If you are a new head coach and are going through the process of getting adjusted to your new school, a new place, and new everything, then this is a good article for you.  But first I must tell you a little about myself and my situation.

I was hired in July to be the new girls head coach at Phelps High School in Pike Co., KY after having spent the previous four seasons as a Social Studies teacher and assistant boys basketball coach at my alma mater, Paintsville High School, in Johnson Co., KY.  I jumped at the chance to take this job because I very much wanted to be a head coach and this opportunity presented itself.  My wife graduated from Phelps High School in 1999 and with her having family in the area (which I will discuss later), I have over the years become somewhat familiar with Pike Co.  Another of my motivating factors was the desire to experience new challenges and environments.  All of my life I have been in Paintsville, except for the four years I played basketball at Marshall University - it is all I have known and I felt that needed to change.

So in late July/first of August, my wife and I began the process of moving to Pike County, KY.  It wasn’t a far move for us, Paintsville is only about an hour away, but it was a very rough process.  First of all, I didn’t realize my wife and I had so much stuff.  It took us two whole days to pack, but only six hours to unpack!!  Explain to me how that happens?

But once we got moved and “settled” the realization of what I had gotten myself into started to creep into my head.  I didn’t really understand how big of a change this move just an hour away really was.  Now, I was out of my comfort zone, away from people I had known my whole life and I will freely admit that I was frightened.  I was used to my routine, I was settled, now everything was different and I felt out of place.  This is where the situation with my wife and her family helped me out tremendously.  She has lived around Phelps her whole life and knew a lot of people in this area.  She was able to introduce me to many people and help me get accustomed to the people.  Her family helped a lot too, they helped us move into our new house and have helped us work on the “improvements” as well.

Not all people have the opportunity to go to an area where a spouse or another family member may be able to help you acclimate to a new situation.  For those people here are some other suggestions that I would like to give to help you, as a new coach, become more settled in a new place:

1. Attend as many local/school sponsored sporting events as possible.

Not only does this help you see what you may working with in the future, it also gives you a chance to see and learn about some of the new kids that will be in your program.  You can learn about how much support your program will have and where it will come from.  Also, the kids get a chance to see you and see that you want to be involved in the school/community.

2. Attend as many school sponsored events as possible.

This includes going to local plays, concerts, or academic meets.  This will give you the opportunity to meet and learn about the community away from sports. You will see how much the community is involved in other aspects of the school.  Some of your athletes may even be involved in these events, which gives you more of an opportunity to learn about them and their interests.  It will also give others the opportunity to see you away from the sporting arena and see that you have interests besides coaching.

3. Get into your pre-season conditioning program as soon as possible.

This will help you tremendously as it will allow you to see what players you have returning and what style you will be able to play in the upcoming season.  No one likes to be unprepared.  By beginning a pre-season conditioning program you will be able to prepare yourself for the coming season and get to spend some quality time with your team.  The more that they can learn about you and vice-versa can only help you in the long run.  You will be able to learn about potential problems or situations early enough that you can prepare to deal with them. Plus, as a bonus, you are getting your team into shape!

4. Read as much coaching material as you can get your hands on.

As you learn more about your team you will begin to envision a game plan to work on and implement during the season.  DO NOT TRY EVERYTHING YOU READ!!  This will only confuse you and the kids you are trying to coach.  Experiment, but only use those ideas that you truly believe will help your team succeed.  Read a lot about different coaching philosophies (even if you don’t believe them) and how to be an effective coach.  Books like these are a tremendous asset for first year coaches.  Do not go into a coaching situation thinking that you know everything there is about your sport because you don’t. You may have played on every level in your sport, but coaching is not playing;  there are always nuances of the game that can be learned.  Even the greatest basketball minds don’t know everything.  That is ok - ask questions, go to clinics, do what you can to prepare yourself for those situations that might present themselves during the course of a season. Always remember, there is nothing wrong with learning on the job!!!  In fact, it is the only way to survive in this business.

5. Be yourself.

This is my last tip for new head coaches.  As with life in general if you go into a situation and try to be someone you are not, you will ultimately pay the price either professionally or personally.  Be yourself.  People will like you for who you are and if they don’t, stay away from them.  Be honest with people.  If you have questions, ask them. People are always willing to help and do not expect you to be omniscient.

I hope that in some way I have helped a new head coach that is going through a tough time.  We as coaches need to band together and help the new guys as much as we can.  Remember to enjoy your time as a coach.  You are helping mold our future generations.  Have fun with what you do and enjoy the kids that surround you.  I have always heard that one of the best things about being a coach is having one of your former players come back to say that they appreciated what you did for them.  I hope to have many of those experiences during my time as a coach and I hope the same for everyone else!