Tanner Carlson- Young Coach & AD

I had the opportunity to supervise Tanner Carlson during his student teaching, while he was at Knox College. Through the years, I had many student teachers. Tanner was among the very best or was the best student teacher that I had. He had that rare ability to make the class informal but yet to remain respected and have discipline.

Every class, every day, he was totally engaged with the kids. Before class started, he was interacting with kids. He got to know them. During class, he worked to always come up with some special activity. It was not surprising that he used a “basketball review” exercise- complete with nerf ball and mini-hoop.

It quickly became apparent that I had it good having him as a student teacher. He required very little supervision, and he showed he could solve his own problems.

At the time, he was the starting point guard on the Knox men’s basketball team. His energy and his work ethic in the classroom for me, was exactly how he approached things on the basketball court.

It was all great except for one thing- Tanner told me from the beginning that he didn’t think he wanted to go into teaching. He thought he would prefer to become a college basketball coach. While I have no doubt that Tanner would be successful in whatever he chose to do- I thought he was too good in the classroom not to become a teacher.

Imagine my surprise when I got a call in June while I was at basketball camp from a Supt. wanting to talk to me about Tanner. He had applied for a high school teaching and coaching job.

The rest is history. What is he doing? He has been teaching social studies, head varsity basketball coach, assistant track coach, assistant football coach, now Athletic Director, and director of the Sauk Valley Magic AAU team.

He is going to have a tremendous impact on a lot of young people- no doubt of that!! I have had a chance to ask him some questions, and he has some great things to say to young people who want to go into coaching and advice to young basketball players.

Massey- When you student taught for me, you weren't sure you wanted to become a classroom teacher. What changed your mind? What do you like about the classroom? 

Tanner- When I was completing my student teaching, I really wanted to coach college basketball. After discussing with many college coaches, I realized that for most coaches, especially small college coaches, it is a really long and tiring process to ever get to the point of having a stable job where you are not required to move all the time. On the other hand, I kind of fell in love with teaching when I completed my student teaching and realized that I really do enjoy working with high school aged students. 

Massey- Your first year being a teacher and being a head coach- how hectic was that?

Tanner- My first year I was an Assistant Varsity Football Coach, Head Varsity Basketball Coach, and Assistant Varsity Track Coach. It was extremely hectic, but I learned a lot about time management that year. I was pretty busy coaching, as well as lesson planning in year one.

Massey- You went to Annawan- a small school, and now you are at a small school. What do you like about working at a smaller school? 

Tanner- Being from a town like Annawan (rural farm town with around 100 kids in the whole high school), I think the type of education you receive is just different in a small school. I feel like in rural towns, most people are very connected with their school teachers, coaches, etc.  Being from a small town and now getting to work in one, has been an easy transition for me because it feels like I'm working in my hometown. I really enjoy working in a small school district.

Massey- What have you learned about coaching from your experiences? Are there things you did not anticipate- good things or bad things?

Tanner- One thing in particular that you don't realize as an athlete is how much time coaches dedicate to allow you to play those sports. Coaches are working year round in one way or another to prepare for their season. Another thing as a coach you find out is sometimes your students have other things going on in their lives that may have an impact on how they are behaving on certain days. Building a solid relationship with your student/athletes is essential, because your athletes are more likely to let you know if something is going on with them and that allows you to try and help them deal with those situations. 

Massey- You now are the AD. That has to be exciting but also challenging?

Tanner- I am very excited to get to work as the AD at Central City. It is very time consuming and there is a lot to learn, but sometimes you learn by trial and error on some things. It is a great opportunity for me to continue to learn and grow as a professional. 

Massey- You are heavily involved in coaching and running an AAU program. What do you feel the AAU program provides to the players?

Tanner- The purpose of AAU is different for each kid. Our program provides opportunities for some athletes to showcase their talents in front of college coaches. Through coaching AAU for 9 years now, we have helped over 50 young people, find colleges that they can continue their playing careers at. When a student/athlete chooses to continue to play at a college that they were seen while playing for our program, it is an extremely rewarding feeling. Other student/athletes play AAU ball to continue to work on player development so they are better prepared to play for their high school teams. 

Massey- Sometimes AAU kids can become a little selfish or maybe less concerned about their school programs. What do you try to do to keep your players grounded?

Tanner- AAU, by nature is designed for players to receive exposure and opportunities to be seen by college coaches. Therefore, you may fight that battle of selfishness a little more than you would in high school. However, our program is coached by multiple head high school coaches, a head college coach, and others who currently playing or previously played in college. Therefore, if they have played in our system for multiple years, they have been taught since day one that if they want to be noticed, they need to be unselfish players, because selfishness is something that most colleges will shy away from when they are looking for players to recruit.

Massey- What advice would you have for a young person wanting to go into coaching?

Tanner- Coaching is a job that is a very difficult profession, but it is also very rewarding at times. Coaching is a job that requires a ton of time and effort, but it is a way for you to impact young people in ways like no other job in the world. 

Massey- What advice do you have for a junior high player or FS level player who says they want to be a great basketball player?

Tanner- Get in the gym, and use your time wisely when you're in there. I would rather one of my athletes go to the gym for half hour and get "game speed" work in than go to the gym for three hours and get no productive work in. Also, the weight room is essential if you want to maximize your potential as an athlete.