NCAA Reminders and Updates
Olympic Trial Blanket Waivers were (re)approved by the NCAA in December.
Division I Council lifts the dead period for Division I starting June 1st.
Hope is Not a Strategy
While descending from the backcountry on Sunday morning, my phone blew up. “Oh s$%t!” I thought before my alarm turned to anger “Who cuts their team on a SUNDAY?” Anger gave way to appreciation as I saw that Emma Sougstad, our social media manager, decided to let Instagram, Twitter and the Snapface know I had a birthday. That sense of appreciation yielded to apprehension as I read Emma’s post and saw the words “Fearless Leader” next to my name.
Legislative Updates: What do you need to know? THIS!
Just as February and March are busy times for championships, January has been a busy month for the NCAA. Here is a quick rundown of issues we’ve been tracking and that our membership should be aware of:
Running THROUGH the Finish Line
Three weeks, three emails, all from coaches – good coaches – asking for my input as they struggle through a season of challenges, anxiety, and depression … among both their team and themselves.
Hire Slow – Fire Fast
By Greg Earhart
Whether filling a trophy case, generating donation or tuition dollars, or creating transformational experiences each of us adds value to our campus. Simultaneously, we’re becoming increasingly disposable with the number of college coaches fired rising for the third straight year. A handful of firings were performance-related and a few more the result of the coach’s own failings. The majority, though, were the result of behavioral issues on the team, staff insurrection or both.
It’s All Downhill From Here
Autumn’s here. You’re undefeated, the team has a 4.0, everyone’s got best times, nobody’s been written up, and all of your recruits are still interested. That can only mean one thing. …It’s all downhill from here.
The Power of One
Fighting to keep your job or preserve your program can be soul-crushing. Our losses are painful and public – there for everyone to see. At the same time our victories – out of fear that they are simply luck or merely temporary – remain hidden and are rarely acknowledged. That means we only learn from our failures. This month, however, I met several coaches whose efforts are having a transformative effect in their department and on their campus. Of these, I’d like to share three examples who illustrate the influence that each of us can create.
Lessons from Justin, My First Assistant
By Greg Earhart
I’m asked all the time “How do I get into college coaching?”
Here’s the answer: Be more like Justin Jennings.
Justin passed away last week from complications of colon cancer. I’m pissed and I’m sad.
Lessons Learned from a Near-Disaster
Drop everything you’re doing right now and focus on this. That’s what every day has been like for the past three weeks after two coaches contacted us with concerns their programs were on the chopping block. Now I’m telling you to do the same, because after going through this experience, I’ve learned a few things that every coach needs to know about their program:
What are Your Talking Points?
Leave it to Matt Gianiodis, perhaps the funniest coach on deck, to succinctly state what’s in the back of every coach’s mind. Mr. Lochte and crew have provided us with a teachable moment, but what are your talking points? With many campuses beginning classes this week, here are a few ideas:
