Coach ,

Being in the Basketball Industry since I was a kid with 5-Star, I am lucky enough to get to know personally many of the top College coaches, rarely a week goes by that I'm not asked for an introduction to a coach to help them land a college job.

If you or someone you know has a desire of getting into college coaching I found a wonderful resource to share.

To get into coaching within college, NBA, or at any level then being a Graduate Assistant Coach (GA’s) is one of the best steps to accomplish your dream. 

As you know, a Graduate Assistant is a student or is pursuing a Master’s degree while also being a manager/coach for the basketball team. A GA usually comes from being a really good manager during their time studying as an undergraduate. 

The best Graduate Assistants are like a swiss army knife - they can do it all. They have manager roles but they are also depended on by the whole staff for other major purposes. 

Our friends at Rising Coaches have produced the first-ever training resource for Graduate Assistant Coaches. The position of Graduate Assistant is arguably one of the most important on staff. 

GA's are asked to wear many hats and balance several different relationships all with little to no coaching experience under their belt.

Here are 3 of the GA Academy important functions that successful GA’s do:

#1 - Become Close with Each Staff Member

As a GA, one of the most important things is developing relationships with the staff.

The one thing you should do every day is try to get into conversation and learn something about a staff member.

A great question you can ask a staff member every day is: “is there anything I can help you with today?”

(Click on Image to Play Video)

#2 Be Available 

As a GA, you can really set yourself apart by always being around the office and always willing to help with any project.

The first one in the office and last to leave the office mentality will help set you apart. 

By being available, that gives you a chance for more opportunities to do projects and build trust.

(Click on image for video on Staff Relations)

#3 Film & Edits for Athletes

Film is one of the best things to learn as a GA.

After being a GA, one of the next steps that most GA’s get hired to do is Video.

The biggest step to learning film is putting in the effort to learn.

There are so many different ways to learn film → Youtube can teach you how to do pretty much anything.

One of the other ways to learn film is to find a mentor that can teach you film.\

(Click on image for video on using technology)

The GA Academy by the Rising Coaches is worth checking out to help you climb the ladder in the coaching profession.

The GA Academy course covers:

• Player Development for GA's
• Video Editing
• Recruiting Material/Graphics and Photoshop
• Staff & Player Relationships
• Managing the Managers
• Team Travel
• and many others.

These lessons are designed to teach GA's how to be a star in their role and go above and beyond to add value to their programs. Each lesson ends with a short quiz to ensure retention of the core concepts being taught.

Thank you to Rising Coaches for a great resource.

Never get out-coached,

--The Coaches Clinic Community of Coaches Helping Coaches