A good assistant coach (or group of them) can make or break your program. Not only do they need to have experience and know the X's and O's of the sport you coach, but they also need to buy into your philosophy. I've seen strong assistant coaches and weaker ones, but no matter who you have at your side, you need to value them and understand what they bring to your team.

Most head coaches want to surround themselves with assistants that share a similar philosophy. But, having too many like-minded people may not be a good thing. An old coach once told me that a good leader understands his own strengths and weaknesses, and is careful to put assistants around him to fill in the holes. Now that's all fine-and-dandy, but most of us don't have coaches knocking down the door to help out. In fact, at a smaller high school, it can be very difficult to find people who are qualified to help out. In this case, it's important to look at the assistants you do have and identify what they do well. Allow them to use their strengths and express their ideas in the areas they know well. Not only does this take some of the pressure off you, but it creates a sense of teamwork among your staff.

That's one side of the coin, but if you want some information on how your assistants should approach working for you, see The Assistant Basketball Coach, an article from The Coach's Clipboard ( www.coachesclipboard.net). This is one of the finest articles I've seen on assistants, and no matter where you are in the chain-of-command, you can learn something.

Have a good week.