Egomaniacs grab short lived clout and then fizzle out. Those who are in it for the right reasons stand the test of time.
“Good Coaches want to see you get a scholarship so they add your accomplishments to their resumes.
Great Coaches are focused on the individual underneath the jersey, scholarship or not.
Just remember that when they talk about “Family”.
People First.
Athletes Second.”
-Ray Zingler on Twitter
“Look at who I’ve developed!”
“Look how many commits we have!”
“We’ve created some amazing players!”
Don’t get me wrong, I understand program development and the importance of projecting yourself capable of aiding in the development of great players, whether this be School or Club Sport, but let me back you up a bit.
You, by yourself didn’t develop him or her, you were overwhelmingly blessed to have the opportunity to play a small role in the development of that athlete.
The reason you have commits on your team is because you have really good players. It’s not because of you. It’s because of them.
I’m sorry, but you didn’t create any of those players, that was the work of their mommas and daddys.
Be proud of your kids all you want. I think it’s honorable. You’ll not find a coach who loves his kids and is more proud of them than me.
But you’ll never see me make it about me or leverage their accomplishments for my personal gain. That would be a disservice to them.
The sad reality is that many modern era coaches, (mainly because of social media, in my opinion) have lost sight of what coaching is really about.
They seem to forget it is solely about the athlete and the coach, while very important, is secondary.
After all, take away the athlete and the need of the coach ceases to exist.
Egomaniacs struggle in coaching because the spotlight is off of them, it’s now on the (current) athletes. If you lack the humility to be in the background, do massive amounts of unseen work, and then allow THEM to get the credit, then coaching ain’t for you because that’s the gig, bro.
It’s funny how it all works out though.
It’s those coaches who are self-acclaimed “good coaches” seeking all the clout, riding the backs of a few good players they’ve been blessed to cross paths with, who always fizzle out.
But the Great Coaches always seem to last, despite the “cool” (forced) photos with 5 stars. It’s because they’re focused on people first and athletes second. They are doing it for the right reasons and great, authentic fortune seems to always find them.
Funny how that works.
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