Wake Forest Athletics
Photo by: ©WFU/Ken Bennett
Forbes Building Relationships in Unprecedented Times
9/14/2020 12:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Lowell and Linda Forbes were fixtures at the Iowa State Fair, making the two-hour pilgrimage to Des Moines 55-straight summers.
While there, Lowell would spark instant friendships with random passers-by, striking up a conversation with those who walked by or shared a bench with him on the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
"I'm the spitting image of my late father," Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said. "He worked as an electrician on construction sites and could probably carry on a great conversation with a porta potty. He never met a stranger. He was always nice to people. I never heard him say anything bad about anybody."
"I'm a reflection of him."
That ability to forge relationships has served Forbes well in his basketball coaching career, paying dividends in recruiting, team building and the development of assistants.
His hiring at Wake Forest certainly came at an interesting time. The standard college basketball coaching carousel didn't exist in its normal cycle, and he took over the program in early May, as the country was working its way through the Covid-19 pandemic. He inherited a team that he couldn't even talk to in person face-to-face or see work out together on the basketball court. So those interpersonal relationships with the team had to start electronically before the players got back late in the summer.
"It's a work in progress, but I feel a lot more comfortable around all of them, and they probably feel the same way about me," Forbes said. "I'm sure there were some nervous moments early on for all of us. They were wondering what I was like and what practice was going to be like. For me, it's wondering how they react when I really start pushing the buttons and get them outside their comfort zone. To be able to do that, you need trust and they have to know I have their best interest in mind.
"So you spend time on and off the court. I feel good about my relationship with all of them, but it's a work in progress. Unfortunately in Covid, it's harder to do team functions. You can't have too many in one place at one time."
Like the rest of the college basketball world, the Deacs still have no clue when the 2020-21 season will officially tip off, but with college football starting in recent days, there's more optimism than ever that a season will come to fruition. In the meantime, Forbes is merging a roster with just five returning scholarship players to go along with two true freshmen and five transfers, all while navigating the strict Covid-19 protocols.
"I haven't been able to have them over to the house," he said. "I love to have them over to my house. That's an important piece. I give a lot of credit to some of the older guys, like Musius, Massoud and Oguama. They've really helped me. I like where we're at relationship wise."
Now that classes have started, Forbes has a simple edict for every player.
"They have to check into the office everyday before one o'clock and have a conversation with one of the coaches," he said. "I've done that ever since I've been a head coach, and I talk about it in recruiting. It helps develop a relationship with the players outside of practice. If you only see them in practice, how can you have a relationship with them? I don't want them to think coming into my office is like coming to the principal's office, because it's not. I want them to have fun and enjoy it. It heads off a lot of issues. I don't know of anybody else in the country that does this. It really helps with chemistry and relationships."
Returning junior wing Isaiah Mucius can see the benefit in those daily interactions.
"Every single player has to come into the office every day and talk to somebody on the coaching staff," he said. "You have to engage in a conversation. He's really big on relationships. Building those relationships is what is going to take you far in life in general. He takes that seriously, and we've been able to grow a great relationship in a super short time."
"With a new coach, it's hard to build a relationship that fast, but he's done it with everybody. It's only going to be better from here on out."
On the court, Forbes is striking a good balance, according to Mucius, who's been a part of 11-20 and 13-18 seasons at Wake Forest the last two seasons.
"He's everything," Mucius said. "He's full of tough love, and will get on you about a defensive mistake, but then crack a joke with you literally 2.6 seconds after. He's about making sure you're doing the right thing, but also wants to keep your confidence level up at a high level. He's a players' coach. He wants us to be confident in our game and our approach. He instills that confidence. He's been hard on all of us, but in the right way. He wants the best for each and every one of his players."
Building a strong, cohesive staff will also help Forbes achieve success at Wake Forest. He brought along two of his assistants from East Tennessee State, Brooks Savage and BJ McKie, who joined Demon Deacon legend Randolph Childress on staff.
"I'm not a micromanager at all. I hire people to do a really good job and I let them do their job," Forbes said. "During a game, I might hand the board to Brooks. There were many times I let Jason draw up the play on the board. I don't care about that. I want to win.
"People are hired to do a job. It's not an ego thing for me. My job is to give them direction, advice and support. They know their responsibilities and the direction we're going. I let them do their job and grow as a coach. The worst thing you can do is get head coach amnesia. That's when you finally become a head coach and then you forget what it's like to be an assistant. And that happens. I try really hard not to do that."
Former assistant at East Tennessee State Jason Shay was hired as the new head coach when Forbes departed for Wake Forest. He sees a trio of assistants on the bench with him this coming season as future potential head coaches.
"I didn't get to be a Division 1 head coach until I was 50," Forbes said. "I didn't want to change or be different when I became a head coach. I want to help my assistants. It's a year-to-year commitment. I want to help my guys the best I can and I want them to grow. I want them to be happy.
"I want guys who aspire to be a head coach and who will think like a head coach. I think that's really healthy for the program."
While there, Lowell would spark instant friendships with random passers-by, striking up a conversation with those who walked by or shared a bench with him on the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
"I'm the spitting image of my late father," Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said. "He worked as an electrician on construction sites and could probably carry on a great conversation with a porta potty. He never met a stranger. He was always nice to people. I never heard him say anything bad about anybody."
"I'm a reflection of him."
That ability to forge relationships has served Forbes well in his basketball coaching career, paying dividends in recruiting, team building and the development of assistants.
His hiring at Wake Forest certainly came at an interesting time. The standard college basketball coaching carousel didn't exist in its normal cycle, and he took over the program in early May, as the country was working its way through the Covid-19 pandemic. He inherited a team that he couldn't even talk to in person face-to-face or see work out together on the basketball court. So those interpersonal relationships with the team had to start electronically before the players got back late in the summer.
"It's a work in progress, but I feel a lot more comfortable around all of them, and they probably feel the same way about me," Forbes said. "I'm sure there were some nervous moments early on for all of us. They were wondering what I was like and what practice was going to be like. For me, it's wondering how they react when I really start pushing the buttons and get them outside their comfort zone. To be able to do that, you need trust and they have to know I have their best interest in mind.
"So you spend time on and off the court. I feel good about my relationship with all of them, but it's a work in progress. Unfortunately in Covid, it's harder to do team functions. You can't have too many in one place at one time."
Like the rest of the college basketball world, the Deacs still have no clue when the 2020-21 season will officially tip off, but with college football starting in recent days, there's more optimism than ever that a season will come to fruition. In the meantime, Forbes is merging a roster with just five returning scholarship players to go along with two true freshmen and five transfers, all while navigating the strict Covid-19 protocols.
"I haven't been able to have them over to the house," he said. "I love to have them over to my house. That's an important piece. I give a lot of credit to some of the older guys, like Musius, Massoud and Oguama. They've really helped me. I like where we're at relationship wise."
Now that classes have started, Forbes has a simple edict for every player.
"They have to check into the office everyday before one o'clock and have a conversation with one of the coaches," he said. "I've done that ever since I've been a head coach, and I talk about it in recruiting. It helps develop a relationship with the players outside of practice. If you only see them in practice, how can you have a relationship with them? I don't want them to think coming into my office is like coming to the principal's office, because it's not. I want them to have fun and enjoy it. It heads off a lot of issues. I don't know of anybody else in the country that does this. It really helps with chemistry and relationships."
Returning junior wing Isaiah Mucius can see the benefit in those daily interactions.
"Every single player has to come into the office every day and talk to somebody on the coaching staff," he said. "You have to engage in a conversation. He's really big on relationships. Building those relationships is what is going to take you far in life in general. He takes that seriously, and we've been able to grow a great relationship in a super short time."
"With a new coach, it's hard to build a relationship that fast, but he's done it with everybody. It's only going to be better from here on out."
On the court, Forbes is striking a good balance, according to Mucius, who's been a part of 11-20 and 13-18 seasons at Wake Forest the last two seasons.
"He's everything," Mucius said. "He's full of tough love, and will get on you about a defensive mistake, but then crack a joke with you literally 2.6 seconds after. He's about making sure you're doing the right thing, but also wants to keep your confidence level up at a high level. He's a players' coach. He wants us to be confident in our game and our approach. He instills that confidence. He's been hard on all of us, but in the right way. He wants the best for each and every one of his players."
Building a strong, cohesive staff will also help Forbes achieve success at Wake Forest. He brought along two of his assistants from East Tennessee State, Brooks Savage and BJ McKie, who joined Demon Deacon legend Randolph Childress on staff.
"I'm not a micromanager at all. I hire people to do a really good job and I let them do their job," Forbes said. "During a game, I might hand the board to Brooks. There were many times I let Jason draw up the play on the board. I don't care about that. I want to win.
"People are hired to do a job. It's not an ego thing for me. My job is to give them direction, advice and support. They know their responsibilities and the direction we're going. I let them do their job and grow as a coach. The worst thing you can do is get head coach amnesia. That's when you finally become a head coach and then you forget what it's like to be an assistant. And that happens. I try really hard not to do that."
Former assistant at East Tennessee State Jason Shay was hired as the new head coach when Forbes departed for Wake Forest. He sees a trio of assistants on the bench with him this coming season as future potential head coaches.
"I didn't get to be a Division 1 head coach until I was 50," Forbes said. "I didn't want to change or be different when I became a head coach. I want to help my assistants. It's a year-to-year commitment. I want to help my guys the best I can and I want them to grow. I want them to be happy.
"I want guys who aspire to be a head coach and who will think like a head coach. I think that's really healthy for the program."
Players Mentioned
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