Rising Coaches Conference Notes

If you have not taken the opportunity to take a look at this past year’s Rising Coaches Elite Conference Notes that were made available from Rising Coaches Elite, then I highly encourage it. You can click on the link provided Rising Coaches Conference Notes under Other Helpful Sites or check out http://www.risingocacheselite.com to find more information. This year’s conference was able to gather a star studded lineup of coaches vast in experience and ranks from the collegiate, even professional level. It is really a matter of take your pick, here is the list of some of the coaches that spoke this year in Vegas:

• Hall-of-Famer Larry Brown
• Highly regarded head coaches Matt Painter (Purdue University) and Dave Rice (UNLV)
• Successful Mid-Major Head Coaches with a mid-major perspective Bill Coen (Northeastern University), Bennie Seltzer (Samford), Kevin Nickelberry (Howard U.) and Rob Senderhoff (Kent State)
• Rising associate head coaches and assistants Louis Reynaud (Rice University), Kareem Richardson (University of Louisville), Cornell Mann (Iowa State), Dana Ford (Illinois State) and Jerrance Howard (SMU)

The great thing about this group of coaches representing the RCC is that they are all at different stages in their career, whether describing the pride in once having a coaching tree that has now turned into a coaching forest (Larry Brown). Or to just now beginning to establish themselves in the collegiate coaches circle as a rising assistant. I think at some point it would be a great addition for the Rising Coaches Conference to include first year assistant or even graduate assistants because like most aspiring coaches we all understand how competitive it can be to break into Division I basketball, but also to have a better understanding of the role differentials from being the face of a program to the GA that cuts the film. Regardless, the initiative from Rising Coaches Elite is tremendous in effort to set a foundation for an interactive basketball coach’s community and look forward to hopefully one day being a part of it down the road. Here is a list of 3 of the most important things that I look to take away from the RCC notes, but I encourage you to check it out for yourself and see what most appealed to you.

• Loyalty and Commitment – One of the greatest scenes in college basketball that epitomizes loyalty and commitment comes from Coach Bob Huggins and Da’Sean Butler of West Virginia during the NCAA Tournament in 2010. When star student-athlete Da’Sean Butler went down with a devastating knee injury against Duke during the NCAA Tournament, Coach Huggins was the first on the court embracing his injured athlete and said, “Don’t be sorry. I love you.” I do not want any one in my program from supporting staff to student-athletes to think twice when asked, “Who do you want to go to war with?” Commit to the players, commit to the staff, and commit to the program. As far as climbing the ranks in the profession, Coach Matt Painter said, “Your name comes with your wod.” Be transparent, gain the trust of those closest to you, and be humble in the rewards that are reciprocated.
• Practice What You Preach –  It is hard to try emphasize to kids the significance of staying in shape and conditioning when it looks as if your only work out comes from 12 oz. curls or sprints from the fridge to the couch. This goes back to commitment, but it is important to show your student-athletes that you are committed to what you are teaching them. Coaches spoke on keeping a healthy and presentable physique, which I think provides credence to them as teachers because you not only talk the talk, but look to walk to walk. Being fit as a coach, does not correlate to being a good coach/teacher, but it may instill credibility in the message that you look to get across to your players.
• Learn, Learn, Learn – This is what the RCC is about. An opportunity to gather as coaches from across the country and share knowledge to each other in order to continue to become better at our craft. Developing relationships with players and coaches and obtaining feedback is all for the purpose of having a better understanding of teaching the game and the value of playing the game. Take every experience as an opportunity to learn something. These notes provided from RCC is one of them. How are you getting better, to get those that you instruct to become better.