Winter 2008

Challenges

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Every coach faces hurdles. Some obstacles are unique to particular sports and NCAA divisions. Some face every coach.

Reggie Minton '63 directs the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Everyone’s challenge: The pressure to win

Each year, Reggie Minton ’63, associate executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, sends handwritten notes to the approximately 50 higher education basketball coaches who recently lost their jobs. “When salaries went up, expectations went up. And longevity went down,” says Minton.

One of the coaches to receive such a note in 2003 was Larry Shyatt ’73, who resigned under pressure after five seasons as Clemson University’s head basketball coach. No matter that in his first season, the Tigers advanced to the championship game of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) for the first time in history and made it to a post-season final game for the first time in 60 years. No matter that one year, two of his players won national NIT titles in scoring and rebounding. The Tigers had begun to lose.

Shyatt, now the associate basketball coach at the University of Florida, talks about the pressure to succeed. “I love the job, and I wouldn’t trade my successes for anything. But it can be devastating—whether it’s personal breakdowns or losing it in the locker room—what it does to you comes in all shapes and colors. Every season, I would lose 10-15 pounds. I can tell you that being fired is the most demeaning, embarrassing, and helpless feeling that a man or woman can have.

“It’s nice to think it’s about academics, and graduation rates, and building character. And it is. But mostly it’s about winning. That’s the litmus test.”

A unique challenge: Birds, bees, and swimmers

First off, let’s get one thing straight: The entrance of women to competitive swimming in 1972 has been a very good thing, says Jerry Hammaker ’89, head swimming coach at Lycoming College. “The women push the men. They train together and race together, and men don’t want the women beating them.”

But this racing together and training together also results in attachments that can send swimmers over the moon or into subterranean depths, says Hammaker. “In football, if there’s been a romantic break up, you can say, ‘Buck up, get back in the game, go hit something. But if she’s swimming in the lane next to you, it’s more difficult. I know. It happened to me when I was at Wooster.”

Because swimming is an individual sport, personal problems can have a huge impact on a swimmer, says Hammaker. A late party the night before or preoccupation with a swimmer in the next lane can mean the difference between success or failure. “Nobody can pick up the slack.You’re 100 percent personally responsible.”

Everyone’s challenge: You’re not in Kansas any more.

Matt Englander, head baseball coach, Case Western Reserve: “Our first-years arrive, and in high school they were the strongest and the fastest. Trying to get them to understand that they need to work harder at the college level— that’s the challenge.”

Reggie Minton, former head basketball coach, U.S. Air Force Academy: “In the military, soldiers are trained to be very loyal to their classes.When they arrived on our team, we had to break that bond down a little.We had to convert that loyalty from class to team.”

Pete Meyer, head baseball coach, Florida Southern College: “The kids arrive, and there are palm trees and sunshine. I call it the ‘I can play tomorrow’ attitude. I have a very good shortstop (he’s going to be an outstanding pro), and he was dragging a little. I asked him what was up. He said, ‘I don’t know, coach, I hung around last weekend, went over to the beach.’ I said, ‘You’ve got to pick up the pace! You’ve got to adjust!’”

Sometimes the most challenging: Recruiting

Coaches often cite recruiting as one of the hardest parts of their job.

Seth Duerr: “You have to build a relationship when you’re recruiting. You spend a lot of time on one individual. And then to have it come to nothing—that’s hard.”

Brenda Meese: “You may work for more than a year to get a player, and then you lose her in the last week because of something that you have no control over, like a financial aid package or somebody wasn’t nice to her on campus. Or maybe it rained the day he came. You get so invested, trying to get people here.”