Rising Coaches Report: Tennessee State's Trey Meyer
Trey Meyer, Director of Operations - Tennessee State
Before I begin discussing a few things that I have learned in my
short three year career working with the Tennessee State basketball
program and being a part of the Rising Coaches Elite Organization,
I would like to say that I was very fortunate to have worked as a
student manager under current DePaul Head Coach Oliver Purnell
while he was at Clemson. Coach Purnell and his staff during
those years shaped me as a future coach more than I could ever
imagine. After graduating from Clemson in May of 2009, I had the
help of many different people in getting hired as the Graduate
Assistant at Tennessee State under Head Coach John Cooper. At that
time, I did not know anything about the school or Coach Cooper, nor
had I ever been to Nashville, TN. All I knew was that I had a job
and I was going to be doing something that I truly loved.
Currently, I am beginning my third year at Tennessee State and I
cannot imagine working for a better man, a better staff, or a
better group of players.
Do Your Job
After my first year of being a GA at Tennessee State, I teamed up
with two of my closest friends in the business, Adam Gordon
(Northern Colorado) and Andy Farrell (DePaul), to create an
organization for guys like myself who were in a support staff role
but strived to be an assistant coach one day. We eventually founded
the Rising Coaches Elite Organization and with the help of others
such as Adam Cohen (USC), Michael Fly (FGCU), and Lucas McKay
(Clemson) we were able to put together the first Rising Coaches
Conference in July of 2010. After the first conference, it
immediately hit me that I had become a part of something special. I
honestly had no idea how much of an impact this conference would
have on my career. We have had some of the best college basketball
coaches in the country share their story and knowledge they have
gained along their journey. The absolute best thing I have learned
and heard echoed from the past two conferences was the simple
message to “do YOUR job!” This message has been
repeatedly shared from the speakers at the Rising Coaches
Conference and usually when something is repeated more than once at
the conference it is pretty important. Being in a support staff
role, the best part of simply doing your job is that it instantly
causes you to listen more. The best quote I have ever heard
regarding listening was told to me by current Wichita State
assistant Dana Ford, who I worked with during my first two years at
Tennessee State. The quote was, “learn to listen, listen to
learn.” We all need to talk a little less and listen a little
more, I know I do.
Success Lies in Daily Routine
During the first Rising Coaches Conference, we were very fortunate to have current Marquette Head Coach Buzz Williams speak during the last time slot on the Saturday session. One of the first things Coach Williams said was, “Success is found in your daily agenda.” He also asked the audience, “How are you spending your day?” These words from Coach Williams immediately stuck with me because I knew that I could use my time more wisely. I knew that there were two things I needed to add to my daily agenda: structure and accountability. Structure is one of the best ways to achieve accountability within oneself or within in a team. We all know how important it is to give student-athletes’ structure, because if there is no structure then usually there is no discipline. If there is no discipline then there likely will be disappointment. If we are trying to become better everyday then we must have a plan just like the one we have for practice each day to hold us accountable. When we finish practice each day we can look back at the plan or even the film and see the progress that has been made. This also applies to us as coaches, we should be able to review what we have accomplished at the end of our day and realize that we are getting better.
Campus Relationships
One of the most important things I have learned since joining the staff at Tennessee State under John Cooper was the value of campus relationships. While being at Tennessee State, not one day has gone by where I have not needed some sort of help or assistance from an employee on campus. Some examples of departments that I work with on a daily basis are: athletic academic services, compliance, travel office, residence life, and admissions. There have been numerous times that paperwork needs to get through or an issue needs to be solved and if there was no relationship with the department involved then the chances of it getting done in the time needed are slim to none. So I always try to talk to as many employees as possible on campus even if I do not need anything from them because one day maybe I will. I am sure most all of us have read the famous Bear Bryant story, “It Don’t Cost Nuthin’ to Be Nice.” If you have not, I highly recommend it because it will show you that you never know what kind of impact the person you pass by might have on you one day. Every single day when I pass someone on campus I make an effort to speak and ask them how they are doing. I also have given out extra camp shirts, posters, and magnetic calendars personally to numerous employees to let them know that our program recognizes the importance of their job and we want their support. It is truly amazing what these small gestures or a simple “thank you” can do. Our relationships with campus employees have and continue to play a huge role in the process of building the Tennessee State Basketball program.
In closing, I would like to echo some words of encouragement for everyone as we begin the season that were shared by Josh Pastner of Memphis at the first Rising Coaches Conference,“ Enjoy the journey, enjoy the process and enjoy the moment.”
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