College coaches inherently seek to further their careers by heading to the NBA, NFL, MLB or another professional league for their sport. The coaches usually start as some level of assistant coach; however, some go straight from college head coach to professional head coach. This causes significant issues in their coaching style, understanding of the game and treatment of the players.
One situation where this switch caused turmoil came when former Michigan basketball coach John Beilein went straight to being head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the start of this season. Beilein was a great college coach that led Michigan to countless NCAA tournament appearances in his time there, yet has struggled with the Cavaliers so far this year.
“[Beilein]’s treating this season like they, and he, are still in college,” Joe Vardon and Shams Charania of the Athletic reported.
The players’ complaints include a variety of things that college coaches often utilize when trying to motivate their team. He reportedly has a problem with “nitpicking over fundamentals” and held “lengthy” film sessions. Professional coaches generally avoid these things in respect of their players being professionals along with them.
On top of this, players think that he has a “lack of understanding of the NBA game,” something that could be remedied with a less stark transition to the professional level.
“Our assistants are definitely more prepared for the NBA,” said an anonymous Cavaliers player.
Another example of the commotion that this shift causes comes from Nick Saban in the NFL. Saban is one of the most legendary college football coaches of all time, yet struggled in his time with the Miami Dolphins. A below average record of 15-17 through two seasons (with significant losing streaks) illustrates how his short NFL career went.
For comparison, during his five year stint with LSU before signing with the Dolphins, he led the team to a record of 48-16 and a 3-1 bowl record along with a national championship.
These two potential college Hall of Fame coaches in their respective sports haven’t been able to succeed in professional sports without professional coaching experience beforehand. The ship seems to have sailed for Saban in the NFL, but Beilein still has time to develop in the NBA and gain experience. He might wish, however, that he attained it as an assistant instead of further damaging the Cavaliers prospects going into the new decade.
