As a former D-I women’s basketball coach before becoming AD at Penn State-Wilkes-Barre, The BDS Agency Founder & President BRIAN STANCHAK has experience on both sides of the table after having started his agency in ’13. Stanchak prior to starting BDS began advising coaching friends on the women’s basketball side in terms of career advancement, interview prep and contracts, and saw that there were very limited people who were actually prioritizing women’s basketball coaches at the college level. He has worked with 33 clients ranging from schools like Nebraska, Pitt, USC and Ole Miss to Dayton and Davidson who have become first-time D-I head coaches or have obtained a new head coaching position. Stanchak recently took some time to speak with THE DAILY to discuss his day-to-day life as an agent.
6:00-6:30am: My wake-up time will vary a little bit depending on how late I was up the night before watching client games. I’ll head downstairs to make a cup of coffee and at the same time watch “SportsCenter.” I’ll also scroll through my phone and check Twitter for any updates as well as read emails.
7:30am: My kids MASON and HARPER will typically wake up, and depending on the day of the week, I’ll help them get ready and take them to school or drop them off at my in-laws who will watch them during the day. I’ll usually grab a protein bar for breakfast and eat it on the way. I work out of my office at home. My wife KRISTEN and I just moved into a new house and with that, I actually got rid of my office that I had in downtown Wilkes-Barre since we have much more space now. I’m still trying to find that balance that comes with working from home, so for me after dropping off the kids I might just stop at Starbucks and do work for a couple hours.
Stanchek started a conference for college basketball coaches that takes place each MayBRIAN STANCHEK
9:00am: I always have a to-do list. Being an agent, things change and are fluid so there’s no day that is typically the same. The conversations I have in the mornings with my clients could range from strategy in terms of communication with their administrator regarding a contract extension or putting together information to present to their administration for a contract negotiation. It could also just be allowing them to vent over struggles that they’re facing, whether that be an issue with a player, staff or administrator. I also started a conference for college basketball coaches that takes place each May called the “Head Coach Training Center.” I started it because I wanted to provide coaches with the opportunity to learn more than just on-court strategy. So in between all the calls and emails, I’m also in the planning phases for that.
12:00pm: I’m really all over the place with lunch and don’t have a set routine. It could range from just grabbing a sandwich while I’m out or just piecing together something based on whatever we have in the house. I’ll also try to find some time to do a three-mile run during the day.
1:00pm: In the mornings I like to catch up on the important things that need to be addressed, but also handle some of the easier tasks so I can cross them off my to-do list. In the afternoons, it might be more of the bigger projects that will take a little more time. It could range from putting together a client’s renegotiation portfolio to working on something for the conference. I’ll check in at the beginning of the week with the head of our men’s division LEWIS PRESTON just to see if there’s anything he needs.
6:00pm: I’ll typically work until about 6:00 and then try to spend about an hour, hour and a half with my family before my kids go to bed. If I’m at home and not traveling, my wife most of the time will cook dinner. After that, most games are starting so I’m turning those on. I represent a good amount of coaches, and sometimes it can be difficult to watch the games because one might be winning and one might be losing.
9:00pm: Most of the games are over by then and I might have one or two clients still playing. During that time, I like to remove myself altogether from work. So, even though my wife hates it, I’ll always watch “IMPRACTICAL JOKERS” -- I love that show. I have a list of TV shows to watch, but with having a job like mine and two young kids, it’s hard to focus on anything long enough and so I end up not starting them because I know I won’t be fully attentive.
11:00pm: I’ll try to start heading to bed, but I’m one of those people who are bad with it. I’ll be laying there for 15 minutes and then want to check my phone, and there might be an email or text and I’ll answer it. Typically I’d say around midnight is when I’m actually asleep.
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