End of Season

Here I am in Appleton, Wisconsin preparing to watch my son play in his final game of his sophomore year. This has been a challenging season for the Vikings, with an 0-9 record so far and no indication that today will spell victory for the team. In reality we knew that this season would be one of adversity and change. The offseason, late in the offseason, saw a head coach change. This was frustrating as organizations that make such changes usually do so right at the end, or just before the end of the season. I really think this was poor form for the university and is hopefully being taken as a learning experience. 

The change was sad as, despite the lack of success in the wins column, we really liked the outgoing coach. We felt that he took the effort to connect with the players and be supportive of their University experience. Fortunately, it appears that that coach landed a respectable assistant coaching position elsewhere. 

Coaching can really be a metaphorical meat grinder. Most positions pay a minimal amount and turnover can be high. You really do need to love it beyond trying to make it to the top tiers. Personally, I know at least one coach who tried their luck at the division 3 level and is now servicing mortgages (or doing something along those lines). At some point you need to find a way to provide for family and possibly retire to something better than a 19th century pensioners existence.

Digressing, the new coach coming on so late in the season made a number of things a challenge. Namely, it can be difficult to find new coaches and teach a new system to the players. Recruiting is another vital area that becomes hampered as players are largely committed by the middle of the offseason and transfers can be scarce. Transfers have become a more vital part of team ecosystems in the NCAA in recent years due to reduced restrictions. There is now better potential for mature players to fill gaps. That requires knowing the team and figuring out where to look. Combined with freshman recruiting (most freshmen take 2ish years to develop and adapt to college strength and speed), this forms the engine that keeps college (and parochial high schools, but I have a rant about that later) teams moving in the winning direction.