University of North Texas

"Bad coach bad communication "

"PERSONALITY I don't want this to sound mean or hateful in any way I just don't want anyone to make the same mistake my daughter did. John has a short fuse when it comes to mistakes unless you're one of his favorites. His team talks include going through each individual player on the team and where they stand as far as how they are currently playing, the possibility of them playing in the next match, maybe even some specific successes, and failures. It is like he is thinking out loud in front of the entire team. It is strange and something that most if not all coaches would do privately. There is no real style of play so it is very difficult for new players to come in and make an impact. The players don't actually know what he wants. Many of the players come off the field and ask the other players on the sideline, "why did he take me off? Did he say anything? Did I play bad?" It just does not create an environment for building confidence. He misses opportunities to lift players up but rarely misses a chance to blame. One of the things he says is, "You were better last year." STYLE OF PLAY He plays direct at all times. The formation can change multiple times within the same week along with the starting line up. System and line up changes with such frequency has an impact on performance for individuals and collectively as a team. A 40 yard dash time and the beep test carry more weight in his eyes than decision making and technical ability. He does not use in game metrics to help with deciding anything about who should be playing. CULTURE There is no culture set by the staff. There are players with big personalties and they dictate the team mood and culture. FINAL THOUGHT If you are a technical decision maker that has played with a team that passes and dictates play John Hedlund is not the coach for you. If you have played on a team that plays direct and are used to a coach that is not tactical and has an old school mentality you might be ok. "

"My time at UNT was great in the beginning until it took a turn. I truly believe both Justin Hastings and Brittany Roth have favorites. They choose who they want to succeed. It breaks my heart knowing that the coaches never really care about mental health of a swimmer, changing coaching styles, and being able to openly communicate with the athletes. I feel every year was unknown and I was never able to get answers nor know what was going on. We always did the same set for pace and it never changes. The coaches wanted us to know what it felt to be a burnout and I know majority of the team felt that. "

"If you are not one of his star players you were nobody. He did not care about you whatsoever off the field. He only cares if you score goals for him. Little to no communication. If you text he won’t respond, you have to talk to his little assistant for anything to do with him. He won’t show up to meetings when you ask. Closed door policy. He is always looking to replace you. If you get injured and not a consistent starter then you might as well already enter the transfer portal. He will screw anyone over for his own personal gain. He does not care about players personally and will not get to know you. He will bribe players for gear before games saying if you perform well then we can earn a sweatshirt. He has directly threatened girls scholarships and position infront of the entire team if they were performing off. Don’t even get me started with the assistant coach, she is a bully and wanna be player still. She will never leave him. She’s rude to anyone who doesn’t play and worships the ground of the starters. It’s insane. The culture is so negative and the coaches made it abundantly clear that it’s a business and we are just employees in his company. Would not recommend. Extremely traumatizing."