The role of assistant coaches

Great piece on the people behind the head coaches, and what they do. Scouting reports are crucial:

“As an assistant, it is vital to scout and know your opponent almost as well as you know your own team and have film and paper scout prepped and ready to go (for the head coach) two to three ahead of the game. This allows the head coach to access it and start the preparation and discussion on the opponent whenever he/she is ready to, as well as to start to look at what adjustments, wrinkles, and game plans you’ll take into practice and scout.

Along with that, it is paramount that when giving the scout to the team and going through film that you are comfortable and confident because it has serious carryover to the level of confidence and understanding the team will take into the game.

Both the players and head coach don’t necessarily need to know it like you do but they need to know it well enough to execute the game plan and understand that they can trust you in times of adversity during the heat of the game.”

– Kyle Cooper, Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach, West Liberty University (NCAA DII – Mt. East)

“From the first day on the job, the expectations Coach DeSalvo had for me regarding scouting reports were very clear. Still, I felt it was my job to exceed his expectations. I strived to make sure that scouts were prepared prior to him asking and made sure he did not have to ask twice.

Being the only assistant on the staff in my previous role, I worked to be as efficient as possible and strived to go above and beyond to help put the program in the best position to be successful and to never make the head coach have to wait for me. I did my best to be a full scout ahead to keep our preparation early.”

– Courtney Burns, Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach, Southern New Hampshire University (NCAA DII – NE-10)