A head coaching job as a Division 1 men’s basketball coach is not a job that all can handle. The work many endure to reach the head coaching spot is long and difficult. Being a coach involves teaching young men not only how to be better at basketball, but to be better people as well. The only way to keep a job is if the team does well. Tensions can rise if success is not achieved and the available jobs are slim to none. There is a path though, that many of the most successful coaches have taken, that leads them to success.
A common place for most coaches to start their coaching career is playing basketball growing up. According to Lawson Bowling (2002), author of The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sport figures,
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According to Lawson Bowling (2002), author of The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sport figures, right out of college Bob Knight was hired as a high school junior varsity head coach. According to Tim Whitmire (2002), The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives Thematic Series: Sport Figures, Adolph Rupp was also hired immediately out of college and became the head coach at a high school in Burr Oak, Kansas. It is almost impossible to go straight from college into a head coaching job in Division I basketball. Not many coaches stayed for a long time in a high school coaching position, but many really had to work their way up in the college system. According to Lawson Bowling (2002), author of The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sport figures, Bob Knight was one of the youngest Division I coaches of all time at the age of 24 when he was first hired to a head coaching position at …show more content…
During head coaching careers, coaches are required to make sure that the team stays unified. Coaches have to make sure minutes are fair, keep everyone happy, recruit the right players, set a team atmosphere, make sure the star player is happy, and take all of the blame if the team underperforms. A head coaching job is very stressful, but very rewarding at the same time. If the coach gets the respect of the players, then the rewards are huge. According to Paul Burton (2003), author of Notable Sports Figures, John Wooden’s players loved him so much, they still stay in touch with him. The rewards are not limited to the respect of the players. According to The Best Schools (2018), John Calipari was paid $7,140,000 in the 2018 season.
The only way to make sure that coaching is a secure job is to complete a winning season. Winning seasons are very hard to accomplish, but for some of the greats, it seems like it is second nature. According to Mike Krzyzewski Coaching Record (2018), Mike Krzyzewski is the all time winningest coach and at the time this paper is written, he has a 1095-335 career coaching record. According to Goduke.com (2018), Coach K has been at the head coaching position for 37 seasons. Not many people will ever reach the record Coach K has achieved, but it is something to work for. Being a coach doesn’t stop at