Everyone wants to talk about talent, connections, or basketball IQ. But none of that matters if people can’t depend on you.Those things matter, but they don’t matter first. The first thing that gets you in the door, the first thing that keeps you around, and the first thing that makes people trust you is simple: your best ability is availability.
When you’re trying to break into this business, you start at the bottom. That’s just how it works. And when you’re at the bottom, the only way people start to see you as someone with potential is by being the person who is always there, always ready, always willing to do whatever the program needs. You don’t get to pick and choose tasks. You don’t get to say “that’s not my job.” You say yes. As long as it’s within your ethics and compliance rules, the answer is yes. That’s how you become the go‑to person.
And being the go‑to person isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being dependable. It’s about being the one the head coach can call when something needs to happen right now. That’s how trust is built in this profession.
I learned early that being available starts before anyone else even walks into the building. You get to the facility before the head coach, before the players, before the managers. You use that time to knock out the things that take the longest: watching film, organizing travel logistics, finishing internal paperwork, ordering gear, and cleaning up the little things that pile up. You do all of that early so that later in the morning (when coaches’ meetings start, when players come in for workouts, when someone needs something last-minute) you’re not tied up. That’s availability.
And availability isn’t just physical. It’s mental. It’s being ready to help with a scout, cut up film, tag actions, break down personnel, or organize special situations. Scouts take a long time. Coaches doing scouts are also recruiting, raising NIL, running workouts, and dealing with admin. If you can help condense their work so they can present cleaner, you’re not just helping them; you’re learning. You’re seeing the game differently. You’re getting better without anyone having to teach you. That’s availability.
Same thing with the DOBO. If you want to understand how a program really runs, be available to help with travel. Call restaurants. Set up meals. Draft itineraries. Talk to airlines and hotels. Fix problems before they become problems. Every program struggles with logistics. If you can be the calm one who handles it, you become someone the staff relies on. That’s availability.
Graphics are another area where availability matters. Athletic departments have 15+ sports to cover. They can’t make every graphic for you. Programs need content fast. Recruits expect it. So you find time to teach yourself Photoshop or Canva. It doesn’t have to be perfect at first. You learn tools, features, and techniques over time. You compare your work to people you want to be like. You watch videos. You reach out to people. You figure it out. That’s availability.
And then there’s practice setup. This is where you prove that no job is too big or too small. Managers might be late from class. You might have one manager. You might have none. Practice still has to run. So, you set up the water, towels, jerseys, pads, cones, balls, shot clocks, scoreboards, music (EVERYTHING) before anyone arrives. You work the hardest in the shadows. You make the program look smooth and efficient from the outside, even if there are hiccups behind the scenes. That’s availability.
When you work with different coaches and help with what they do, you start learning their roles. And when someone is out sick, out recruiting, or dealing with a family emergency, you can fill in. That’s how you become valuable. That’s how you become someone they don’t want to lose. That’s availability.
Availability also means showing up to camps, donor events, and fundraisers. Meeting people. Letting the community learn your face and your name. When people in the community talk positively about you, the athletic department hears it. The head coach hears it. That matters more than people realize. That’s availability.
But the biggest form of availability is answering the phone. Answering texts. Answering group chats. Answering emails. You might be asked to run an errand, watch film on a player, call a recruit, fix a problem, or handle something immediately. Have an understanding of when the head coach goes to bed and when they wake up. Make sure you are up later than they are and awake before they are. So, most of the time, sleep is sacrificed. Comfort is sacrificed. Do it because you know it helps the program, and in return, that little gesture may propel your career in a conversation you are unaware of. That’s availability.
Part of availability is learning your coaches’ preferences. Their coffee order. Their drills. What pads or cones they need. How they speak (the pauses, the emphasis) so you know when to change slides during a scout or recruiting presentation. Their ideal player archetype. What they do at certain times of day. When they’re busy. What they’re thinking. When they need something before they even say it. That’s how you become trusted. That’s availability.
And when things go wrong (flights get canceled, snowstorms hit, players are late, plans change), you stay CALM. You stay POSITIVE. You SOLVE the problem quietly. You don’t make it a big deal. You don’t let the players hear about it. You keep the chaos behind the curtain. And every time you solve something, you reflect on it, so next time you’re quicker and more efficient. That’s availability.
Even on off days, you stay available. An off day doesn’t mean disappear. It means no practice or game, but the work still goes on. You stay in the office. You work on the next scout. You prep for the next trip. You organize gear. You clean the locker room. You catch up on the little things you’ve been putting off. You stay visible. You stay ready. That’s availability.
Because in this business, availability is everything. It’s how you build trust. It’s how you earn responsibility. It’s how you grow. You don’t have to be the most talented person on staff. You just have to be the one the head coach can call at any moment and know you’ll get it done. That’s availability.
That’s how you make it in this industry. Be available. Always.