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What does it mean for a coach to be a good “fit”?

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SomeMatthewsGuy

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Apr 25, 2024
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This question is borne out of another discussion, and I’ve seen it thrown around here a little bit lately, and thought I’d start a new thread.
When someone says a coach is or isn’t a good fit, what exactly does that mean?
 
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InfoMan26

Senior
Jul 9, 2005
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It can mean a number of things to me:

- Personality match with the team/school demographic

- Scheme match with strengths of the school's talent

- Overall relationship with school admin/AD

Some coaches just work better within specific parameters. If you think of instances where coaches have success in one place, but don't in another - these could be some reasons why.
 
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EddieVedder

Joined Jan 22, 2005
Jan 22, 2005
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SomeMatthewsGuy said:
This question is borne out of another discussion, and I’ve seen it thrown around here a little bit lately, and thought I’d start a new thread.
When someone says a coach is or isn’t a good fit, what exactly does that mean?
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Many times the people in charge of making the hiring decisions don’t know how to evaluate coaching candidates. They don’t know football, they haven’t taken the time to evaluate what kind of program they want, and if they do know what they want it’s often very different from what the fans, players, and parents want from the program.

I think this leads to a lot of “bad fits” and turnover at the head coach position. The experienced coaches do their research and can often recognize some warning signs to avoid a bad situation.

I would say what classifies as a “good fit” is when the administration and the coach are both satisfied with the success of the program. This can mean 3-4 wins with a high GPA or it might mean competing for state titles. Either can be a good fit.

The bad fits comes when the 3-4 win team is expected to compete for state titles by the administration or when the administration is unwilling or unable to provide the support that the head coach is seeking and the head coach gets to the point where they feel it is hurting the success of the program.
 
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Bigdadd1110

All-Conference
Jun 9, 2004
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You mentioned Brand in another Thread. He is a great coach and motivator. His style didn't mesh with Flowers style. Two different approaches and communication styles. Then u had the AD...... WC fans didn't make it easy. It was a homerun or groundout type of hire. At Chambers you had a school hungry for success vs. WC where they felt it was their birthright. Had Brand stayed he would have won big just like at Chambers. Excellent coach.

As for fit you have to look at potential hires. Take Butlers staff. They fit better at Chambers and I think Stone fit better at Butler even though the Chambers staff is great. But for Butler it may have been better to hire from within and keep familiarity. However side by side you'd take Ferebee in a heartbeat.
 
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fitguync30

Senior
May 28, 2003
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InfoMan25 said:
It can mean a number of things to me:

- Personality match with the team/school demographic

- Scheme match with strengths of the school's talent

- Overall relationship with school admin/AD

Some coaches just work better within specific parameters. If you think of instances where coaches have success in one place, but don't in another - these could be some reasons why.
Click to expand...
I think it also helps as a fit when the parents of the kids on the team let the coaches coach and don't insist on putting in their 2 cents or push hard for their Johnny to get more playing time when the truth is Johnny is not all that good a football player. Parental interference probably is not a huge problem at winning schools with a lot of playoff success. But it could be an issue for a coach trying to build a program and could lead to him wanting to leave even if he is turning a program around. Coaching is tough enough and time consuming. Coaches should not also have to deal with interfering know it all parents.
 
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InfoMan26

Senior
Jul 9, 2005
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fitguync30 said:
I think it also helps as a fit when the parents of the kids on the team let the coaches coach and don't insist on putting in their 2 cents or push hard for their Johnny to get more playing time when the truth is Johnny is not all that good a football player. Parental interference probably is not a huge problem at winning schools with a lot of playoff success. But it could be an issue for a coach trying to build a program and could lead to him wanting to leave even if he is turning a program around. Coaching is tough enough and time consuming. Coaches should not also have to deal with interfering know it all parents.
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Parental interference is everywhere in 2025 no matter whether you win or not, lol
 
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fitguync30

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May 28, 2003
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InfoMan25 said:
Parental interference is everywhere in 2025 no matter whether you win or not, lol
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Yes, but likely less at schools with winning, stable programs. And when a coach is winning, the parents can whine and complain all they want even if it makes them look foolish. Parents trying to tell coaches how to coach at places like Grimsley, Monroe, Tarboro, Hough, Weddington, Crest and Shelby just come off looking like idiots. All the coach has to do is say look at the scoreboard.
 
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UNC-Gmail.com

Freshman
Nov 4, 2022
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A coach knowin how to switch up their game for what the squad needs is key to makin it work. He gotta vibe with the squad's values, goals, and flow so they can make a chill space where ballers feel pumped and have each other's backs.
 
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AmosAlonzoStagg

Sophomore
Sep 25, 2020
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To me, it's an all encompassing polite way of not explaining why the coach is no longer or shouldn't be employed. Similar to "going in a different direction."
 
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