FAQ: What Does Joe Want to Do When He is Done?
BySo once Joe is done playing basketball, I mentioned that he would like to get into coaching. This isn’t a huge shock as that is what many basketball players are interested in. Joe’s preference would be to coach at the college level. He is under no illusions that this is an easy market to break-into, which is why he would like to play basketball as long as possible believing that the greatest experience he can get as a coach is to play at the highest level possible for the longest time. During this time he is working to prepare himself for the time when he will be done playing in a number of ways:
1. Paying off as much debt as possible. Currently our only debt are our mortgages, but we would like to be rid of that debt by the time he is done playing basketball. This would give us the freedom to not have to put pressure on him to find an equal paying job as soon as he is done.
2. Being a student of the game, as well as a player now. Joe is using this time to constantly learn more about basketball, not simply play. He often writes down notes for the future, reads books on basketball, watches instructional videos and records plenty of basketball just to watch and observe what other coaches are doing. He is also going to begin meeting with coaches in the summer to gain insight into the profession.
3. Completing more school. Joe received his undergraduate degree from Penn State in telecommunications. This is not exactly the ideal degree to have to be a college coach, so he is looking into doing some masters work that would further his knowledge of coaching and also give him a degree that he could use for other things like being a phys. ed. teacher if need be.
When the transition comes to Joe retiring from playing basketball, it will certainly be a change for our family (and one worth blogging about). Currently, he is in the preparation stage for that time, while still focusing the majority of his energies on being the best player he can be right now.
