The Next Chair Over
You hear it all the time in basketball coaching circles. The move to the next chair over - from the assistants spot to the head coaches spot - is a big leap. It's completely different, and something you really can't get used to until you make the move.
I've always found that description as being a little too dramatic. Sure, it is different being a head coach. But I'm not sure it's as dramatic as we make it out to be.
To me, there are two big differences to get used to. First of all, you have to be on all the time. When you are the head coach, everyone is always looking at you, reading your body language or your mood, and you are impacting their behavior whether you know it or not. You are always the head coach, and it's hard to turn that off. Secondly, you go from making suggestions to making decisions. It's not that you have to have the answers all of the time. You can always say you don't know or you aren't sure. But if you aren't prepared, you are losing credibility with your team immediately. And that is hard to come back from. You can't just make suggestions or tell the players you have to run it by the head coach. You have to be ready to make decisions.
It's not like you just get hit by a ton of bricks when you become a head coach. You've been preparing for it throughout your whole career. Not too many people get blindsided by being named the head coach. It is intense and can be overwhelming at first, as you immediately feel the pressure of the responsibility and everything you want to do. By no means am I saying it is easy. But it is something you can prepare for, and should be preparing for every day as an assistant.
The best suggestion I can give to ease the transition when you become a head coach is to focus a lot more on your leadership approach than the basketball stuff. The leadership side is where you will spend a lot more of your time - relationships, messaging, culture, communication - and the basketball side will take a back seat. As you prepare to be a head coach, think more about who you are as a leader, what type of culture you want to create and how you are going to communicate it to your players. The mentality you establish will have more of an impact on your program than what defense you play or what plays you decide to run.
It's never easy taking over a new program and being a first-time head coach. The pace moves really quick and there are never enough hours in the day. You feel the pressure all of the time, and it's different than being an assistant. But you can absolutely prepare for it. Think about how you are going to carry yourself as a leader and what's really important to you off the court. Establish that, and develop genuine relationships with your players through communication.
You'll certainly have a lot more on your plate. But it's an opportunity you've dreamed about, that a lot of people don't get. Be intentional about what is important to you as you prepare to become a head coach, and focus on the big picture. It's not really that different, because once you become a head coach you get used to the responsibility. If it's what you always wanted, and you prepared for it, it's just the next step in your coaching career.