The disparity between the prevalence of white coaches versus white players in basketball

I read a column in the AJC today. It discusses who UK should look for in a coach. Living in Atlanta, race comes up a lot in the responses and some of the comments set me off. One person claimed that since UK is going after Calipari, they are racist. They stated that they should consider minority coaches because most players are minorites. Here is my comment to the article:

I have a theory about the disparity between the prevalence of white coaches versus white players in basketball.

First of all, a good player does not translate into a good coach. In fact, most good coaches were not star players. Phil Jackson was not even a regular NBA starter for his first 6 seasons in the league. Coach K played for West Point. Tubby Smith went to High Point. Pat Riley averaged 7 points in his NBA career. Doc Rivers was an NBA starter for much of his career, but was a supporting player. The list goes on… Dean Smith, Bob Knight, John Chaney, Larry Brown.

How many All-Star players have succeeded as coaches? I can think of one – Larry Bird, and he only coached for a few seasons. But some notable failures are Isaiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, and Clyde Drexler. The only exception might be Lenny Wilkens (who holds the distinction for most NBA wins AND losses as a coach).

Now, you don’t have to be a bad player or benchwarmer to be a good coach, that’s not my point. It just seems to work out that way. Former players like Jeff Capel may break the mold (and maybe I’m missing a few?).

Look at good players and their mindset. Natural ability plays a large role in why players are as good as they are. Do you think LeBron James was coached to be a good player? No. He is just good. There’s no explaining it. Gifted athletes that become coaches can have a hard time relating to players that aren’t as good as they were as players. You can’t coach someone to be as good as you when you are at that level. You either are, or you aren’t. However, as a coach, you have to know how to reach these ‘lesser’ players, draw out the talent, and make players work together.

Now, look at players on the bench. They get a unique perspective that players on the court don't get - you can see the entire court and all its pieces as a whole. Players on the bench have to make up for their lack of talent with hard work and strategy, just to get where they are. If I can’t jump higher, run faster and shoot better, I have to make up for it in other ways – movement off the ball, hustle defense, etc., - which are all helpful things that can be used as a coach. Players on the bench get to listen to coaches and assistants strategize, draw up plays, and motivate players. These are things players on the floor do not see from an outside perspective.

All the years good players spend playing basketball, benchwarmers spend learning about the game. And who do you see at the end of most benches in college and the NBA? White players. This is not racist, it’s circumstance.


As far as UK goes, I was born and raised there, and am an alum. I was happy to have Tubby as a coach, and didn’t know ANYONE that thought worse of him because of his race. Yes, he won a national championship in 1998, but with Pitino’s team. I could have coached that team. After that, there were some good years, but not good years as measured by us. He lacked the recruiting power. Having a black coach does not give you “instant credibility” as said by Cat Shabazz’s #3 point... it did nothing at all. Tubby was not given the chance to coach because of his race, and he wasn’t fired because of it.

Gillispie was not a good fit, and I think we will be better off with Calipari. He seems to have the ego to want such a high profile job, the coaching ability and the recruiting expertise. I feel like our team has potential to be a contender for the first time in a while. GO CATS!

Random Things About Me

This was posted on my Facebook profile until I took it off earlier today...

And just to clarify, I had random facts in my profile before it was cool to write '25 Random Things' notes about it.

My favorite color is blue, for more than one reason.
I'll try anything twice, because the first time might have been a fluke.
I'm a dog person.
I'm an extrovert, but I'm uncomfortable and quiet around strangers.
I bruise like a peach.
Kentucky was a great place to grow up and now visit, but I don't think I could ever live there again. I've always been drawn to big cities.
I always clean my plate when eating.
If you ask me what I think, I will tell you, no sugar-coating.
I'm a self diagnosed nosocomephobiac (fear of hospitals). I'm not afraid per say, but every time I enter one I get queasy, clammy and lightheaded.
I hate small talk.
If I won the lottery, I would quit my job and become a teacher and high school soccer coach.
There are some things I have eaten entire boxes/bags of in one sitting, and could eat until my stomach ruptured: pistachios, Cap'n Crunch (with or without Crunch Berries), and Sun Chips to name a few.
I laugh at people's jokes when they're not funny, because I know what it feels like when a joke misses. Unless it was really dumb.
My favorite music makes me depressed.
I'm a person of habit and routine.
I have never fallen out of love.
I'm allergic to chocolate, but it's only mild.
I can do the belly wave.
I don't wish people a happy birthday because of a Facebook reminder unless I already knew it. I think if I changed my birthday on here, most people wouldn't know that I was messing with them.
People think I'm skinny and it's easy for me to stay that way, but if I don't work out for a month I can gain 15-20 pounds... I've done it before. That said, my waist size is the same as it was 10 years ago.
Halloween is my favorite holiday.
I'm one of the few soccer players I know that doesn't keep up with the professional game. I'd much rather be playing than watching.
I've never gotten stitches, despite all of the reckless things I've done and injuries I've had over the years.

Will Hoge

Will Hoge might just be my favorite musician, though a few are up at the top of the list. The only bittersweet thing about listening to his music is that he was introduced to me by an ex-girlfriend... THE ex-girlfriend... so some of the songs about love, heartbreak, etc, are especially powerful.

When I describe Will's style of music to people, it's kind of hard to find a comparison. There's a lot of rock and roll, a little country, folk, indie, and blues all mixed in. It's very unique.

I have seen Will in concert 3 times: once at the 40 Watt in Athens, once at the Roxy in Buckhead, and once at Eddie's Attic in Decatur (for an acoustic set). He was in a bad auto accident back in August of 2008 that put him in the hospital for months, and his first tour date in Atlanta since that time is going to be in late April.

Here are some of my favorite songs. Most of his stuff is more up tempo, but if you know me, you know I like the slower, bluesy songs.


Carousel

King of Grey

When I Can Afford To Lose

Highway's Home

I'm going to see him on April 24 at Eddie's Attic, and I can't wait!

Indie Music

I don't know when I really started liking Indie music. It's like when you're reading a book and you drift off, and two pages later, you snap out of it and realize your brain was somewhere else. This is the case with me and the music. All of a sudden I'm deep into it, and I'm not exactly sure how I got here.

I've always liked bands like The Killers and The Strokes, I guess it started there. I plugged a few artists into my 'Indie' Pandora station and it escalated from there. That being said, I don't think any music genre will conquer my love for the blues.

Here are the songs on my current play list. Some are old, some are new.

Bloc Party - Banquet
Bloc Party - Helicopter
The Cribs - Men's Needs
The Cribs - Another Number
We Are Scientists - After Hours
The Maccabees - Precious Time
The Maccabees - Happy Faces
All Get Out - Water and God
The Black Kids - I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You
Phoenix - Sometimes in the Fall
MGMT - Kids
TV on the Radio -
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Over and Over Again
Good Shoes - Morden
The Kooks - Naive
The Futureheads - Meantime
The Futureheads - Sleet
The View - Super Tradesman
Does it Offend You Yeah? - Dawn of the Dead
The Bravery - Time Won't Let Me Go
Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
Young Love - Discotech
The View - Superstar Tradesman
The Strokes - You Only Live Once
Kings of Leon - King of the Rodeo
Cobra Starship - Guilty Pleasure