Why Coaching College Hoops Now Is 1,000 Times Tougher Than It Was 30 Years Ago

In today's ultra-competitive and extremely regulated collegiate athletic environment, coaching college hoops has become a taxing occupation.

The scouting, recruiting and traveling necessary to stay competitive is enough to wear anyone out. That doesn't include dealing with the media, the NCAA and building team chemistry.

It isn't 1980 anymore. Rosters fluctuate more often due to transfers, NBA departures and academic ineligibility. Players are more accustomed to streetball and AAU showman basketball than solid fundamental basketball.

Here's our in-depth breakdown of why coaching college hoops today is 1,000 times tougher than 30 years ago.

Recruiting Competitiveness

Recruiting has become increasingly important for coaches and brutally competitive in the offseason.

There are usually several coaching staff members from each team out on the recruiting trail, pitching their program to coveted prospects.

The process has become more intensive over the last couple decades. More hours are spent scouting, traveling, watching AAU games and one-upping competitors. Parents have more demands, and prospects want the perfect combination of basketball and college environment.

For the major college hoops schools, one of the most critical components of recruiting is convincing recruits that their program is the best vehicle to get them to the NBA.

Early Departures

Speaking of recruiting, many coaches must gear their plans toward rebuilding after potential early departures due to transfers or the NBA draft.

More players are transferring and turning pro early than ever before. It's like night and day compared to 30 years ago. Coaches at top-tier schools now have to work with brand new lineups almost every year.

Let's compare:

Of the 46 draftees in the 1982 NBA draft, 37 were college seniors and nine were juniors. There were no freshmen or sophomores drafted.

Of the 60 draftees in the 2012 NBA draft, 20 were college seniors and eight were juniors. There were 22 freshmen and sophomores drafted, along with nine international players.

And I forgot to mention all the NBA hopefuls who leave college early and go undrafted (think Eric Dievendorf, Scotty Hopson, J'Covan Brown, etc). 

NCAA Regulations

The NCAA has expanded its rules and regulations over the years, so rules compliance is something that every coach and staff member must be keenly aware of.

Overall, the additional rules have been a good way to ensure competitive fairness, proper treatment of high school recruits, and academic progress for collegiate athletes.

Unfortunately for coaches, they mean more homework and headaches to stay within the rules.

Coaches need to be careful about player eligibility, academic progress, phone calls to recruits and potential improper benefits for players.

Media Circus

The growth of the media and the power of the Internet are just one more thing a coach has to keep tabs on.

Not only do coaches need to be savvy in front of reporters and interviewers, they need to train their players to conduct themselves properly also. From preseason media sessions to postgame interviews, coaches must guide their players to represent the school fittingly.

Social media is a phenomenon that was not even existent a decade ago. Now, coaches and players have to watch what they say on Facebook, Twitter and a handful of other networks.

Developing Fundamentals

Considering all the video instruction, tutorials, summer camps and travel leagues that are available to young recruits, you'd think today's generation would arrive at college with polished fundamentals and basketball knowledge.

Unfortunately, that's not the case, as many incoming players lack a firm grasp of team basketball and basic fundamentals. They're more accustomed to pickup and isolation-style basketball.

Many guards and wings are dribble-heavy and must learn how to run an offense and play smart defense. Many post players enter college with little more than the ability to dunk.

This puts pressure on the coaches to develop individual skills and aptitude while building team cohesiveness.

Academic Issues

Not only are hundreds of recruits entering college with a need for substantial basketball instruction, but countless players are unprepared for collegiate academics.

Some players just skate by for a couple years en route to the NBA, while others struggle to make it to graduation.

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, most of the top-tier collegiate players were more invested in the college experience and the education than they are now.

An unsatisfactory Academic Progress Rate can jeopardize a program's future. Coaches must keep their players accountable so as to avoid a postseason ban. UConn and nine other programs weren't able to do so, and they paid the price.

Ultimately, the onus is on the student athlete to keep his grades up, but a coach's accountability can go a long way in steering a player in the right direction.

Travel

For all the major conferences and many of the mid-major ones, there's extensive travel involved several times a year.

The Big 12, Pac-12 and Mountain West have it the worst, but even East Coast leagues like the ACC, Big East and Atlantic 10 have become more spread out over the last few years. It's tough to keep a team well-rested and ready for games on some of these trips.

Throw weather into the mix, and a road game can be a major pain. Due to heavy snowfall, it took San Diego State 20 hours to get to Laramie, Wyoming for a late-January game.

Here are some extraordinary distances between conference opponents. Several of these matchups didn't exist decades ago.

Big East: Marquette to South Florida (Tampa), 1,300 miles.

Big Ten: Nebraska (Lincoln) to Penn State (State College), 1,100 miles.

Big 12: Baylor (Waco) to Iowa State (Ames), 850 miles

ACC: Boston College to Miami, 1,500 miles

SEC: Kentucky (Lexington) to Florida (Gainesville), 700 miles

Pac-12: Arizona (Tucson) to Washington (Seattle), 1,500 miles

Atlantic 10: Xavier (Cincinnati) to Rhode Island (Kingston), 800 miles

Mountain West: San Diego State to Boise State, 950 miles

C-USA: UCF (Orlando) to UTEP (El Paso), 1,600 miles