipline will rear its ugly head when times get tough on the court. I believe that applies to my life, as well. If I have been self-disciplined in my approach to routine tasks, it will carry over to tasks which are more complicated and/or stressful. I have found that my ability to prepare for an opponent as a coach, has influenced my ability to prepare as a teacher, as a husband, and as a father. The old axiom for this principle is ‘your actions speak louder than your words’.
The fifth principle of influence is relationships. These are cultivated and nurtured by the aforementioned timeless principles of a good person. Loyalty is not to be given casually, and if carefully managed, relationships have great meaning. They are the bond to this world, and spiritually the bond to the next. We tell our players to care for each other, as I care for my immediate family and friends. There will be tough times, but they will be less bitter of relationships are true and strong.
The sixth and final principle that guides me is building skills in whatever endeavors are important. Family relationships, teaching, and coaching require constant improvement. This part of my philosophy has led me into an intense study of leadership over the past few years. The qualities that make good leaders also lend themselves to making good husbands, fathers, teachers, and coaches.”
If this helps get some young coaches off the ground, then it is worth sharing. It is definitely important to have something that you live by in the hands of players, because the old axiom is “who you are is more important than what you teach”. Players will see right through a phony. Judson was a good place to start to test who I was, because it was a private boarding school for rich kids from around the world. Many were damaged goods, because they had problems that their parents no longer wanted to deal with. Those problems became our problems right away, and these kids were sharp- you couldn’t BS them. In that sense, it was a great place to start building a coaching philosophy, but again I would highly recommend having one already built before you start out. You can tweak it as you go through the years, as I have and as John Wooden did with his Pyramid of Success.
Next…Growing…
