So, I was trying to get into see my AD (not the head AD, but the assistant AD who supervises my sport) and have been trying to since Friday morning. Everyone is busy and AD's are usually busy all the time - One thing which has eliminated my consideration of being an AD for a future job is they really have no down time like coaches have.
I am in and out every 20 or so minutes on Friday, but no avail - Secretary said 'in a meeting, off to see the AD, just stepped out, should be back in around 30 minutes...", but was nice enough to inform my AD I wanted to visit briefly. Finally, I gave up and called it a day in the early afternoon - I mean, it is the off season and I have learned through previous burnout and crazy camp summers to take the off season seriously off.
Come Monday morning, I am back in the athletic department offices at the crack of 9:30 a.m. and grab some papers to go off to see my AD - No luck; office door is open, but she is in another meeting with the big AD - Secretary was nice enough to put a note on the chair telling my AD I have dropped by a 'few times'.
Now, don't get me wrong - I like my AD and have always been treated fairly as a person and as a coach. My AD is a bit older, has been with the school for awhile and stays on a very even keel. Does not go out of the way, lots of meetings with campus staff-administrators (non-athletics), but coaches and athletics staff go to the AD offices to meet.
Later Monday morning, I get smart and call the secretary to see if my AD is in? No, but she reminded me again of the note on the chair. Great - Thanks for the note.
I have to do something down the hall, so I grab my papers just in case and duck into the AD office area - My AD's office door is open, light is one and it looks good for my 5 minute meeting to happen. Round the corner and secretary hits me with:
"...not in there. Went down to Women's Basketball to meet with them before they leave for the conference tournament and I did not know because she just called to schedule the appointment with them at 10:30 a.m."
The reality is an AD is never too busy to schedule an appointment with Women's Basketball and go to their offices to meet, but it is not acceptable to call the Women's Basketball coach down to the AD's offices to meet. Unfortunately, this is a reoccurring theme that I was reminded about by today's actions but I have witnessed at all too many other schools.
While we take another survey about some new rule change which will save our sport, but really will only make it a more hollow version of what we loved and our coach's association is more concerned with college age females playing volleyball on the sand and labeling it a NCAA sport, NCAA Division I Women's Basketball has Athletic Directors altering their schedules and making appointments to go see the coaches.
Every time I am reminded of just how far we are behind where we should be, I just want to go postal on every person who tries to sell me some load of propaganda about what is best for our sport.
