College coaching is not as simple as it seems

To many, being a college basketball coach sounds like a dream job.

Getting paid hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars to coach a sport? Watching film all day, talking to players and recruits, wearing a track suit to work. Sounds like easy living, right?

That couldn't be further from the truth. As outlined by this terrific read from Sports Illustrated*, coaching is a grind. Going beyond the obvious stress that is involved with traveling around the country for five months of the season to coach, there are the extended hours involved in scouting and preparing a game plan for each and every game. And that's only half the battle, as the coaching staff also must travel across the coaching chasing 15 and 16 and 17 year old kids for 12 months out of the year. Recruiting is the most important part of building a program, and its a year round process.


(*If you read that article, you will see assistant coaches like Scott Duncan, then of UCLA and now of Wyoming, and Raphael Chillious of Washington discussing some recruits. That is a secondary violation of NCAA rules. Coaches are not allowed to discuss recruits that have not signed a Letter of Intent.)

Its what makes the coaching profession so stressful.

Getting home from a recruiting trip at 2:00 am only to wake up at 6:00 am to see your kids before they head off to school and you head to the office to work on a game plan for a road trip the next day and help to build a practice format for that evening. Leaving your team immediately after that road game to fly back across the country to be seen by another high school sophomore you still aren't allowed to talk to yet. Spending 14 hours a day in a gym for 20 days during the month of July while regular folks are taking their families to Disney World or Yellowstone National Park.

That's why when you hear about people like Pat Kelsey stepping down, you can't help but commend them.

If you don't know who Kelsey is, you are forgiven. After spending eight years as an assistant at Wake Forest under Skip Prosser and Dino Gaudio, Kelsey, 36, spent the past two seasons as Chris Mack's associate head coach at Xavier.

"For a long time I have struggled internally with this decision but I have decided to step away from college coaching at this time," said Kelsey. "Four years ago, I witnessed first-hand Coach (Skip) Prosser's death in the basketball office at Wake Forest. That day, my perspective on the profession and life was forever altered. My role as a father and husband is everything to me and the rigors of this business can make that challenging. My family and my health come first. I have allowed time to pass following the season to be sure of my decision. I am currently evaluating opportunities outside of coaching.

"I want to thank everyone at Xavier as it is truly a special place. Chris Mack is one of America's elite coaches. He has done a phenomenal job the last two years and the future is bright under him."

On the one hand, its a shame for the basketball community. Kelsey was an up-and-comer, working under one of the best young coaches in the game in Chris Mack.

But on the other -- more important -- hand, you have to commend him. Kelsey put his family before his career. He put his health before his pursuit of coaching glory. Its difficult to understand just how rugged and taxing the life of a college basketball coach can be, not only on the coach but on the family of that coach.

Kelsey knows. He was a part of Wake Forest's staff when Skip Prosser passed away.

You can make a very, very good living coaching college basketball.

But is it worth missing your child's first steps, first words, or first day of kindergarten?