I have always been a list maker. Work to-do, personal to-do, potential baby
names, home decorating hopes, gift ideas, professional goals…all ongoing lists
that can be found printed neatly on legal pads, scribbled on sticky notes, and
written crudely on my hand. I think I
make my boss nervous when he asks me to do something important and I make note
of it on my palm, but that’s actually where the highest priority stuff goes, so
I can’t possibly forget it. Since Ava
was born, my list making habit has become a necessity. As it turns out, what they say about
mommy-mush brain is true, and my memory has been no match for it.
Greensboro,
NC
Richmond, VA
New Orleans,
LA
San Antonio,
TX
Dallas, TX
Syracuse, NY
Boston, MA
Naples, FL
Rochester,
NY
^^The places
we will travel to this summer for a basketball recruiting trip, dental
residency externship, or family visit.
None of these trips involve Paul and I traveling together, so the next
couple of months will be a balancing act for sure.
Rock n’ Roll
singer
Country
singer
Teacher
Oncologist
Sports
Broadcaster
Architect
Interior
Designer
Urban
Planner
^^The things
I wanted to be as a grown up, before I became a College Basketball Coach.
“Did you
just come from practice?” (because I’m dressed in athletic clothes)
“Oh you’re a
coach…what classes do you teach?”
“Are you the
head coach?”
“Wait… so
you’re telling me coaching is a full-time position? Why do you need 5 people to coach one team?”
“But it’s
not basketball season. I thought you
didn’t work in the summer.”
“I can’t
believe your husband gets to go to Hawaii and you’re not even going to take
time off to go with him!” (in February)
“My friend’s
little sister plays ball. She’s a senior
this year and I think her team voted her MVP. She wants to play at your school so I gave her
your phone number.”
“Just
because you’re head coach is leaving doesn’t mean anything changes for you,
right?”
^^The
questions/comments I have received most often during the past 4 years. It’s a little frustrating, but I can see why
my job is misunderstood. People watch
big-time college coaches on ESPN and assume that what they see is all there is
to it. But the truth is, game time is
just a small fraction of the job. I
could go on and on about all the other things that go into running a college
basketball team, but that would take forever.
So let me just clear up some of the most common misunderstandings:
-Basketball
shorts, a T-shirt, and tennis shoes are acceptable attire for a regular day at
the office. It does not always mean I
just worked out, or that I am going straight to practice.
-Division I
coaches are full-time employees. That is
my sole responsibility at the university.
I do not teach any classes.
-Most
Division I coaching staffs look like this:
Head Coach
1st Assistant Coach
2nd Assistant Coach
3rd Assistant Coach
Director of Basketball
Operations
(and if you’re at a major DI
school, there are several other staff members as well…one or more
grad assistants, video
coordinator, academic advisor, strength & conditioning coach, director
of player development, student
managers, etc.)
-I am NOT
the head coach. While there are some
fantastically talented Div. I head coaches in their 20s, they are the
exception. It can be a long, challenging
road to the top. I spent 3 years as a
Dir. of Ops at College of Charleston right after I graduated, and I’m now in my
second year as 3rd Assistant at Charleston Southern University. I do desire to be a head coach one day, and
when the time is right I know the Lord will open that door. My mother-in-law is convinced that I will be
an Event Planner in my next job, but that’s besides the point…
-Coaches
work year-round, even if it is not basketball season. Believe it or not, there’s enough work to do
to keep 5 or more people busy all year long.
-During
basketball season, days off are few and far between. Our players have one day off per week
(mandated by the NCAA), but that does not necessarily mean the coaches aren’t
working. Coaches CANNOT take vacation during
basketball season. It is not acceptable
to miss a game. Even if our favorite cousin
is getting married, we generally don’t do personal travel while in-season. If you want me to come to your wedding, do
not plan it for November-April.
-When we recruit
high school players, we most often “sign” them (make it official that they’ll
be on our team) in November of their senior year. That means we’ve probably been watching them
play for 1-3 years prior to that. If you
are contacting us for the first time in March of your senior year, YOU’RE WAY
TOO LATE.
Another
thing most people don’t know about college coaching: the head coach forms their
own staff. In other words, the
assistants are attached to the head coach.
So, when that person leaves, i.e. gets fired, retires, or takes a more
desirable position elsewhere, the entire staff is in jeopardy. It is a very volatile career, and it might
move you all around the country. I’ve
had to explain this a lot in the last 2 years, because I’ve been involved in
the aforementioned predicaments multiple times.
But each time, God has been MORE than faithful! Both times I was on the coaching chopping
block, He not only protected my job, but he blessed me with more than I asked
for or imagined! During the limbo
months, when I was still in the office every day but not sure if my contract
would continue, it was brought to my attention that all the hard work I was
doing could be for “nothing” if I didn’t get to keep my job. But that thought had never crossed my mind
because the Word says otherwise—whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for the Lord not for men (Col. 3:23); whatever your hand finds
to do, do it with all your might (Eccl. 9:10).
If you find yourself in a situation similar to mine, put your hand to
the plow! Even if you don’t know what
the outcome will be.
Enough lists
for today… I’m off to bed where it takes
forever to fall asleep because all of tomorrow’s to-do’s run through my head ;)
-Erika
