How To Be A Good Assistant Coach from Coquese Washington

These are notes from Coquese Washington Head Coach Penn State on 5/1/11 in Chicago, IL at A Step Up-Assistant Coaches Symposium. Coach Washington is a former assistant coach at Notre Dame University.


I. Understand being a head coach is much harder than it looks.
a. Responsibility grows exponentially
i. Assistant coaches
ii. Sports information
iii. Marketing
iv. Athletic training
v. Strength and conditioning
vi. Facilities
vii. Community outreach
viii. Fundraising and development
ix. Academic services
x. Other miscellaneous areas

b. Coaching becomes more about managing people and less about x’s and o’s.
c. Give your head coach some grace sometimes.

II. Be someone who is “easy” to manage

a. Master Your Current Responsibilities
i. Be focused on what you are responsible for; don’t compete with co workers
ii. Be very thorough
iii. Finish tasks in a timely manner
iv. Do it right the first time, proofread so you can be mistake free
v. Work well with other assistants and support staff
vi. Get your personal life together (finances, kids, health, etc.) Head coach has lots of issues to deal with…you can’t be one of them.
b. Create New Opportunities for Yourself
i. See what needs to be done…and make sure it gets done
ii. Find new ways to do old tasks more effectively/efficiently
c. Pursue excellence
d. Be the example you want your players to follow, in your professional and personal life.
e. Be the type of assistant coach you would want to have working for you if you were a head coach.
f. Remember-Loyalty is key

Keep frustrations in house.
Head coach’s agenda=your agenda
Voice frustrations in a professional manner

III. Become a Servant Assistant

a. What does your head coach need from you outside of you doing your job well? (A confidence boost, lunch? A listening ear?)
b. What things can you take off your head coach’s plate?
c. Be proactive in finding bringing solutions to the table.
d. Make it a priority to take care of the student athletes in all ways’ willingly give them your time and attention.
e. Build relationships in the athletic department, university, community, and surrounding community to help extend the reach of the program and your head coach.