“In manager selection you either get top-tier, or you’re unable to get top-tier and have to bet on emerging. That would be the whole Stanford, ‘spot talent young’ thing.”
Who said this?
Jeremy Giffon in this podcast.
Disclaimer: He’s a business guy, so what does he know about hiring in sports…
Okay, all jokes aside, I received a question from a subscriber the other day on part 2 of this series. And instead of commenting an answer, I decided to write an additional piece. Here is the question:
Nobody decided to jump into the conversation, so here’s my take.
For the growing number of coaches in non-hockey sports on the New Wave Coach. Let me explain.
Arizona State just a few years ago when I was playing ‘club’ hockey at Iowa State was at the national tournament with us. The level they played at would be considered the 3rd tier of college hockey.
NCAA D1
NCAA D3
ACHA D1- ASU’s level in ‘club’ hockey
After my first year at Iowa State, the ACHA powerhouse ASU stopped coming to the national tournament.
Because they got a shit ton of money from some donors and started a D1 NCAA team.
The only good piece of advice my ‘club’ hockey coach gave me when I got into coaching was, “Don’t ever take a job at my level. There is a stigma and you will get stuck here.”
And perception is reality, unfortunately. So the point is no other D1 school is looking at ACHA HC, Greg Powers to become HC of their team.
But who did ASU hire?
You might think some old, washed-up coach with a national championship on his resume from 1988.
They went with Powers. He jumped 2 levels of hockey and began coaching D1 overnight.
ASU bet on emerging talent. They bet on a Level 1 Coach with high-velocity potential.
And ASU isn’t Bentley. Bentley being a small, D1 school…
They could have gone out and paid a shit ton for someone with a resume that didn’t include ‘club’ hockey.
Instead, they bet on a ‘club’ hockey player, turned ‘club’ hockey coach. An alum with serious skin in the game.
They bet on the surgeon’s paradox.
As I was writing this, I thought of another case study, more in part 4… Stay tuned.
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