A team’s success is generally measured in wins and losses. As for a coach’s success? The metrics aren’t as simple.
A coach’s work starts before the prior season even ends with recruiting. Then coaches have to retain their existing roster and navigate the transfer portal. Once they have a final roster, they create a plan to maximize their team’s talents on offense and defense all while fostering team chemistry. That’s all before the season starts. Once the games begin, there’s scouting and adjusting, managing playing time and injuries, and trying to make sure a team peaks at the right point of the season.
Every coach is starting from a different baseline, too. Some have continuity, which comes with the pressure of expectations. Others are essentially starting from scratch with new rosters, which gives them some grace but also a lot more to figure out.
In deciding our Coach of the Year winner, our staff tended to prioritize the jobs of coaches who had significant roster turnover and had to build anew this season. Although we rewarded coaches who exceeded expectations by the largest margin, our biggest prize went to a coach who had the highest of bars and cleared it every night.
Dawn Staley is The Athletic’s Coach of the Year after leading a team with five new…
