Scott Forbes: Prioritizing players has been his biggest change as a coach

The North Carolina Tar Heels are off to Omaha, Nebraska, to participate in the 2024 College World Series. This year, Tar Heels head coach Scott Forbes changed up his coaching mentality a bit. And so far, it is paying dividends for his program.

As North Carolina prepares for their opening game of the 2024 College World Series, Forbes reveals what changes he made over the past four years and which has had the biggest impact on his ball club this year.

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“I’ve changed a ton from the standpoint of just the how the lens that I look at the coaching side,” Forbes said. “I’ve always been ultra ultra-competitive. As I’ve gotten older and my kids have grown, having a daughter that played a college sport helped as well. Watching (through) that lens and wanting to be the right kind of parent that supported the team concept.

“Really, for me, I would say the thing that I’ve changed the most is the players come first, period. When I get here every single day, that’s what it’s about — our current player not the next team, the person calling that wants tickets, or even somebody that might want to help our program — everything starts and ends with those players, and the staff.”

Forbes also credits his recent journey in faith for his change in coaching mentality and attitude. He does not see it as something that makes him better than the next individual but rather something that makes him a better person. It also helped lead to the backbone slogan of this season for North Carolina: Love.

“You heard the players talking about the other night, and as corny as it sounds, the backbone of our program is ‘love,’” Forbes said. “I know it sounds corny, but I don’t think people tell each other enough. That’s what I enjoy the most now — really getting to know every individual player because that’s how I feel like I can get the most out of them individually.”

To open the College World Series, Forbes and North Carolina will face off against ACC nemesis Virginia. Their game is scheduled for June 14 from Omaha, NE, the site of the College World Series, with the opening pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. EST. You can follow North Carolina’s quest for the college crown by watching all the action live on ESPN or using the ESPN app.