College basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. Head coaches at the Division I level are paid generously, as are many of their staff members. The composition of the coaching staff is a confusing subject for the average fan. This article will clarify the role of the head coach, assistant associate head coaches, and support staff.
During most college basketball games on TV, a fan notices a large collection of suits. These costumes represent the members of the coaching staff of each respective school. Five, seven or ten staff members may be present on the bench during matches. Who are all these people?
The average college staff includes the head coach and his assistant coaches. The number of attendees depends on the size and level of the program. A smaller school may have one, two, or possibly three assistant coaches. Mid-tier colleges, such as Division II and lower Division I, may have three to five assistant coaches. At the highest level of Division I, a coaching support staff may number seven or eight. Assistant coaches make up only a portion of the entire staff. Managers, trainers, graduate assistants, and statisticians may also be part of the bank’s composition.
A recent development at the collegiate level is the associate head coach. This is a confusing situation, and I want to explain how it works.
Titles generally don’t mean much to college coaching staff. You are basically an assistant or a manager.
The title of first assistant has little value since all assistants work the same or harder, in the case of graduate assistants at times.
Associate Head Coach was created to help assistants get head coaching jobs in two ways.
1. The title distinguishes them from the rest of the staff externally/image-wise. It gives a title coach a bit more clout if the head coach moves on, they can look at the associate head coach first before leaving. Another factor is that it may be a way to get more money for this assistant, again setting him apart from the others. This title can also be detrimental in terms of staff chemistry. Egos are bruised and pride kicks in.
2. The associate head coach can help if an assistant applies for a head coaching position at another school. An athletic director may look at an associate head coach with more interest than “just an assistant.”
Remember that each staff is different in their approach to using the associate head coach title. There may be a plan behind it or just window dressing. Many programs and many head coaches have many different approaches to staff development. I hope this article helps you understand why so many suits are gracing every college pew this winter.