Joe Pechota Interview

SIENA HEIGHTS MENS BASKETBALL 1
Siena Heights Mens Basketball Program:

Interview with Head Coach Joe Pechota
Steven Case
Strategic Planning and Implementation
May 15
th
, 2014


Abstract
The following is from an interview with Siena Heights mens basketball head coach, Joe
Pechota. During this interview, Coach Pechota discusses what makes him passionate about
Saints basketball. He discusses the programs past, present, and future with a program vision and
mission statement. Several elements of the programs external environment are also discussed in
detail. He explains both the positives and negatives of this environment and where this places the
program competitively with the competition. He speaks on what he considers the programs
strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and threats during a discussion on the Saints
SWOT analysis. Finally, in a very interesting discussion, he reveals how the mens basketball
program shows similarities in certain ways to various corporate and business strategies.


Mission
The first question Siena Heights University head mens basketball coach Joe Pechota
answered was about his programs mission statement. He got incredibly excited and reached over
and pulled a piece of paper off the wall. He explained that last years team was not ready for a
mission statement. He operated under this mission himself, but knew that his team needed to
experience the trials and tribulations of the year before they would understand what this mission
statement meant. He then went on to read the statement. It reads;
On my honor, I pledge to ache. I will keep my body powerful, my desire
intense, and my will unflinching. I will create, by example, a new definition of
passion and I will continue to cherish my belief that every inspired drop of
sweat is an investment in excellence, (Pechota, 2014).
After a short pause, he explained that last years team would have looked at that sheet
and seen just words on paper. They would not have meant anything to a bunch of freshmen,
newcomers, and inexperienced young men. The guys needed to go through an entire year
together where they would rise, fall, and ultimately come together through the experiences they
encountered.
Coach Pechota revealed that he would give each member of next years team, both
returning and new, a copy of this mission statement. He said that he now knows that this core of
returning players knows what it will take to fully realize his vision for the program, which is
what this mission statement was designed to lead them towards.


Vision, Values, & Ethical Practices
There is a standard of excellence that goes hand in hand with the Saints program
according to Coach Pechota. This coming season will be the Saints basketball programs 40
th
.
The program is only 12 wins from its 800
th
. That means the program has averaged 20 wins per
season since it was started. In its 39 years, the Saints program also has multiple conference
championships, conference tournament championships, national tournament appearances, final
four appearances, and even a national championship game appearance. Getting the program back
to that standard of excellence is Coach Pechotas vision.
To get back to that standard of excellence, Coach Pechota knows that it will take time. He
explained that building a program, especially one with the tradition and success as that of Siena
Heights, will take a ton of energy and effort. To do that, he explained that having the right staff
that share his passion, energy, and work ethic is a must. This staff will not only assist in helping
mold, shape, and guide these young men into a winning product on the floor, they will make sure
these young men get the job done in the classroom. This staff is also charged with traveling all
over to find the kind of players that Coach Pechota envisions as part of his program.
It takes a special kind of player to player in Coach Pechotas program. Being a Saint and
putting on that jersey holds a very special kind of honor in his mind. The vision of the players
that hold that honor exhibit the passion, energy, dedication, and effort he and his staff also
possess. They are the first ones to the gym and last to leave. They put in extra hours in the library
when they do not necessarily need to. They hold doors open for those behind them. They sit in
the front row in every class. They put in extra time studying film. They are the kind of young
men that one would be proud to represent the Saints blue and gold. The kind of player that Coach

Pechota envisions for his program is more than a well rounded basketball player. That player is a
well rounded student and a well rounded man.
In developing these young men, it is important to conduct ones self and run the program
the right way. What does this entail? It means that all those involved in the program, from the
head coach to the manager, follow the rules provided to them by Siena Heights University and
the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Coach Pechota says there is no honor amongst thieves. He gets nothing out of
accomplishing goals that are achieved unethically. There are so many short cuts that a coach can
take when it comes to running a team. For example, Baylor University once had to let go both
their mens basketball coach and athletic director when an investigation found that boosters were
paying for recruits scholarships rather than the university (French, 2004).
There are several rules, both written and unwritten, that he says need to be followed
during the recruitment of players. Honesty is huge to him in this regard. He feels that while
recruiting a player, he and his staff must be completely honest and straightforward with what
Siena Heights can do for them in every respect.
He also feels that being up front and honest with the players currently in his program is
paramount. Being up front about each players standing in the program and what their roles are
viewed as is a key to Coach Pechota. When a player breaks a rule, or underperforms in a class,
runs a play or drill wrong, or does anything that would be detrimental to themselves, the
program, or the school, he feels disciplinary action must take place. This could be as minor as
running extra sprints or as major as letting them go from the program. Each case and situation
deserves its own attention.

All of these ethical practices feed into what he values for the future of his program. Hard
work, commitment, trust, togetherness, toughness, and teamwork are all added together to what
he feels is the most important aspect of every successful program. That aspect is the feeling of a
family. To be a part of the Saints family one should not have to compromise who they are and
what they believe. The Saints family is one that, though not without sacrifice, he sees is on the
rise and will be a force to be reckoned with once again.
Internal Environment
Communication is a key factor when it comes to the internal environment of the Saints
basketball program. Coach Pechota has his fingerprints on every aspect of the program. He relies
on his assistants and gives them guidance, but also a lot of freedom when it comes to the day to
day tasks of running a program. He allows this freedom for two reasons. The first is because he
trusts his assistants to do what it takes to do what is best for the program to be successful. The
second is because there is constant, open, and fluid communication between all members of the
coaching staff.
That communication is extremely important when it comes to the coaching staff.
However, it may be even more so when it comes to the players. Coach Pechota maintains that he
has an open door policy when it comes to his players. That means that the door to his office is
always open for players to come voice their opinions, concerns, ideas, or any other questions
they may have.
He says that he likes to have his players come through his office for lots of reasons. This
way he has a feel for what every player in his program is feeling on and off the floor. He is able
to keep a constant pulse of the team from this. He says you can only know so much by watching

the team. By having that constant interaction with his players, he can always know when bigger
locker room issues are arising and if he needs to step in to solve a problem. After all, according
to Tariszka-Semegine (2012), communication is the foundation of a well run organization and
the process of communicating is key in maintaining and developing said organization. This is
exactly what Coach Pechota is trying to do in building his program and maintaining success.
SWOT Analysis
To truly demonstrate how much the program has grown, continues to grow, where it
needs to grow, and obstacles yet to overcome, Coach Pechota gave his own SWOT analysis of
his program. The SWOT analysis is useful in this case because it can show how his program can
maximize its strengths, improve upon its weaknesses, and look into the programs past to get
insight on existing problems and potential solutions there may be (Business Planning Center,
2009).
Strengths
Coach Pechota got very excited when discussing the strengths of his program. He started
by talking a bit more about the tradition of the program. The Siena Heights University Saints
basketball program carries weight around the state for its past success. That tradition sits just
around the corner in Hall of Fame coach and current Siena Heights athletic director Fred Smith,
who is always around giving advice. He says that tradition drives him and it is beginning to drive
a fuel his players.
He also spoke of the people in and around the program as being a tremendous strength.
The support the Saints program gets from the community is huge. He talked of the days when the
Saints were the hottest ticket in town (Pechota, 2014) and how they are starting to come back

as the product on the floor gets better. That product would not be getting better without having
great people teaching them in the classroom, advising them during their academic career,
supporting them inside the athletic department, and coaching them on the staff.
With that said, according to Coach Pechota, it starts and stops with the kind of players he
has in his program. He says they of course recruit talented players, but they also recruit high
character players. Back to the future guys, OKGs, our kind of guys (Pechota, 2014) he calls
them. These guys have tremendous work ethic and have as much drive to realize and surpass
their potential academically and athletically as he has to get it out of them.
Weaknesses
One of the cruel realities of having to bring in new, young, talented players to build a
program around is the learning curve and maturation process that must take place in order to
become a successful team. This team lacked experience. He says lacked instead of lack now
because many of those young players he brought in last year were able to log veteran kind of
minutes and gain valuable experience.
Although they were baptized by fire (Pechota, 2014), and took their lumps a little bit
last season, he has a very positive outlook on the situation. That experience will help them grow
as they move in to their second and third years, as well as mentor the incoming freshmen as to
what they should be prepared for. That leadership from upper classmen is another key to what
makes programs successful.
Another crutch is the program and schools limited budget. This is the case for many
small, private schools like Siena Heights. Coach Pechota claimed that he would love to be able to
pay for every player in his programs education in full, but that is not a luxury that they possess.

Who to play, where to travel, how to travel, accommodations, gear for the team, and virtually
every piece of the program has to be thought about financially. The proves as an exhausting task
at times says Coach Pechota.
Along with the financial issues of running an athletic program at a small school,
scheduling and working with and around other programs with limited facility time and space is
also a burden. At Siena Heights, the hours from 4-6pm are set aside for practices. There is one
field house where at times six different sports need to practice at once. As one can probably
imagine, this can get slightly difficult and frustrating at times. Luckily, other coaches also share
these frustrations and are understanding and willing to work with one another.
Opportunities
Again, Coach Pechota lit up when speaking about the opportunities there are for this
program. Limitless was his initial response. When asked to elaborate, he said that Siena Heights
is growing in all aspects. Last year they had the biggest freshman class in the history of the
school. The high enrollment is causing somewhat of a housing shortage for the school. This will
most likely force new housing to pop up on campus and further the growth of the University.
What does this all have to do with the basketball program? As with many things, great
word of mouth brings more eyes on the University, and therefore, more eyes on the program.
The kind of highly talented players Coach Pechota and his staff have brought in to the program
are drawing my eyes to the program. The product on the floor improving and continuing to
improve will bring more eyes to the program. More eyes on the program equal more interest in
the program. More interest in the program means better talent wanting to come to the program.

Better talent equals better teams, and better teams equal heightened levels of success. It all leads
to getting back to that tradition of excellence says Coach Pechota.
More students coming in to the University also means more money coming in. More
money means more opportunities to put money into renovation projects such as the field house
that holds mens basketball games. It has already begun with the new room that will go on this
summer. There is also talk of improving the locker room with new lockers, and eventually down
the line, a brand new facility.
Threats
When asked to speak about the threats to the program, Coach Pechota commented that he
does not really see many threats as much as he sees obstacles. Some of these obstacles include
the University getting in its own way in not keeping up to date and ahead of the times. He feels
they have been behind the ball when it comes to online education. This in turn has an effect on
recruiting, which is detrimental to the program.
There have also been changes to the academic structure of the University. What it takes
to be admitted and enrolled, as well as how much money can be awarded by the University and
the basketball program. Being able to compete with some of the wealthier schools has been
difficult in that regard. Coach Pechota mentioned schools like Davenport, Cornerstone, and
Aquinas, all of whom have large budgets athletically, make it tough to compete in recruiting top
level players.


PESTEL
There are several pieces of the Saints basketball external environment. After needing the
concept explained to him, Coach Pechota discussed the programs PESTEL. He had not heard of
this concept before. Where the SWOT analysis makes a strategic manager (or in the case, head
coach) look at the internal environment of his organization, the PESTEL shifts the focus on the
external environment. It can be a great tool to truly gain a big picture of all the external factors
that can affect an organization, as well as assist in building the organizations vision of the future
(Mind Tools, 2011).
Political
Luckily, according to Coach Pechota, he has not had to deal with too many political
factors while being the head of the Saints program. When one thinks of political factors, a lot of
negative thoughts arise. He says although there are some instances of that in the league Siena
Heights belongs to, the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC), coaches seem to get
along and work together to keep the best interest of the league at the forefront of all issues.
He does keep in touch with donors and alumni to keep them feeling a part of the Saints
family. He feels that it is very important to not only keep those from the past interested in
contributing to the Saints program, but keep that connection between the old guard and the new
guard so that the current players can get a glimpse of what having that success is like. He also
will do many meet and greats to keep the programs reputation up amongst the higher ups in the
University and with those around the community.
He also laughed and said that this is where coach speak comes in handy. He understands
that as a head coach and representative of the University and program, he cannot be as candid in

interviews and discussions with certain people. He has to be great at putting a positive spin on
everything. That is fine with Coach Pechota, because he feels that having a positive outlook on
everything is the way to go regardless of any situation.
Economic
The economics of running a basketball program are a constant factor that Coach Pechota
must deal with. Being a private institution, he says that there are certain budgetary challenges
that he must face. Without having the luxury of an unlimited budget, it means he has to be much
more efficient with the money he has. He is very careful about the things he spends the
basketball programs money on. This effects how far the team travels, what the team eats on road
trips, and what kind of gear he orders for the team.
He would like to do more, he says, but that is just the reality he has to deal with.
However, there are other ways to bring funds into the program. He likes to refer to it as hustling
to get the extras on the outside (Pechota, 2014). He runs several high school shootouts
throughout the summer to make some extra money. It also helps saving money in recruiting
having these high school teams come in to the field house as opposed to having to drive around
to see them play. There are youth camps, known as Saints Camp, that has been a big draw for
years at Siena Heights.
There are also a few other basketball specific advantages he refers to when it comes to
making money. He is able to schedule exhibition games with some NCAA division one schools
that will pay in the thousands for his team to come in and play them. There are several small
fundraisers, such as t-shirt sales and half court shootouts that can be sold at games or at halftime.


Social/Technological
If used correctly, a lot of the social interactions, especially external ones like recruiting
and team to team communication, can be done by using technology. Recruiting used to be a
person to person ordeal according to Coach Pechota. A coach would talk to the players high
school coach, then to the player himself to show interest. Now, there are so many people
involved with players, all of whom seem to have limited to no social skills that one almost has to
use technology to communicate. The use of email, social media, and text messaging especially
has all becoming very important in the recruitment of young players.
Coach Pechota is also big on the use of social media as a tool to promote the program, the
University, and himself. Social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook have been extremely
helpful in getting the Saints brand out to those who are unaware, as well as those who may have
forgotten over the years. He says he is always tweeting about the exciting things that are
happening in and around the program. With the popularity of these social media outlets amongst
young people, these tweets can be very eye catching and increase these players interest in the
program.
Ecological
Since coming to Siena Heights, Coach Pechota admits that his focus has been more on
rebuilding the program from a basketball standpoint to put a winning product on the floor.
However, he does not plan on that being all the Saints program is about. Before, coming to Siena
Heights, Coach Pechota was the head man at Brescia University in Kentucky. While there he had
his team actively participate with Habitat for Humanity and the Daniel Pitino Shelter.

He says he would like to get more involved with Habitat, as well as other local
organizations in the Adrian area. He feels they are now getting to the point where they can start
putting more focus on assisting in those off the court areas. As a program, they already
participate in the Hunger Games event, which gives food to those in need as part of a fundraiser
held at mens and womens basketball games. He has already had some of his players participate
in events at the local YMCA to interact with and show young kids in the community what being
a Saint is all about. In the future he sees the Saints program continuing to help out the
community on an even greater scale.
Legal
Dealing with the legal processes while running a program is a tedious process. There are
contracts that have to be written and sent out when trying to schedule games. Coach Pechota
must make sure he has all the players health insurance forms when traveling to games in case
someone gets seriously injured. Of course he must abide by the rules of Siena Heights, the
WHAC, and the NAIA. He must have wavers from participants in all the camps run on campus.
He says that this world has become a sort of, sue first and ask questions later (Pechota,
2014) kind of place. People will go to almost any length to get a dollar and a cent. So Coach
Pechota takes every precaution and covers all his bases. It is unfortunate, but it beats a lawsuit.
Business Strategy Discussion
It took a moment after explaining the different types of business strategies to Coach
Pechota for him to decide which strategy the Siena Heights basketball program falls under. He
admitted that obviously cost leadership is a huge key, but also being able to sell the program on
more than just basketball shows characteristics of a differentiation approach. He decided that the

program would fall under the veil of integration for those very reasons. He wants to save money
where he can while still not being cheap, as well as have a focus on basketball without that being
the only draw to the program.
Being a cost leader, according to Coach Pechota, is in a lot of ways out of his hands. He
cannot control what the cost of attending Siena Heights University is, just like he can only
control a small portion of what scholarships monies potential student athletes get. He can control
what he does with his mens basketball budget, but he cannot control how big that budget is.
This is where being innovative is key in his mind. Coach Pechota believes that every part
of his program needs to be innovative. From how they raise money to give them a little extra
wiggle room when it comes to the budget, to what his players wear around campus. He looks for
innovative ways to fundraise money to help out the program. He is always looking for innovative
methods to inspire his players. He shows them videos, prints out quotes and handouts, and turns
basketball situations into real life ones.
Having such a limited budget also makes him use innovative practices when it comes to
marketing and selling his program, as well as making it look top of the line. One of Coach
Pechotas favorite lines is, There is nothing casual about my business (Pechota, 2014). He
believes that even though they do not have the luxuries of a division one program that does not
mean they should not have the same kind of look or attitude. He is always coming up with
creative designs for T-shirts, locker room signs, name plates, etc. He markets these things in a lot
of innovative ways. He uses social media, email, letters through the mail, and even simply
posting signs throughout campus. Sometimes the simplest things can be innovative in an
industry.

Corporate Strategy Discussion
It was much easier for Coach Pechota to compare his basketball program to that of a
corporation. There are so many more similarities. The alliances the program has are clear. Coach
Pechota mentions being a member of the NAIA and the WHAC. That in itself gives them an
alliance with over one hundred other programs across the country.
When thinking of acquisitions, Coach Pechota claimed that that would be recruiting. He
liked to think of each player as his own private entity. Recruiting these private entities takes a lot
of time, effort, and selling of the program and how the Saints conduct their business. He
compared the process to that of a large corporation trying to purchase a small, successful
business because they know it will help the corporation achieve greater success. It is not hard to
see the comparisons.
Another huge similarity is networking. In the coaching profession, there are so many
different people with so many backgrounds that can lead one to opportunities never thought
possible. Coach Pechota says that a few of his prior jobs he was tipped off about from
networking with other coaches.
Recruiting, something so immensely important to having a successful program and
something that has been mentioned in this interview several times, is also all about networking.
Talking to AAU coaches, parents, friends, and other players is key to developing relationships
between certain programs. Coach Pechota believes that if you network with the right people in
the recruiting world, they will help you have a greater chance of signing top level talent.
Networking can also set the program up with benefits outside the realm of basketball.
Networking can lead to lucrative sponsors of the program that can bring more financial help.

Being a private institution, those relationships built from networking can sometimes make all the
difference.
Take Aways
This assignment, if nothing else, shows just how much passion for basketball, or more
importantly, Saints basketball Coach Pechota has. The way he speaks about the past, present, and
future of the program is very uplifting and positive. It is easy to see why so many are so excited
about the future of the program with such a positive, energetic influence at the helm.
As far as what can be learned from a strategic management standpoint based on this
interview, the list is endless. To hear about all the different avenues Coach Pechota has a hand in
while running a basketball program is very surprising. One would think that running a basketball
team means coaching, mentoring, and recruiting. That would only be scratching the surface.
Having so much involvement and concern with budgetary issues really stuck out. Nearly every
decision made with the basketball program, not unlike decisions made when running a business
or corporation, are made with the bottom line in mind.
A basketball program being so similar strategically to businesses and corporations was
not all that surprising, although it was surprising just how similar. According to Smith (2014), a
business level strategy is when a company tries to create, maintain, and use its competitive
advantage, where as corporate level strategies are need when smaller businesses join the
company. Using everything that sets the Saints basketball program apart from other programs
really drove home the business strategy tie ins and recruiting players into the program was a
great example of corporate strategy.
It was also very beneficial and reassuring to see someone so passionate and positive
about what they do. This job sounds fun on paper, and most times it is, but it is also an incredible

amount of work that requires a lot of time, personal sacrifice, and countless hours of effort to
build and maintain a basketball program. That can be said for running a business or corporation
as well. There are several parts and people involved in every business, corporation, and program.
If the man in charge shows an infectious passion for what they do, it is a lot easier to work for
and put in the time it takes to be successful.
Course Tie Ins
As have been explained, the parallels between the information obtained from this
interview and the information being taught from the book line up very well. One might not think
of running a basketball program like running a business, but the similarities are there. Budgetary
concerns are always a factor. There are several employees (the coaching staff) charged with
making the product (the players/team) the best it can possibly be for the consumer
(fans/alumni/parents/colleagues). Just like in a business in a lot of ways, the better the product,
the more interest there is in the product, and the more money that will generate.
Of course when it comes to general businesses, many times there are several different
products that are made to appease certain markets. This is a lot of times on a much larger scale
and has a lot more employees and moving parts than that of a basketball program. However,
when you break things down to the bare bones of what managing an organization is all about, it
is striking how similar they all are.
In closing, it is clear that having a clear vision for where one wants an organization to go
and having a sound strategy to get there is paramount. This is true for running a car dealership, a
restaurant, or a basketball program. Having a sound strategy for how that organization is to be
successful is a must. Also, having knowledge of every aspect of how that strategy is to be

conducted is just as important as a manager. In the end, the manager will take the blame if it
fails, but also reap the rewards if it successful.


References
Business Planning Center. (2009). SWOT analysis. 1-7. Retrieved from
http://www.businessplantool.org/Dokumenti/SWOT%20analysis.pdf
French, P. A. (2004). The mission of the university and the role of intercollegiate athletics.
Ethics and college sports: Ethics, sports, and the university. 1-8. Retrieved from
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=gyP-b-pUMDkC&oi=fnd&pg
=PR7&dq=ethics+of+sports+recruiting&ots=ewwJKHCGyJ&sig=_w6l9-4Fz-
Xv3A_evcUy9D5tymU#v=onepage&q= ethics%20of%20sports%20recruiting&f=false
Mind Tools. (2011). PEST analysis. Retrieved from https://depts.washington.edu/oei/resources
/toolsTemplates/PEST_analysis.pdf
Smith, S. (2014). The difference between corporate strategy and business strategy. Retrieved
From http://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-corporate-strategy-business-
strategy-57411.html
Tariszka-Semegine, E. (2012). Organizational internal communication as a means of improving
efficiency. European Scientific Journal. 86-96. Retrieved from http://www.google.com
/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&sqi=2&ved=0CEYQFjAC&url=http%
3A%2F%2Feujournal.org%2Findex.php%2Fesj%2Farticle%2Fdownload%2F232%2F25
7&ei=W-h4U-W3EsWLqgbY34HoBg&usg=AFQjCN


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SIENA HEIGHTS MENS BASKETBALL 1

Siena Heights Mens Basketball Program:

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