Year 6: Let Go

In the past couple weeks I've gone back and forth about whether or not I should post about the recent events in my coaching career. But ultimately I decided it would be disingenuous to only show the positives of my coaching journey and not the "warts," if you will. Also, a couple of you have started to hear online or through others, so hopefully this will cut down on the texts and calls a bit.

About a month ago, in a meeting with our head coach, I was told that myself a some others would be relieved of our duties at Radford University. He rattled off his reasoning behind it, and I, of course, disagreed. But only one of us had the final decision, and it was not me. I sat there in his office, completely shocked at what was taking place. I went back and forth, on one hand I wanted him to know why his opinion was wrong, and on the other hand I wanted to get out of the office completely. It was embarrassing, it was humbling, it was probably the best thing that could've happened to me.

For the first couple hours, I didn't know how to go about dealing with the termination. Eventually, I sat down and contacted each of our players to let them know. Up to that point, I felt like I was on an island, that I had done a bad job somehow (despite a great review months earlier), and that his opinion was correct. When the players started to respond with shock and an outpouring of thanks and gratitude for the job I had done, I was able to unload a little of the embarrassment I felt in being let go. I began to think about what I could have done differently and what went wrong, and the more I thought about it, the more proud I was of the work I had done. I developed great relationships with our players, serving as a liaison between the head coach and the needs/wants of the players. I was able to broaden my skill with video editing and film breakdown. My ideas were welcome and useful during staff meetings, something for which I will forever be grateful to our head coach.

I was able to tell the athletic department staff in the next few weeks that I had been let go, and each of them expressed similar shock in my termination. Their shock, in a weird way, put me at ease. They each went out of their way to let me know they appreciated my work and the relationships we had built in the last 2 years. I will always be thankful to those people who helped me get through the last 2 weeks I had to work there with some dignity.

My main goals in the coming weeks (besides finding a JOB!) will be to take a step back, evaluate where I need work, identify someone or some group that does that skill well and try to learn from them.

Above that though, I need to find some time for myself to do some things outside of basketball. I will go to some concerts, travel a bit, meet up with family and friends and gain back a sense of identity outside of my career. Losing yourself in your work, while a desirable trait among employers, has a tendency to wear down your body and mind without a balance when the work is done. And so, with regards to Radford University, my work is done. I will find somewhere I can flourish in and out of the office, apply what I have learned and attack with a renewed sense of self and an ever-present love of the game and those whom I get to work with.

I look forward to the next challenge. Do not feel sorry for me or apologize that it happened, I'm happy with and proud of the work I did at Radford! At the end of the day, I can hang my hat on the fact that I worked hard and improved the lives of those around me, while enjoying a great amount of success.

So now it is time for ME to let go of Radford. Move on and enjoy the rest of my career and my life in general. As always I am thankful to the family and friends who have helped in supporting me along the journey, and I am excited to see what city (or country) I will end up in next!!