Basketball Interview: Former Wake Forest Head Coach Dino Gaudio

Interviewing Coach Dino Guadio

1. From your coaching and recruiting experience, what helped a high school kid earn a Division 1 scholarship to your basketball program (skill level, height, quickness, IQ, status, coachable, energy, etc.)?

First, he needs to have a certain skill set and athletic ability for the level of division 1, his skills and ability translate to; high division 1 (ACC, BIG Ten, SEC, Big 12, PAC 12,etc), mid-major level (MVC, A-10, MWC, etc.) or the lower level of division 1 (Patriot League, IVY, NEC, etc.)

For our coaching staff, we focused heavily after we determined his skill level and athletic ability, how hard he played and how tough he was.

We then answered 4 questions:
a. Can he do the academic work at our school and are academics important to him?
b. Would I like to play with him and would he be a good teammate?
c. Would I like to coach him?
d. Would I want him in my family?

2. What did you enjoy most about coaching college basketball?

The relations with the players on and off the court are the most rewarding and enjoyable, and a reason to be in the coaching profession. Bringing a group of people together and having a common goal and success in striving for that goal is critical as well.

3. What does it take to be a successful coach?

What makes a successful coach is the same as a successful teacher; knowledge of your subject matter and the ability to impart that knowledge to your students/players. There are a lot of people who have the knowledge, but do not possess the ability to effectively communicate it to the players. To also be effective, its imperative to have credibility and the respect of the players you are coaching.

4. What are some coaching challenges?

There are numerous challenges in coaching from “getting everyone on the same page”, academic challenges, having the players listening to the right people, and deciding in what is an inexact science recruiting the right players to your program.

5. Why was Jeff Teague a special player/point guard/leader for your system?

Jeff Teague had a tremendous skill set and a toughness that carried him and his teammates to a very high level. Players respect ability and Jeff possessed a tremendous amount of ability, and players will follow those who lead with their work ethic, not simply their voices. By his sophomore year he understood the importance and value of practicing hard and being a good example to follow in practice.

Coach Dino Gaudio

Make sure you digest the questions and the answers from Coach Dino, he gave some really good advice to help anyone in the basketball circuit. We can use his expertise in every level of basketball.