By Pete Van Mullem
(October 29, 2021)
When the Montana State University (MSU) head men’s basketball coaching position opened in the spring of 2019, the timing seemed right for the Bobcats to bring home one of their own. Fortunately for MSU, Danny Sprinkle had been preparing for this opportunity for close to 20 years.
In the mid-nineties, Sprinkle and his teammates captured the hearts and enthusiasm of Bobcat fans, winning both the Big Sky Conference regular-season and tournament championship, in route to the 1996 NCAA tournament. The 96’ team celebrated an induction into the Montana State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 and Sprinkle joined the hall of fame in 2021 for his individual accomplishments; a career forever etched in the record books, with 1,497 points on 47.3% shooting from the field, 41.9% beyond the arc, and 85% from the charity stripe.[1]
Certainly, Sprinkle’s opportunity to lead an NCAA Division I men’s basketball program is tied to his accolades as a student-athlete, but the Bobcat’s run to the 2021 Big Sky Conference Tournament Championship game, in his second season at the helm, suggests his coaching path prepared him for the role.
Athlete to Coach
The son of a coach, Sprinkle felt destined to coach. “It was always something in the back of my mind,” recalls Sprinkle. “I knew once I got done playing it was something I wanted to do.”
Yet, Sprinkle deferred his interest in coaching to focus on being a student-athlete. He stayed in the moment, a trait he demonstrates in his presence with others; a mindset centered on what I am doing right now is the most important thing. An approach that allowed him to become an accessible public figure, a fan favorite. As Sprinkle maximized his college experience, it did leave him without a post-graduation plan. “I knew I wanted to get out of Montana,” recalls Sprinkle. “I knew I needed to get out and learn different things, but I was not sure how that might happen.”
In February of 2000, as he finished his final semester of coursework, Sprinkle attended a Bobcat home game to watch his old teammates. The fifth-year senior had exhausted his eligibility on the court, but his connection to the program remained strong. On this particular evening, MSU battled the Cal State Northridge (CSUN) Matadors, led by their coach, Bobby Braswell. Already acquainted from competing in the same conference, Coach Braswell and Sprinkle shared a conversation. The exchange would lead to an opportunity and in the summer of 2000, Sprinkle left Montana for a new experience in Southern California.
Learning to Coach
A career in collegiate coaching is built on an apprenticeship model; a young, aspiring coach works as an assistant coach under the tutelage of a head coach. If the head coach is an effective leader in operating their program and purposeful in nurturing the development of their staff, the assistant coach can develop as a leader and as a future head coach. At CSUN, Sprinkle discovered an environment in which he could develop as an apprentice. Hired in 1996, Bobby Braswell quickly turned the Matadors into a top contender in the Big Sky Conference. They entered the 2000-01 season with back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in over a decade and for the first time as an NCAA Division I basketball program.[2]
In his first year under Braswell, Sprinkle had aspirations of being a head coach. “I remember I wrote down for one of my goals that I wanted to be a head Division I coach by the age of 30,” said Sprinkle, laughing at the memory. “At the time, I had no idea how much work it was. How much you had to learn to be able to do that.”
Under Braswell, Sprinkle developed as a coach on the court and gleaned insight into what goes on behind the scenes in operating a collegiate basketball program. “We had to do everything at Northridge,” said Sprinkle. “Everything from managing equipment to practice planning. That experience really prepared me for how to run a program.”
In addition, the expectations Braswell established for his program, helped Sprinkle realize the importance of being organized and detailed as a leader. “With Coach Braswell, it was so structured. He was so clear on his vision, you knew exactly what he wanted to be done,” said Sprinkle. “I knew what my job was and I knew what I needed to get done.”
Six years into his apprenticeship at CSUN, Sprinkle had established a foundation for his future success as a head coach. However, it would take a new experience, an opportunity back home in Montana, to make him realize the importance of his time under Coach Braswell.
Going Home
In the Spring of 2006, Sprinkle’s college coach, Mick Durham announced his retirement from MSU. Sprinkle would interview for the position. He did not get the job. The position went to Brad Huse, an MSU assistant coach during Sprinkle’s freshman season. Huse invited Sprinkle to join his staff; an opportunity to come home to a place that still adored him.
Sprinkle accepted Huse’s offer. The experience back at MSU served as an important step for Sprinkle in his development as a coach, although he did not realize it at the time. “I learned so much from Coach Huse,” said Sprinkle. “He was so great offensively. Also, seeing how he worked with the booster club and the community. This really helped me when I later became the head coach at MSU.”
Nonetheless, something was missing. In Montana, Sprinkle could walk down the street and be stopped by a local resident; they might reminisce about his playing days as a Bobcat; memories he cherishes; a part of his legacy in the community. However, his professional life, his new life as a coach, remained in Southern California. Thus, when Coach Braswell called him in the spring of 2008 with an opportunity to come back to CSUN, Sprinkle had a difficult decision to make, one that might dishearten his supporters in Montana. He took the risk and rejoined his mentor.
Preparing to Be a Head Coach
In his second stint at CSUN, Braswell’s role as mentor shifted; he became more invested in Sprinkle’s path to becoming a head coach. “Coach Braswell was good about giving you confidence with his words. He knew exactly what to say at the right time,” said Sprinkle. “It was confidence built from putting in the work and following the system he had established.”
In addition, Sprinkle felt a greater appreciation for the role of a head coach and he became more purposeful in trying to understand Braswell’s approach. “Coach Braswell was very demanding. He had you so organized, that you just took care of your job and he took care of the rest,” recalls Sprinkle. “As a head coach now, I realize how much burden he took on. Sometimes as an assistant, you think you are doing a lot – you really are not.”
During their 11 years together at CSUN, Braswell and Sprinkle shared many memorable experiences, including one they would rather forget. In 2012, CSUN hired a new president and in the spring of 2013, a new Athletic Director. Although the Matadors finished 3rd in the conference during the 2010-11 season, the next two seasons they finished ninth.[3] The new administration thought a change was needed and the coaching staff was let go. For the first time in his coaching career, Sprinkle faced the possibility he might be out of coaching.
A New Mentor
Fortunately for Sprinkle, in just a few short months, he would land a spot on Dedrique Taylor’s staff at Cal-State Fullerton. Newly hired and a first-time collegiate head coach, Taylor faced a rebuilding challenge. Thus, the position at Fullerton would test Sprinkle in new ways; Taylor pushed him to think like a head coach and it proved to be exactly what he needed at this point in his career. “Dedrique let you take ownership as an assistant coach. If it’s your scout, then you are the head coach of that scout,” said Sprinkle. “He gave you the freedom to be creative and even during games he let you make adjustments. For example, he would let you put in a set during a timeout.”
Taylor’s purposeful approach included a conversation with Sprinkle about being a head coach and he would ask him questions to keep him thinking. “He wanted you to have strong convictions about what you believed in when it came to basketball,” said Sprinkle. “He would catch you off-guard with questions out of the blue like if you are running your own program what kind of offense would your run? You always had to be on your toes.”
Taylor shared what the role of a head coach demanded, how he worked with the athletic director, other personnel on campus, and in the community. “His approach really opened my eyes to how much being a head coach entails,” said Sprinkle. “There is a lot of mental energy that goes into it off the court.”
The Next Step
In the spring of 2014, Brad Huse resigned from his position at MSU. Sprinkle did not interview for the position. After completing his 14th season as an assistant coach, the interview snub from his alma mater was a humbling moment. “It’s all about timing,” said Sprinkle. “In hindsight, I was very fortunate that I did not get it or any other job for that matter, because of the experiences I had at Fullerton in rebuilding a program.”
The foundation Sprinkle received from two coaching stops with Coach Braswell and the experiences back at MSU under Coach Huse allowed his growth as a coach to accelerate under Coach Taylor. Each year, he took one step closer to his goal of becoming a head coach. “Dedrique was set in his vision, but he also lets you create part of that vision too,” said Sprinkle. “No matter what I was in charge of, I was a head coach of it. He gave me the freedom to do that.”
Sprinkle recalls that Taylor took pride in exposing him to the process to get a head NCAA Division I coaching position, such as working with agents and search firms. He encouraged Sprinkle to take specific steps off the court to prepare for the role of a head coach. “He taught me that I need to spend at least one hour a week preparing to be a head coach and that hour has to be sacred,” recalls Sprinkle. “I reflected and wrote down my thoughts on how Coach Taylor made adjustments at half-time or how he reacted to a situation. Also, thinking about what type of style I would play or what type of player I would recruit.”
Nonetheless, the opportunity to be a head coach would hinge on Cal-State Fullerton’s success on the court and winning does not come easy in collegiate sport. In Sprinkle’s third year, the Titans raced out to an 8-1 record. Then three players left the team and two more faced season-ending injuries. The Titans would finish 1-15 in the Big West Conference.
“During that stretch, I was in my late 30’s. I thought, coaching is a grind, am I doing the right thing?” recalls Sprinkle. “I remember walking out of the gym after our last game. I’ll never forget it. We had lost. I saw Dedrique’s dad. He grabbed me and said, ‘You’re not going to leave are you?’ I was like, no…no, but I was definitely questioning myself. The elder Taylor continued, ‘I know times are tough right now – Stick it out!’ I will never forget that. It was the exact thing I needed to hear at that moment.”
Sprinkle stayed. The Titans went to the NCAA tournament in 2018. The following year they finished 2nd in the Big West Conference. In six seasons, Sprinkle had been a part of a successful rebuild. Back in Montana, it looked as if a rebuild would be needed with news of another coaching change at his alma mater.
Third Time is a Charm
When the MSU position opened again in the Spring of 2019, Sprinkle was ready. Four coaching stops, at CSUN, MSU, back at CSUN, and Fullerton had prepared him for the role. After 19 seasons as an assistant coach, Sprinkle had put in the work to realize this moment and he has an appreciation for the process. “At first, you want to be a head coach,” said Sprinkle. “Then the more experiences you go through, and the shared experiences you go through with coaches on a staff, you learn how fortunate it is to get a head coaching position. There is a lot of work and skill that goes into it, but just as much luck and timing.”
For Sprinkle and the Bobcats, the timing has been perfect. In the past two years, the Bobcats have recorded back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 19 years, including a second-place finish in the 2021 Big Sky Conference tournament.[4] Sprinkle acknowledges his path to a collegiate head coach is forever tied to his association with Montana State University. “Because I had connections, I always felt it would be my best chance at a Division I job,” said Sprinkle. “We each have our own path, it is different for everyone.”
Advice for Aspiring Head Coaches
Coach Sprinkle shares the following tips to help you develop and prepare along your path to a head collegiate coaching position:
- Start early. Get organized and start thinking like a head coach. It is never too early to prepare.
- Be the best you can be in your current role. Make sure to focus on the job you have right now. Be the best recruiter you can be. Get as good as you can at teaching the fundamentals and the X’s and O’s.
- Master the interview process. You will not be a head coach if you are not good at the interview. During the interview you have to verbalize the information you have been processing over time. This is more difficult than you might think. You don’t have time to put that information together when an opportunity comes your way. If you have not already started preparing – it might be too late.
- Learn how to manage your staff. You are accustomed to managing your players, because you do that as an assistant coach, but one of the biggest adjustments to being a head coach is managing your staff. This is more difficult to prepare for. One way to do this is to think about how you might respond to an assistant coach’s question or ideas as the head coach. You can do this when while you are an assistant coach in a staff meeting.
- Learn how to manage your energy. The coaching and teaching part is only about 10% of the role of a head coach. You need to compartmentalize your energy, so you are filling everyone’s bucket. Part of being a head coach is that you can never turn it off. Because you are responsible for so many people, it takes a lot of mental energy and it can be draining.
- Stay the course. You are going to have bad years in coaching, but you can’t quit. Trust that you are on the right path. Look for people that can offer you a different perspective on becoming a head coach, this could be an assistant coach at another university or even coaches in other sports within your athletic department.
Pete Van Mullem, Ph.D. has authored over 50 publications related to coach development in both trade and academic publications including books, book chapters, and journal articles. He is the writer and coauthor of the book: Cornfields to Gold Medals and a co-author of two published books: To Be a Better Coach and the National Standards for Sport Coaches. Dr. Van Mullem is a Professor at Washington State University in sport management. He has 20+ years of experience in higher education, including 14 years of professional experience in administrative and coaching roles at the scholastic and collegiate levels.
[1] CSUN Team History: Men’s Basketball Record Book (p. 2-4), Retrieved from https://gomatadors.com/documents/2017/10/13/MBB_Record_Book.pdf
[2] CSUN Team History: Men’s Basketball Record Book (p. 2-4), Retrieved from https://gomatadors.com/documents/2017/10/13/MBB_Record_Book.pdf
[3] Montana State University Men’s Basketball Media Guide, 2021-22 (p. 99). Retrieved from https://msubobcats.com/documents/2021/10/27/2022MBBMediaGuide.pdf
[4] Danny Sprinkle, Head Coach Biographical Description. Retrieved from https://msubobcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/danny-sprinkle/903
