Coaching in Changing Times

Controversies and Adjustments

(St. Louis, MO) – Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall is being investigated for abusive coaching tactics. Opinions are flying in from across the nation on how guilty or how persecuted Marshall might be. Coaching in changing times requires growth and maturation by head coaches.

The very well written and researched piece by watchstadium.com’s Jeff Goodman quoted players and referred to other incidents that were in the public knowledge. What Goodman didn’t do, is interview coach Marshall. In his article dated, Friday, October 9, he states ‘Marshall did not respond to multiple requests from Stadium on Thursday‘. Since the article was written, Marshall has voiced a complete denial of Goodman’s and others’ stories on the subject.

We are not litigating that story here. However, what concerns this writer are three things. First, a rush to judgment. If a player says it, is it automatically true? Secondly, is a blind loyalty to someone accused of abuse the correct response? Finally, in an era of social and racial change, my concern is for context. While we all agree a coach should never physically abuse a player, we also must admit that times have changed and are constantly changing.

When my high school basketball coach jumped into a scrum for a loose ball at practice, we thought that was awesome. When we were called numerous unprintable names, we sensed we deserved it.

That is no longer the case. While Wichita State investigates the allegations against Marshall, let us ask a different question. ‘How has coaching changed and how does it need to continue to mature?’

Old School and New School

Terms like ‘Old School’ and ‘Players’ Coach’ can mean different things to different people. Being a ‘players’ coach’ may mean the coach doesn’t discipline his players, or it could mean he truly understands what his players are going through. Being ‘Old School’ may mean the coach is a harsh disciplinarian or conversely, he could simply believe in strong fundamentals.

We asked several Missouri Valley Conference coaches how coaching has changed and how they’ve adjusted to a new era of players.

Northern Iowa’s Ben Jacobson is the Valley’s reigning ‘Coach of the Year’ and his team is the defending regular season champion. During his 14 years at UNI the Panthers have won three regular season titles, three post season league tournaments and ‘Jake and the Giant Killers’ have won four NCAA Tournament games and have knocked off two, Number One ranked teams. Jacobson’s (291-174) record speaks for itself.

Indiana State’s Greg Lansing is beginning his eleventh season as the Sycamore head coach. He has won 166 games and took his 2010-11 team to the NCAA Tournament. His win total is second most in Indiana State history and his teams have defeated five, nationally ranked teams. His father, Dave Lansing is a State of Iowa hall-of-fame basketball coach.

Bradley’s Brian Wardle leads the two-time Arch Madness champion Braves for his sixth season. After a successful coaching run at Green Bay, for the former Marquette player is becoming a force in the MVC. His team has won twenty or more games for three straight seasons. While at Green Bay, his own brief time of disciplinary correction has seemingly produced good results.

Challenges For Veteran Coaches

Lansing’s experiences of growing up in a hall-of-fame coach’s home, playing collegiate basketball and assisting others before becoming a head coach have informed his coaching style. Lansing says sometimes coaches can make the mistake of being too harsh. He witnessed one of his mentors, Royce Waltman making mistakes, but correcting those failures and working hard to express his affection for his players.

 

 

Lansing says he has had to make adjustments. During his own career, he realizes that times have changed, and he has to continue to grow and mature. He admits that coaches can’t coach players as hard as they once did.

 

 

Wardle seems to agree. His teams always seem to improve as the season wears on and that points to his ability to demand growth and progress from his players. Wardle says while players want expectations and high standards, you can’t coach the way he was coached.

Like Lansing, Wardle says the head coach must be consistent and demand excellence. While Lansing uses the phrase ‘loving your players’, Wardle talks about being fair and consistent. The veteran coach says you should be demanding, but you cannot be demeaning.

 

 

Social Media in Changing Times

Jacobson says players have changed, so coaches must change. The ‘Dean of the Valley Coaches’ says social media has greatly influenced players and their parents, so it has adjusted how players react to discipline, correction and perseverance.

Jacobson says social media has forced players to be evaluated and judged 24-hours a day and from a young age they are filtering positive and negative information in a way that skews how they interpret input. Social media has the tendency to make player more sensitive than would have been previously typical.

 

 

Simultaneously, their parents are processing every tweet, ‘like’ and comment and at times, interrupting their own child’s growth process. Jacobson believes parents ‘stand up for their kids’ in a way that may not be helpful. He feels some parents need to allow their children to figure out certain situations on their own.

 

 

Conceding it’s ‘the world we live in’, ‘Jake’ says he loves doing what he does, but he and his coaching staff have had to adjust in changing times.

Reacting in Changing Times

Bob Knight probably couldn’t coach in this era. Some will wring their hands at that statement and some will clap them. The era of Bear Bryant is gone. With those changes, we may lose some level of selflessness in college athletics, but we also may gain some self-respect. Goodman’s article describes the devastating depression experienced by one of Marshall’s players. Did Marshall create it, light the fuse of something that was already there, or was he no factor at all?

I don’t have that answer. While raising my own children I’ve made mistakes for which I am deeply saddened and yet they are deeply aware of my affection and desire for their good. Should I have been fired? Oh, many times. Are they eternally damaged? No, but they do carry that scar, perhaps a healed scar that now produces unity, affection and trust.

No coach, parent or teacher is perfect. What we hope for in changing times, is the chance to grow, mature and heal. I am not the one to judge coach Marshall, that will be done by others, but we trust that whatever healing and correction is needed can happen in Wichita.

Do Good