{"id":11097,"date":"2018-07-03T09:04:13","date_gmt":"2018-07-03T13:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=11097"},"modified":"2022-03-22T12:07:48","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T16:07:48","slug":"coach-ncaa-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/coach-ncaa-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"Coach, NCAA Forum Nurture K Student’s Career Aspirations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brad Bez \u201919<\/a> says he has wanted to be a coach since he was in his first year<\/a> at Kalamazoo College.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ve always had it in the back of my mind,\u201d he says. \u201cBut that was when I really started to pursue it and decide it was what I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Future
Brad Bez \u201919, an offensive lineman who aspires to be a collegiate coach, points out the Kalamazoo College athletics logo in a display at the NCAA national office in Indianapolis, where he was one of 240 collegiate athletes from across the nation to attend the NCAA Career in Sports Forum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Hornet football<\/a> offensive lineman\u2019s ambition is well known to Head Coach Jamie Zorbo \u201900<\/a>, who mentors his players both on and off the field. In keeping with the emphasis in the K-Plan<\/a><\/em> on experiential education<\/a>, Zorbo nominated Bez for the NCAA Career in Sports Forum at the NCAA\u2019s national office in Indianapolis in late May and early June 2018.<\/p>\n

Bez was one of just 240 juniors and seniors chosen from more than 460,000 U.S. collegiate athletes to attend the all-expenses-paid forum, which the NCAA says is designed to assist them in charting their career paths as athletics professionals.<\/p>\n

Over four days, he got to meet coaches, athletic directors and athletic staff from colleges and universities across the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was all networking and workshops: how to make a better resume, different ways to connect with people, more information about the different careers in athletics, and particularly college athletics,\u201d he says. \u201cThere were so many things we learned how to do and learned more about.\u201d<\/p>\n

The history<\/a> major and political science<\/a> minor says the biggest benefit may have been meeting fellow college athletes who will be among his future professional peers.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially a lot of us went there with the idea that we were going to try to meet people in a position we want to be in. So a lot of us were trying to network with the people who have jobs,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd by the end, we all realized it was way more important to network with our peers, to try to get to know them. For example, I want to coach, and I met a guy who wants to be an athletic director. So we got to talking, and I was like, \u2018Down the road, maybe one day, we\u2019ll cross paths and you\u2019ll get to hire me.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Bez, who is spending the summer as an intern<\/a> in the Michigan State University athletic director\u2019s office, says the biggest takeaway from the conference was \u201cyou have to build genuine relationships with people. If they just know your name, that\u2019s not really enough. You have to know who people are and they have to know you in order for that to be a productive relationship. For both of you it has to be genuine.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the sort of relationship he\u2014and, he says, his teammates\u2014have with Zorbo.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been pretty lucky that I\u2019ve gotten to be around Coach a lot during my time at K,\u201d he says. \u201cWhether it\u2019s calling me into his office to have an extended conversation or just encountering something and him saying, \u2018Hey, if you want to be a coach, this is what you need to know,\u2019 I\u2019ve had a pretty in-depth relationship with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says Zorbo\u2019s off-field efforts for his players also include making sure they get to know K football alumni who can help them in their athletic and academic pursuits.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough Coach, I\u2019ve been able to build my own network and have these people who share a commonality with me,\u201d Bez says.<\/p>\n

With Zorbo\u2019s example, he talks about coaching not in terms of wins and losses, but as a way of making a difference in other people\u2019s lives\u2014and his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the best thing about coaching is the relationships you get to build and the effect you get to have on people,\u201d he says. \u201cI mean, when I look back on my life, aside from my parents and family, the biggest impact on me has been my coaches. Those people shaped me to be who I am. I think that would be a spot really suited to me to have an impact on other people, but also for them to have an impact on me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brad Bez \u201919 says he has wanted to be a coach since he was in his first year at Kalamazoo College. \u201cI think I\u2019ve always had it in the back of my mind,\u201d he says. \u201cBut that was when I really started to pursue it and decide it was what I wanted to do.\u201d The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":156,"featured_media":11100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[231],"tags":[36,93,64,92,104,96],"post_formats":[],"class_list":["post-11097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-students","tag-athletics","tag-career-development","tag-history","tag-internships","tag-k-plan","tag-political-science"],"yoast_head":"\r\nCoach, NCAA Forum Nurture Student's Career Goals - News and Events<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Football Coach Jamie Zorbo nominated Brad Bez \u201919 for the NCAA Career in Sports 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aria-label=\"archive of category Students\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/students\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Students<\/a>","tags_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/athletics\/\" rel=\"tag\">athletics<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/career-development\/\" rel=\"tag\">career development<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/history\/\" rel=\"tag\">history<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/internships\/\" rel=\"tag\">internships<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/k-plan\/\" rel=\"tag\">K-Plan<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/political-science\/\" rel=\"tag\">political science<\/a>","social_share_info":"<a data-share=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/coach-ncaa-forum\/\" class=\"pl-facebook-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/coach-ncaa-forum\/\" class=\"pl-twiiter-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/coach-ncaa-forum\/\" class=\"pl-linkedin-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin-in\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a>","wordExcerpt_info":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/hornets.kzoo.edu\/sports\/fball\/2017-18\/bios\/bez_brad_3rmp\">Brad Bez \u201919<\/a> says he has wanted to be a coach since he was in his <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/student-life\/first-year\/\">first year<\/a> at Kalamazoo College.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I\u2019ve always had it in the back of my mind,\u201d he says. \u201cBut that was when I really started to pursue it and decide it was what I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11100\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11100\" style=\"width: 584px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11100\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2018\/07\/NCAA-Career-Forum-Coach-600x640.jpg\" alt=\"Future College Coach Brad Bez Squatting Next to Logos\" width=\"584\" height=\"623\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11100\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brad Bez \u201919, an offensive lineman who aspires to be a collegiate coach, points out the Kalamazoo College athletics logo in a display at the NCAA national office in Indianapolis, where he was one of 240 collegiate athletes from across the nation to attend the NCAA Career in Sports Forum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/hornets.kzoo.edu\/sports\/fball\/index\">Hornet football<\/a> offensive lineman\u2019s ambition is well known to Head Coach <a href=\"http:\/\/hornets.kzoo.edu\/sports\/fball\/coaches\/zorbo?view=bio\">Jamie Zorbo \u201900<\/a>, who mentors his players both on and off the field. In keeping with the emphasis in the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/k-plan\">K-Plan<\/a><\/em> on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/k-plan\/experiential\/\">experiential education<\/a>, Zorbo nominated Bez for the NCAA Career in Sports Forum at the NCAA\u2019s national office in Indianapolis in late May and early June 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Bez was one of just 240 juniors and seniors chosen from more than 460,000 U.S. collegiate athletes to attend the all-expenses-paid forum, which the NCAA says is designed to assist them in charting their career paths as athletics professionals.<\/p>\n<p>Over four days, he got to meet coaches, athletic directors and athletic staff from colleges and universities across the nation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was all networking and workshops: how to make a better resume, different ways to connect with people, more information about the different careers in athletics, and particularly college athletics,\u201d he says. \u201cThere were so many things we learned how to do and learned more about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/programs\/history\/\">history<\/a> major and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/programs\/political-science\/\">political science<\/a> minor says the biggest benefit may have been meeting fellow college athletes who will be among his future professional peers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInitially a lot of us went there with the idea that we were going to try to meet people in a position we want to be in. So a lot of us were trying to network with the people who have jobs,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd by the end, we all realized it was way more important to network with our peers, to try to get to know them. For example, I want to coach, and I met a guy who wants to be an athletic director. So we got to talking, and I was like, \u2018Down the road, maybe one day, we\u2019ll cross paths and you\u2019ll get to hire me.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bez, who is spending the summer as an <a href=\"https:\/\/reason.kzoo.edu\/ccd\/internships\/\">intern<\/a> in the Michigan State University athletic director\u2019s office, says the biggest takeaway from the conference was \u201cyou have to build genuine relationships with people. If they just know your name, that\u2019s not really enough. You have to know who people are and they have to know you in order for that to be a productive relationship. For both of you it has to be genuine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the sort of relationship he\u2014and, he says, his teammates\u2014have with Zorbo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been pretty lucky that I\u2019ve gotten to be around Coach a lot during my time at K,\u201d he says. \u201cWhether it\u2019s calling me into his office to have an extended conversation or just encountering something and him saying, \u2018Hey, if you want to be a coach, this is what you need to know,\u2019 I\u2019ve had a pretty in-depth relationship with him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He says Zorbo\u2019s off-field efforts for his players also include making sure they get to know K football alumni who can help them in their athletic and academic pursuits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough Coach, I\u2019ve been able to build my own network and have these people who share a commonality with me,\u201d Bez says.<\/p>\n<p>With Zorbo\u2019s example, he talks about coaching not in terms of wins and losses, but as a way of making a difference in other people\u2019s lives\u2014and his own.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the best thing about coaching is the relationships you get to build and the effect you get to have on people,\u201d he says. \u201cI mean, when I look back on my life, aside from my parents and family, the biggest impact on me has been my coaches. Those people shaped me to be who I am. I think that would be a spot really suited to me to have an impact on other people, but also for them to have an impact on me.\u201d<\/p>\n","comment_info":"No Comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/156"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11097"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11235,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11097\/revisions\/11235"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11097"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=11097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}