How to get a new coaching staff ???

[mulefarm]

Even though a coach is a teacher and belongs to a union, coaching contracts go on a yearly basis and there is no tenure. A principle or ad can make a change without due process.

[sinbin]

I don't have the answer for this, but I try to find parallels in hockey and other sports to put things into perspective. What attributes do great coaches have in common? Was Red Auerbach a great coach because he won so many titles or was this because of the quality of his players? Phil Jackson recently overtook Red in number of titles. Is he a better coach? It helped for Phil to have Jordan and Kobe, too.

Just throwing out names, not saying they're the best of all time - Lombardi or Belicheck in football, Wooden or Coach K in college basketball, Torre or McGraw in baseball, Bowman or Arbour in NHL. They were all blessed with great players, so it seems that in order to WIN, you absolutely need one or more great players. So, a HS coach can win if he/she has the good fortune to have talented player(s) to carry the team.

But in order to be a scuccessful coach, you need to maximize the cumulative abilities of the players, making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. And I think at the youth and HS level, did you also maximize the development of every player on the team? Did you adapt your coaching style as necessary to develop each player as much as possible? Lombardi didn't adapt, but he didnt' need to. The players adapted to him. It's infinitely more difficult at the HS level, with a variety of personalities and abilities, each differently suited to success paths.

Now, coaches should be evaluated and held accountable. I hope that most ADs are smart enough to include performance objectives in the coaches' contracts, most of them would not have to do with how many games the team won, although aggressive expectations should be set. And end-of-season review is mandaory, but mid-season reviews should be included as well. HS careers are short; you don't want your player to endure a tyrant or a clueless oaf for an entire season, so thoughtful planning, monitoring, and accountability are essential. Be proactive, set expectations ahead of time, and establish criteria for dealing with these adverse events, follow up on them, and hold everyone (including ADs, coaches, players, and parents) accountable for their actions.

Just so there's no mistake, I'm not ripping on the coaches, after coaching several dozen youth sports teams in my life, I have admiration for most fo them. I firmly believe that it's a nearly thankless job and HS coaches are not in it for the money, but it simply comes down to setting expectations and accountability, for all parties.

[northwoods oldtimer]

I don't have the answer for this, but I try to find parallels in hockey and other sports to put things into perspective. What attributes do great coaches have in common? Was Red Auerbach a great coach because he won so many titles or was this because of the quality of his players? Phil Jackson recently overtook Red in number of titles. Is he a better coach? It helped for Phil to have Jordan and Kobe, too.

Just throwing out names, not saying they're the best of all time - Lombardi or Belicheck in football, Wooden or Coach K in college basketball, Torre or McGraw in baseball, Bowman or Arbour in NHL. They were all blessed with great players, so it seems that in order to WIN, you absolutely need one or more great players. So, a HS coach can win if he/she has the good fortune to have talented player(s) to carry the team.

But in order to be a scuccessful coach, you need to maximize the cumulative abilities of the players, making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. And I think at the youth and HS level, did you also maximize the development of every player on the team? Did you adapt your coaching style as necessary to develop each player as much as possible? Lombardi didn't adapt, but he didnt' need to. The players adapted to him. It's infinitely more difficult at the HS level, with a variety of personalities and abilities, each differently suited to success paths.

Now, coaches should be evaluated and held accountable. I hope that most ADs are smart enough to include performance objectives in the coaches' contracts, most of them would not have to do with how many games the team won, although aggressive expectations should be set. And end-of-season review is mandaory, but mid-season reviews should be included as well. HS careers are short; you don't want your player to endure a tyrant or a clueless oaf for an entire season, so thoughtful planning, monitoring, and accountability are essential. Be proactive, set expectations ahead of time, and establish criteria for dealing with these adverse events, follow up on them, and hold everyone (including ADs, coaches, players, and parents) accountable for their actions.

Just so there's no mistake, I'm not ripping on the coaches, after coaching several dozen youth sports teams in my life, I have admiration for most fo them. I firmly believe that it's a nearly thankless job and HS coaches are not in it for the money, but it simply comes down to setting expectations and accountability, for all parties.

sinbin, you would make a great AD. Very good post, I like your philosophy on this subject and would agree.