How To Become A High School Basketball Coach

If you’re passionate about basketball and want to start a career, then figuring out how to become a high school basketball coach could be the best way to do it.

But what does it take to become a basketball coach at the high school level? Do you need a college degree? And can you earn enough to support yourself while working on your career?

We’ve put together this article to answer all those questions. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about becoming a high school basketball coach.

High School Basketball Coach Requirements

If you want to give yourself the best chance of finding a high school coaching job, then these are three qualifications you’ll need to have:

1. A bachelor’s degree
2. Previous playing experience
3. Youth coaching certification

We’ll take a closer look at each of these qualifications below.

Education Requirements for a Basketball Coach

One important thing to note about coaching basketball at the high school level is that coaches are generally teachers who get asked to coach after their classes. 

For example, you might be a P.E. teacher or a history teacher and coach the basketball team before and after school. This means that to get hired as a coach, you often need the qualifications necessary to get hired as a teacher.

This is why most high school basketball coaches have bachelor’s degrees. You can earn a bachelor’s degree in the field that you want to teach, but many coaches have degrees in subjects like physical education.

Playing Experience

You don’t need to have played basketball at a high level yourself to become a high school coach. However, this type of experience is strongly preferred.

High school athletic administrators want to know that you understand how a high-level team conducts itself so that you can bring that culture to the school’s basketball team. It’s much easier to show that you have that experience if you’ve played the sport at a high level.

However, you can get around this requirement if you worked with your college or semi-professional team as an assistant coach or intern, even if you didn’t play at that level yourself.

Certification

Many schools also want to see that you’ve been certified to coach at the youth level. This may mean CPR and first aid certification, among other requirements. However, many of these are easy enough to earn quickly, so schools may allow you to get the certificates you need after hiring you.

Average Salary Expectations

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for a high school basketball coach is $29,960. However, there are a few caveats to be aware of.

First, your salary can vary significantly from school to school. If you coach basketball at one of the country’s top-rated high schools, then you can typically expect to command a higher salary.

Also, most high schools only hire an independent coach already on the staff as a teacher. What’s more common is a high school teacher getting an additional stipend also to coach the basketball team.

For example, a P.E. coach may get an extra $5,000 added to their salary for leading the basketball team. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average high school teacher earns a little over $61,000 per year.

How to Get Into Coaching Basketball

Now that we’ve covered the requirements and salary of a high school basketball coach, let’s look at what an optimal career path might look like if you were interested in coaching basketball at the high school level. Here are step-by-step instructions you can follow to get started.

1. Complete Your Education

First, you’re going to need to complete your college education. Having at least a bachelor’s degree is almost always a prerequisite to coaching basketball at the high school level.

The only way to get around this would be by having stand-out coaching or playing experience, which most candidates don’t.

2. Get Some High-Level Basketball Experience

You can start working on this while completing your education. For example, playing college basketball is typically enough to satisfy this requirement, even if you play D2 ball or for a community college.

If you don’t play basketball, then there are other options. For example, working with your college’s basketball team as an intern, graduate assistant, or assistant coach can help you stand out from other applicants.

The key here is showing that you know the sport of basketball and can use that knowledge to educate the players at the school that hires you.

3. Earn Your Certifications

Now you’re ready to earn any certificates you may need to get hired as a high school basketball coach. This generally means making certificates that allow you to coach youth sports in your state.

However, you may also need a teaching credential to get hired as a teacher to coach basketball for a high school. This depends on the type of school you want to coach at and the state where you’d like to work.

4. Start Looking for Jobs on JobsInSports.com

Once you’ve completed all the previous steps, all that’s left to do is create a resume and a cover letter, then begin looking for job opportunities. The easiest way to find all the latest options is to create an account with JobsInSports.com.

We maintain an up-to-date list of all the latest sports job opportunities. We can send notifications when new high school coaching jobs are available in your area of geographic preference. This makes it easier to be among the first applicants to apply for new jobs, which could increase your chances of getting an interview.

So why wait? Take the first step towards your dream career in sports by creating an account with JobsInSports.com today.