Under New Management

I have been a coach for the past three years now and I have enjoyed every moment of it. I have grown as a coach as well as a person who has learned how to listen before speaking. Something that I always found influential is those who have paved the way for young coaches such as myself. I have worked with many different coaches, however this year I will be experiencing a new head coach. The good thing about the situation is that I know the new coach from working at the school I have been employed at for the past few years, however, it will be a new adjustment working so closely to him. Also this will be an adjustment because he his a man and the coach before him was a woman that had been coaching there for many years. He is an older man that has had experience playing the game of basketball as well as coaching it. I, last year, was the coach for the junior varsity team at my school and I enjoyed every second of it. However, when some of my players heard that they would be moved up to varsity they were skeptical because that meant leaving me. I always encouraged my girls to strive to be on varsity but that did not stop me from creating and building relationships with each and every one of them. Ironically once the previous head coach stepped down and the new one stepped into place, I was promoted to the assistant head varsity coach position. This for sure humbled me, because he could have brought in anyone that he felt was capable, but he took the time to give me a chance and continue grooming and building up the girls I started with. This overall, I feel, made the girls even more excited and less nervous to return for the next season. However, this experience has taught me how I have to be tough on the girls through this new process. They have gotten comfortable and complacent with the way the old coach did things, but with this new coach stepping in, they needed to be warned that they would have to work hard and show how bad they wanted their spot. No matter the relationship I have built with each of them, I have to teach them to be passionate and driven because if not their dreams would not be met. Immediately they accepted the task at hand and did so ready to do whatever was asked of them. I am in the process of learning the ins and outs of what it takes to run a team, this year will be more than just showing up to games and practices for me. I overall am excited about the new coach as well as anxious to see how well the team will adjust and become stronger. I look forward to learning a lot being in this position and, hopefully, one day be able to be the head coach.