Rising Coaches Elite 2017

Beyond The Whistle with Odell McCants

Rising Coaches Elite 2017

I recently had the opportunity to speak at the 8th Annual Rising Coaches Elite 2017 Conference. Rising Coaches Elite is an annual conference that provides professional development for basketball coaches, primarily just starting in their careers. Most of the attendees are graduate assistants, directors of basketball operations and team managers. Attendees came from a wide range of programs. I was also pleased to meet and get to know a few high school coaches who attended as well.

The conference was held at Marian University. Marian is an NAIA school with a beautiful campus about 3-4 miles outside of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana.

This speaking opportunity was a direct result of social media. I have been following Rising Coaches Elite on Twitter for a while and often share their content. And they have done the same with me. From that, I connected with Adam and the result was receiving the honor of being invited to speak at this year’s conference.

It was an honor to be part of a great group of speakers. And it was a great group of speakers. They included Tennessee Tech Head Coach Steve Payne, Danny Mills, college scout for the Philadelphia 76ers, Duke Women's Associate Head Coach Hernando Planells (what a motivating speaker he is), and several others. You can find the full speaker list with links below. As you see, attendees were provided with information, tips and advice on career development from a cross section of levels of basketball and levels of coaching. I know that I took away a great deal of knowledge myself from every speaker.

My presentation was the Five Stages of the Business of Coaching. I presented how the stages of a coaching career match those of a business lifecycle. They are:

1. Incubation

2. Start-up

3. Emerging

4. Enterprise

5. Legacy

I’m going to speak in more detail on each stage, with examples of coaches, the challenges of each stage and the strategies and resources you need to succeed at each stage and bridge yourself to the next, on future episodes. It’s something I’m really looking forward to sharing with you. So be on the lookout!

For now, I want to thank Adam, Brandon and the Rising Coaches Elite team for the opportunity to participate and learn myself.

For those who attended the conference, I commend you on making the investment in yourself. Most of these guys are young, aren’t making a lot of money but took the time and found the resources to attend, and learn and connect with other professionals.

If you are are starting in your coaching career, or want to start, or just want to learn and make some great connections, I highly recommend attending next year’s conference.

If you are a head coach, assistant coach or even perhaps an administrator, I urge you to recommend and even find a way to help your young coaches and support staff attend this event. It’s a way to invest in your staff, your program and the future of the great game of college basketball. I know for me, It was exciting to spend a few days with the future coaches and leaders of college basketball and if they will have me, I want to continue to support and participate in Rising Coaches Elite.

As always, I want to thank you for listening. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on your favorite podcast app. Subscribing is the best way to stay updated on new episodes.

Links:

Rising Coaches Elite

Speakers:

Vance Catlin, Pro Personnel Scout, Indiana Pacers

Adam Glerlach, Assistant Coach, Cornell

Sean Dwyer, Assistant Coach, Northern Kentucky University

Steve Payne, Head Coach, Tennessee Tech

Rich Czeslawski, Pure Sweat Basketball

Brandon Rosenthal, Assistant Coach, Phoenix Suns and Norther Arizona Suns

Hernando Planells, Associate Head Coach, Duke University

Adam Gordon, Assistant Coach, Southeast Missouri State

Danny Mills, College Scout, Philadelphia 76ers

Ken Huber, NCAA