CBS Sports' Gary Parrish, Matt Norlander and Sam Vecenie spent the July evaluation period at NCAA-sanctioned events, where they talked with college basketball coaches from all levels. They asked for opinions on players, coaches and issues in the sport. They'll be sharing those opinions over a three-week period in our Candid Coaches series.
Previous poll questions:
• Which eligible NCAA player would you take over all others?
• Which coaching hire was college basketball's best this offseason?
This question is a spin-off of one we asked a year ago. At the time, San Antonio had just hired Becky Hammon, a longtime WNBA player, to be an assistant on the Spurs' staff. We wondered whether college coaches could see a woman being a head coach at the D-I level by the year 2039.
That's 25 years. A really long time from now!
On the heels of Hammon being handed the reigns of San Antonio's Summer League team -- then subsequently coaching that team to a Summer League title in July -- and the fact Sacramento has hired Nancy Lieberman to be an assistant, we circled back to this question/notion, but with a twist. Would the answers be more progressive-leaning and optimistic regarding women coaches in the men's game in the near future? So, we asked ...
Yes or no: In light of Becky Hammon's increased role with the San Antonio Spurs, do you see a female coach on your staff in the next three years? Why or why not?
- No: 75 percent
- Yes: 25 percent
QUOTES (and there are plenty) THAT STOOD OUT
From those who said yes ...
• "Everything we do in college basketball is just a little bit behind the times. It took us almost 20 years to change the shot clock. We’re behind what they do professionally. If you extended that time frame to a 10-year span, that would be very, very promising."
• "I would have done it 10 years ago but didn't want it to look like a publicity stunt. I have been waiting for it to be more acceptable."
• "Yes, but it has nothing to do with Becky Hammon. We’re always looking to hire the right person, regardless of gender.”
• "Absolutely. No fear of it at all. Look at the business more and more. It's evolving. There are a lot of good basketball minds out there. I don’t think the men on the female side are having a problem. I don't think there’s any reason for a female not to be on the men's side."
• "I would love to. My two sisters played college basketball. I have unbelievable respect for the women's game. The realities of men's college basketball, it's based on getting players. I would hire a woman if they could get me a player. The reality is the way college basketball is today is that it's different than it was five years ago. If I was in the NBA, I would hire a woman in a second. It would bring unbelievable balance."
• "Roy Williams always had female managers and women involved in his program, and I've talked to another coach [about this]. I think women can bring perspective and skills that guys don’t have. They can balance out a staff. That’s why I'm for it."
• "Doubtful on the female coach because there are more opportunities for women on the women's side. But [I] would definitely be open to it and I have spoken with one when a job was open."
• "I think we as a profession should be very open to the opportunity of women in men's college basketball. There are a lot of good coaches out there."
• "More importantly, just as men have been coaching women for years, there's no reason why women can't coach men ... and do it well."
• "I would hire a female if I felt like she was the most qualified candidate, and I think there are some who certainly may be. While it may be somewhat politically en vogue currently, this is not professional basketball. There is a recruiting component that is critical to the success of any program and she would need to have the necessary competence/experience for that. I have considered one in the past for a non-recruiting position."
And why is recruiting with a female coach not a problem in the eyes of the minority?
• "I wanted one before [Hammon was hired by San Antonio]. I think we’re missing the boat on this. They’d be phenomenal at home visits. They’d be great at bringing things to the table that male assistants don’t prioritize. We’ve had female managers who’ve done phenomenal, phenomenal jobs. It’s something I think is inevitable."
• "The stigma of moms and, get outside of the top 40 players in the country, what are the moms talking about? Who’s better to come into a home for a minority female and tell another mother that, 'Your son is coming here, he’s getting etiquette lessons at a dinner table. He’s learning to treat people the right way.' Who better to tell that than a woman? I think it’s a great balance to a staff and perspective and how we relate to young men today. I think there’s nothing like, hey, I rip a kid’s ass and their mom is a thousand miles away. Sometimes men need to be coddled by women, and I’m not saying that’s the reason you hire, but I think it strengthens your staff in a lot of ways."
From those who said no ...
• "Coaching at the NBA level is just that: coaching. In college there is the recruiting aspect that comes in play. Too many factors that say it wouldn't be easy."
• "Could a woman recruit 17-year-old boys? I don't know. Maybe one could. But that would be my concern. I think a woman can help coach men. But I don't know if a woman could help recruit men."
• "I think it’s too dangerous. I just do not like any disrespectful language at any point, and there are times in basketball that guys can use profanity. It would be even more unacceptable in front of a female. I would be too sensitive about it. You just never know. A guy says something, she can accuse sexual harassment. It could put her in an awkward position."
• "I would have a hard time being myself daily."
• "As far as an assistant spot, it's just too competitive. But Larry Eustachy has a woman as his director of basketball ops, and I think that's super smart."
• "No, because the women's college game is more popular than the WNBA and females can earn good money coaching women's basketball at the college level. Don't think many females have an interest in coaching the men's college game."
• "Given the landscape of college basketball, I think a woman will break into the men’s side, but I don’t think it will happen at my present school. It’s going to take a very forward-thinking risk taker to actually pull the trigger. I can also see a school looking to make some headlines; do it from a publicity standpoint."
• "I know a lot of other people that I would have in line before a woman. I usually hire somebody I know, and I just don't know any female coaches that well."
• "I probably won't have a female on my staff. There are more qualified males than there are jobs. Former coaches of the year, like Al Skinner, took years to get back in. There are too many good, proven guys who have paid dues for decades to pass up if you wanted to do this."
• "I don’t want to say college basketball’s not ready for it, it’s just right now, and I don’t want to sound like a sexist, I just don’t think there’s a place right now. Especially because women’s college basketball is so popular in our league.”
• "No. I don’t hire people I don’t know very well, and I don’t know many females very well in the sport."
• "I don't see a female coach at our level. I think head coaches want guys that can get them players and I'm not sure they will look at females that way. Maybe in a non-coaching role but not as an assistant."
• "It might happen in 10 years, but I can't see it happening in three."
• "I don’t — only because of numbers. I don’t know Becky Hammon’s resume, but she’s worked her way up. This is not a fly-by-night deal. She’s earned the right to be in the mix to be a head coach in the NBA. She’s put her time in. I just don’t know how many women you have that have that resume."
• "I think it’s different in the NBA. I do. Because they’re professionals. I have major concerns. A woman in a college locker room. Let’s call it what it is: that’s naked dudes. That’s hard. If I can find a man who’s equally as good, for me to have to tiptoe around so many issues to hire a woman. Hey, I’ll be a trend-setter in so many ways, I just don’t see this being one."
MY TAKEAWAY
Well, the responses are certainly wide-ranging. No question in our series this year triggered longer responses -- some thoughtful and careful; others not -- than this one. Some of the feedback is eye-opening, some short-sighted, some sexist, some pragmatic, some open-minded. Some responses are from very well-known coaches, guys who've been to Final Fours and Elite Eights and Sweet 16s in the past couple of years. It was extremely interesting to talk to so many coaches off the record about an issue this deep. It's something I think many coaches didn't even realize they had such a strong opinion about.
Given the cloak of anonymity, a heavy majority opened up to their philosophies here. When it comes to the "no" responses with what you see above, you'll probably never hear any of those coaches say anything remotely close to that on the record. And so some of this inherently speaks to the issues the sport faces. However, the recruiting aspect is far and away the No. 1 factor many coaches cited in saying no, they don't see how a woman could be an assistant on their bench by 2018.
Others are basically ready to have the interviews, to look for the qualified candidates and bring diversity to their programs in the here and now. It's just a matter of doing it; of finding the right candidate with the experience. There are head coaches at top-30 programs who contributed to this poll, and for as many that effectively said, "Not a shot. No way." there are others who embrace women in the men's game. Why can't a woman recruit? Plenty of coaches think like this; a few believe the doubters here are dragging their knuckles and will eventually be left behind by the game.
But there are also some who've jokingly discussed among colleagues about hiring women for the sole sake of looks and how that could help in recruiting. Shallow for sure, but in college recruiting pretty much any unbelievable story or half-baked plan is immediately believable because: college recruiting. In the process of reporting this piece I was told of one coach at a smaller school who pondered hiring an attractive female assistant so she could go to recruiting events with the school's name clearly shown across her chest. The idea is simple and crass: The coach assumed this was an advantage, that the teenagers he was targeting would explicitly remember the female coach when she followed up with recruiting phone calls.
On the other side, one coach interviewed for this story identified himself as a friend of Nancy Lieberman's, and that served as the basis for his belief that women can and should be considered for men's college coaching positions. A lot of men's coaches don't have ties with women in the game, and that's why we've had few female assistant coaches (such as Bernadette Mattox, who was an assistant at Kentucky from 1990-94) in the modern age.
But the qualifications for the job might even be overstated. For example, a couple of coaches I spoke with essentially said, and I'm paraphrasing here: "What exactly is the bar for being an assistant coach in men's college basketball? The talent pool isn't exactly the best, and some of the guys currently in those positions aren't worthy of holding those jobs." In sum: Plenty of men have become assistants and don't really have the merit, while there are certainly women who would and could do a great job -- if given the chance.
Progress has come to the NBA, WNBA and college games in a number of ways, off the court and on, and at varying speeds in the past decade or so. Integration of the sexes is one of the last true hurdles that still isn't consistent across the board. While some in the men's college game are ready to join the ranks of the WNBA and NBA, you see the majority is still years (if not eras) away from welcoming in women to the club. So which program will be the next to integrate, and will that program and head coach prove this poll wrong? That is to say: Will it happen again by 2018?
More curiously: Which woman gets to become men's college basketball's next Becky Hammon, its Nancy Lieberman?
Another aspect that isn't shown in the blunt numbers: A chunk of coaches said they'd be more willing to say yes than no if given 10 years. But 10 years is a long time. Nearly half of the coaching hires in a given year don't last at their schools half as long as that. We wanted to press these guys now, especially with the NBA hiring two women to coaching roles in consecutive years. Others said they could see it happening somewhere in the next three years -- but not on their bench. So there you have a major part of the matter. Plenty of head coaches are waiting on someone else to open the door.
