SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone: Escarcega on Preps - It's Time for Administrators and Athletic Directors to Put Coaches At Ease.
Coaches are leaving the scene these days for all the wrong reasons.
If you haven’t been keeping track of the coaching scene in the San Gabriel Valley and the Whittier area, it’s been a rough go of it lately. 15 new football coaches started spring football this week and if recent trends are any indication, 75% of those programs will be looking for a new coach in two years.
If history is any indication, 15 more football programs will be looking for a new coach next year. And this is not just isolated in football.
Let’s go to the basketball sphere, where we had three coaches tender their resignations last week, Will Bissman at Covina, Marcus Bryan at Charter Oak, and Edmund Zozaya at Montebello.
The resignation of Bissman cuts right into the core of any basketball fan in the East SGV. You will not find a better basketball coach in the area with a basketball acumen that is second to none. This is one resignation that could have been prevented if the right people had thought this one over thoroughly this year.
Before we start taking an All-22 (that is a football term for watching the sideline view of a video play – all 22 players in the video shot) perspective, here is a question that is probably the most basic question for any coach out there: Why do you want to be a Head Coach?
According to our friend Chris Fore in his new book “The Head Coach Blueprint” the answer usually comes in this order.
- To Impact Students
- Because my coaches played such an important role in my life.
- To give back to the youth in my community
- I love the game.
And those are good answers. I’ve been fortunate to have been influenced by some of the game’s greatest coaches, from NFL to College to High School. I’ve learned all facets of the game from the smartest minds in the game that were not head coaches. For instance, in the 23 years that I’ve been involved with football, there is no offensive line coach that I’ve learned the most from than current Victor Valley football coach Mike Ryan when he was at South Hills. He was simply the best.
Sadly, I am predicting that most of the coaches that are hired today couldn’t give me a great answer to this question. This then draws our attention to the administrators and here is a question that cuts to the core of what the administrator is all about; Are you hiring a coach or a babysitter?
Sounds ridiculous, correct? Sadly, with the actions that are taking place in Principal Offices or Board of Education meeting rooms, there is a growing feeling that coaches are beginning to feel like babysitters.
Just for fun, I went down the Artificial Intelligence route and asked Open AI, “Can you give me a definition of a successful high school coach?” The answer was impressive.
“A successful high school coach, therefore, is much more than just a tactical and technical expert. They are an educator, mentor, and community leader who plays a critical role in the development of young athletes.”
The definition is spot on and can’t be expressed any better. And, if we are being honest with ourselves, that is the perfect definition of the job that Bissman has turned in at Covina. His record speaks for itself and if you ask a player who has played in his program, they’ll tell you he played a critical role in the development of their game.
So why is he leaving now? Well, as is the case, life does sometimes get in the way of a successful coach. His daughters are now entering the high school phase of their lives and, as you can well imagine, he wants to be there to experience those moments that you only get once in your life.
I totally get it. Being an uncle right now, I’m closely watching my nephews and nieces closely and making sure that they are on the right trajectory as they are about to enter the high school phase of their life. However, there needed to be a case of “outside the box” thinking that could have prevented Covina from looking for a basketball coach.
Follow this logic.
As early as last season, the writing had to be on the wall that Bissman was contemplating stepping away from the game. His girls were growing up in front of his eyes and he didn’t want to miss out. When the season was over, he probably felt that it was time to choose, basketball or family.
That’s when newly appointed principal Dr. Daisy Carrasco had an opportunity to step in and develop a partnership that could have prevented him from making this choice. All she had to do was say, “Coach, I completely understand that you want to be with your girls, and I want you to spend all the time that you need to be with them, but I also want you to be our basketball coach.”
As you can imagine, Bissman would probably be startled and would ask a question such as “How can we do this?”
“Let’s work on a plan that allows your key assistant to become a ‘co-head coach.’ This person would help you with the day-to-day planning for the summer and fall. You can work on the paperwork and attend practice when the time allows for it. I’m sure that your assistant at some point in his career wants to be a head coach. Well, it’s time for a little On-the-job training. Let him run your summer basketball program with the rest of your assistants. Let them run the practices, with your input of course, and let them coach your summer games. You can never get enough situational coaching, and this is the perfect time for them to start thinking like a head coach.”
When I presented this type of option to Bissman over the phone on Monday, his reaction was simple, “I never thought about it that way.”
As a principal and Athletic Director, what you are doing in developing coaching talent? If coaches are consistently telling their players to not be afraid of “getting into the heat of the battle,” the same thing goes for younger coaches. How can we find the next Mike LeDuc’s and Gordon Hamlow’s of the world if we don’t give them a chance to develop?
Jeff Steinberg, one of the top high school football coaches in Southern California, told Fore in his book, that an assistant coach needs to “Take on responsibilities in your program. Be active in helping the HC with things in the program other than Xs and Os. Attend a booster club meeting and gain insight into how the budget works. Make sure you are a good communicator.”
In my opinion, this should have been a prime spot for Carrasco, Athletic Director Joe Brown, and Bissman to work collaboratively to put Bissman at ease, allow him to coach and be with his kids as much as he needs to, but also empower his assistants and give them more responsibility.
I’ve seen it happen before and it can work, successfully. Back in 2022, Northview wrestling coach Bobby Bellamy was facing the same dilemma as Bissman is currently. His son CJ Bellamy was a big-time basketball player and had transferred from Eastvale Roosevelt to Los Altos HS. The main reason for the transfer was to allow Bobby and his family to watch him play.
Sounds simple, right?
Well, when you are the coach of one of the most powerful wrestling programs in Southern California, for some coaches like Bellamy, stepping away from the program is a non-negotiable choice. But the pressure of mounting – do I stay with wrestling, or do I step away for a year to watch my son play? This is not an easy question.
It takes someone like Athletic Director David Ochoa, who helped turn the wrestling program into a state power before turning it over to Bellamy, to step in and say, “Bobby, you need to spend as much time as you can watching your son play. We’ve got great assistant coaches, and you can be here as your schedule allows you to be. We’ll be fine. You’ve taught your assistants very well. Let them get some experience. Don’t make the mistake of spending more time with us at the expense of missing time with CJ and your daughter.”
For several years, I’ve held this privately. But in October 2022, I got a call from Bellamy. It concerned me because I usually don’t get phone calls from wrestling coaches in October unless they are stepping down. After getting a few laughs in with Bellamy he explained his problem to me and asked for my opinion.
My answer was simple. “And why are we having this conversation? Dave is right. You have some of the best assistant coaches in So Cal. Empower them. Let them run a practice. Go over the practice plan with them but let them gain their wings. They’ll be fine and you’ll be fine as well – and your kids will thank you. And if there is a problem, well – Ochoa will always be there.”
Bellamy appreciated the words and decided to proceed with the plan. He was able to watch his son play on a team that won a Hacienda League title, made a deep run in the playoffs, and got a scholarship to play basketball at San Francisco State. As for the wrestling team, they won another Valle Vista League title and qualified numerous wrestlers for the state tournament.
Instead of being reactive, Northview and Bellamy chose to be proactive, and the results speak for themselves.
It’s time for Athletic Directors to start being more engaged with the sports programs that they are overseeing. Start thinking outside the box. Keep the door always open for ideas and ways to work out situations so that people such as Bissman don’t have to make a dramatic decision of one or the other. It’s time for Principals to spend time with their coaches and make them feel like they are not “babysitters.” They are humans that have feelings as well.
Take them out to dinner one night and have a relaxed conversation. It was one of the great attributes that Judi North did when she was the Principal at South Hills HS. Every coach knew that she had their back, and she was always in attendance at games, no matter if they were 21-1 or 1-21. It is why she is looked upon with love by those (like yours truly) who were touched by her compassion and energy.
And while we are at it, it’s time for basketball parents to start acting like adults. Let the coaches coach and the players play. This season was the worst I’ve seen in the area when it comes to watching parents/fans act like immature 10-year-olds who didn’t get Ice Cream from Thrifty’s after their parents said no. You are one of the main reasons why coaches are leaving and why CIF is having a difficult time recruiting officials.
St. Francis coach Todd Wolfson penned an excellent tweet this past weekend. “Dear Freshmen parents. There are 2 main reasons why frosh officials work frosh games.
1) Want to have a side job for money.
2) They are trying to move up in the ranks.
Stop expecting high-level officials to work your child's frosh game. They are trying to learn like your kid is trying to learn how to play. Leave them alone.”
I’ll take it one step further; young coaches are also trying to figure it out. Leave them alone and allow them the freedom to learn and the enjoyment of coaching your son/daughter. You never know - that coach could be a successful coach who wins championships years later, and you can say, “I remember when he coached my son/daughter back many years ago. He was awesome then – as he is now.”
Administrators, if you want your coaches to be an “educator, mentor and community leader who plays a critical role in the development of young athletes,” (as Open AI reminds us), give them the support and resources they need.
After all, when I asked the question “Can a high school administrator help a coach be successful? One of Open AI’s answers was, “By facilitating open lines of communication between coaches, athletes, parents, and school staff, administrators can help ensure that all parties are informed and engaged. This can improve morale and the overall effectiveness of sports programs.”
Maybe there is something to AI these days…