Rising Coaches Report - Northern Colorado's Adam Gordon
Adam Gordon, Director of Operations - Northern Colorado
New Program, New Position
There’s no denying it. This past summer I was on the
hunt for a job. I had just finished my third year as the GA
at Clemson. Clemson was no doubt one of the best experiences
of my life. I worked under two very successful, yet very
different head coaches in Oliver Purnell and Brad Brownell. I
worked with some amazing assistants and support staff, learned a
TON about basketball, and was fortunate enough to be part of three
NCAA tournament teams. But after three years as a GA, it was
time for me to continue my tireless/awesome trek up the coaching
ladder.
Anyone who’s had to find a job in college basketball knows how difficult and stressful a process it can be. That’s why I feel extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity to join BJ Hill’s staff at Northern Colorado. Of all the jobs I was up for, this is the one I wanted most. There were jobs in bigger conferences and jobs closer to home, but to me the chance to be an Ops guy for an NCAA tournament team and work under a second year head coach was a no-brainer. Thanks to Clemson Associate Head Coach Rick Ray’s (who will be a BIG-TIME head coach in a matter of years) referral, I was able to secure the job. Below are a few notes from my first few months at a new program and in a new position…
Relationships
The only thing on my mind for the first couple of weeks in Colorado was the great advice that Georgia Tech assistant coach Billy Schmidt gave us at the Rising Coaches Conference this summer – “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” My first few weeks on the job I did my best to establish relationships, and earn the trust of our players and coaching staff. I went to lunch with players, asked them questions, learned about their backgrounds and did everything I could to get to know the guys. I’m fortunate that Coach Hill has built his program with very high character kids, who welcomed me to the school and made my transition easy! They say that if you want to recruit from a support staff position, then recruit your own players. There is no question, that your current team and the relationships with your players has to be the #1 priority at all times.
Building relationships with the coaching staff is the easy
part. Sure it helps to be friendly and
out-going, as you end up spending more time with your staff then
you do with your own family. But to me, the best and only way
to earn the staff’s trust is to do your job and do it
well. Fortunately, I have felt extremely confident and
prepared for all of the tasks thrown my way. To me, this is a
testament to all the coaches I have worked for, from my days with
Tim Ryan at Central Florida Community College all the way through
my experience in the ACC.
Work Space
Someone once told me that when John Calipari takes over a new program, he completely makes-over all of the basketball facilities. He wants everything to have a new look to it. I always thought this was a cool idea. So, on a much smaller scale, that’s exactly what I did upon arriving at Northern Colorado. I completely redesigned my office. I spent that first Sunday moving furniture and rearranging desks and filing cabinets. I didn’t want people to walk into the same old office that they had walked into the last few years. I wanted it to look like a new room that no one had spent any time in before. So I made it mine. Who knows if this had any effect, but I thought I’d give the exercise a chance none-the-less.
The Job Itself
The Ops position is an interesting spot. My good friend Josh Postorino, who I worked with at Clemson under Coach Purnell and is currently an assistant at Georgia Tech, told me that the Ops job forces you to think like a head coach. You are in charge of so many small details and are counted upon to communicate with so many different people throughout the athletic department, the university and the community. Decisions have to be made constantly and there is no time or need to run every one by your head coach. As an Ops guy, you have to be prepared to give answers and make decisions that best represent your head coach and the program, and you have to do it with class and professionalism. It’s a task that not many other positions have to deal with at the same frequency. It’s a challenge for sure, but one that I have had a blast embracing. This job has been reinvigorating for me. I feel as though I am making an impact on a truly special program. I can’t wait for the season to get started and see how our team faces the challenge of defending their Big Sky championship.
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