In my mind, the number one way for a coach to be successful is to surround himself with good people. The better that the assistant coaches, administrators, and Athletic Director are, the better the head coach is going to be. The best example of someone who clearly abides by this philosophy is Rick Pitino. Pitino is currently the extremely accomplished coach of the Louisville Cardinals and has also coached the Boston Terriers, the Providence Friars, the New York Knicks, the Kentucky Wildcats, and the Boston Celtics. Pitino’s career numbers are staggering; over 500 career victories, 5 Final Four appearance at 3 different schools, 9 conference championships, and a national title. Pitino has been able to surround himself with very good assistants throughout the years that have lead to his great success. The list of coaches that have worked for Pitino and gone on to be head coaches is very impressive to say the least, some of which include Billy Donovan (Florida), Ralph Willard (Holy Cross), Tubby Smith (Minnesota), Herb Sendek (Arizona State), Jim O'Brien (Indiana Pacers), Reggie Theus (Sacramento Kings). Pitino has not only been able to get the most out of his players throughout his career, he has often been good at surrounding himself with the right people who have gone onto have successful careers of their own.
The second skill that a coach must possess to be successful is the ability to adjust. In the hyper-competitive world of college basketball, things are constantly changing and shifting. Whether it is with recruiting rules or changes to the game such as the 3-point line a coach must always be prepared. Mike Krzyzewski is a coach who embraces change and thrives on being able to adjust his program to it. Coach K has been in coaching for the past 30 years and has been successful almost all of them. The reason for this I believe is because of his ability to be flexible. Krzyzewski constantly says that he will recruit the best kids and best athletes for his university. He will then build his system to tailor towards his players strengths. This is something that he does a little bit differently from other college coaches. Most coaches will try and recruit players that fit into their system instead of trying to fit the system to their players. Krzyzewski has been able to stay on top of the college athletics world for so long because of his unique ability to adjust and transform.
The third skill or ability that a coach must have to be successful is the ability to motivate. On the surface this seems like a fairly obvious and simple thing to do. However, it takes a special understanding of what makes each player tick, how they operate, and the best way to motivate and inspire them. Thad Matta is someone who is a master motivator and his accomplishments speak for themselves. Over 200 wins in 8 years, 5 conference championships, an elite eight appearance, and a national championship runner-up. Matta has used several unique tricks to motivate his players; such as showing movie clips of Gladiator before games, turning a two game road trip against inferior conference opponents into a “2 game tournament”, and before rivalry games handing out items such as headbands that represent the other team and how to beat them. I truly believe that the reason Matta is so successful in coaching and in recruiting is because of his ability to relate with kids and gain an understanding of how to motivate that player.
The final thing that coaches need to be able to do to become a successful coach is be able to create a family environment within your team and within the program. Players want to know that if they play hard for you and do as they are told that they will have someone whom they have trust in and can always count on. A prime example of this is Bobby Knight. You constantly hear former players talking about the tremendous relationship that they have with Coach Knight after they graduated and how he is almost like a father figure to them. Knight has over 900 career coaching wins and nearly that many former players who would do anything for their former coach. Another example of a coach being able to create a family environment is Dean Smith. Players, coaches, managers, trainers, and administrators still talk about the North Carolina family and how special it is. Everyone associated with the program still looks up to Coach Smith because of what he has created and how he went about doing it. The bottom line is that if you are able to get your players to trust in you and believe in what you are doing and how you are doing it, than success will surely follow.Every coach takes a different approach to the game and has a different idea of what makes a successful team and program. There is no one best way to run a program but many of the successful programs share several qualities. To be successful I believe that you have to be able to surround yourself with great people, you have to be able and willing to adjust and change with the times, you have to have the ability to relate to and motivate your players, and you have to be able to create a family environment within your program.
