BEHIND THE CLIPBOARD: No More Mr. Nice Guy

Our head coach left, and now the assistant from last year is taking over. I think it’s great because the assistant coach was really easy to get along with, and the head coach could be a jerk sometimes. My dad says I shouldn’t count on the old assistant being just like he was — he says things will be different. Is he right?

P.I., Stockton

Behind the Clipboard: Clay Kallam

   First, an old Mark Twain story. “When I was 14,” said Twain, “I didn’t think my dad knew anything. When I was 24, I thought he knew everything. The old guy had really learned a lot in ten years.”

   So, to begin with, don’t doubt your dad.

   And as to your question, there was a movie that came out recently called “Twenty Feet from Stardom,” and it was about really talented backup singers who worked with big-time rock and roll bands. These singers often had more musical talent than the stars they were supporting, but they stayed off to the side, 20 feet from the spotlight.

   Bruce Springsteen was interviewed early in the movie, and when he was asked about the difference between singing backup on the side of the stage and carrying the show at the main microphone, he smiled and said, “It’s a long walk.”

   The same is true of the distance between that second seat on the bench to the spot a few feet away where the head coach stands. I’ve done both, and there’s a lot to be said for being an assistant. You can always be the good cop; you can always be sympathetic; you can always say you talked to the head coach about an issue. And when a parent wants to know why their budding superstar is only playing five minutes a game, you can always lift your arm, point across the room and say “The head coach is right over there.”

   As a head coach, you can’t duck the hard questions, you can’t avoid the problem parents, and you can’t help but being the bad guy some, if not a lot, of the time.

   So yes, moving from assistant coach to head coach at the same school is a tough jump, because the relationships have been based on a different dynamic. The assistant doesn’t make the substitutions, or have to make a decision about whether to sit a player who missed a big game because his grandmother was sick, or any of the other daily decisions that can make people unhappy.

   And now, suddenly, your buddy the assistant is the guy telling you you got beat out by a sophomore and you’ll be lucky to get 10 minutes a game. It’s one thing to hear that from someone who’s always been the authority figure; it’s another to hear that from someone who has usually been more supportive and sympathetic.

   Then again, some coaches make that jump with ease, and they have no trouble with the transition. Others might take a year or two to figure it out (and the players have to figure it out too). But generally, it’s actually easier to go to a different school, where the relationships are new and the lines of authority can be clearly drawn from day one.

   Either way, though, it’s a tough adjustment — and a long walk.