Assistant Coach - Calipari Style~ Think like a Head Coach!

My first year in high school at Tulsa Memorial high school, I made varsity; it turned out to be the last year of Coach Doug Dugger's long and successful coaching career.  One of his traits, as I was warned by the seniors, was his love of watching game film.  At times, when the only noise was the old school projector running the click click click of the black and white video tape,,, it was very difficult to stay awake.  Laying on the hard court, flipping from leaning on my left hand supported by my left elbow, flip flopping to the right hand and elbow support, to the old hands-clasped behind the neck and LIFT position, after the first hour to hour and a half, it became increasingly difficult to stay awake. 

Tulsa Memorial High School Basketball note: My senior year the Memorial Chargers won their first State Championship by knocking off Oklahoma City Northwest Knights in the championship game. Twenty years later, in 1994, the Chargers captured their 2nd championship. They added a third Championship in 2006.

Compare that to what writer Darrell Bird learned when he interviewed Kentucky assistant coach John Robic regarding the use of tape.

"The first time these guys will see any film will be at the pre-game meal the day of the game. That's it," Robic said. "Cal puts a lot of emphasis on us, not the other team, so we're not a big film program at all. Never have been.

"We didn't watch an entire game film once in the last four years. We want everything short, concise and to the point. Even when us coaches watch film, it's cut down so Cal can watch it without ever hitting the remote."

The same is true for film from his own team's recent play.

"Cal may just say, 'Have them pull out this, this and this and we'll watch it before practice,' " Robic said. "I guarantee it won't be more than five minutes of tape. I think that has a lot to do with Cal coming from the NBA, where you don't have time."

John Robic has been on John Calipari's coaching staff for 13 years beginning at UMass, Memphis and now Kentucky.

"I know what he's thinking when he's thinking it," Robic said.

He also said you won't see even ONE of the assistant coaches watching the games with clipboards, or keeping statistics during the game.  He wants all five of his assistants to act like they are the boss.

"We don't take notes or do stats during the game. He wants us to coach," Robic said. "You're not going to see five guys with clipboards. You're going to see no guys with clipboards. Cal wants us to be thinking like a head coach all the time."

Click this to read Bird's entire article.