Making Decisions

Your effort today tells your coaches everything they need to know about how prepared you are to help the team tomorrow.
Great teams aren’t made of players who get what they want — they’re made of players who give what’s needed. pic.twitter.com/w9fKoHrbgP

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) March 31, 2025

With a little more than four and a half months until tryouts, how can players get the odds on their side? 

1) Commitment. Commit to Anson Dorrance's continual ascension. Should volleyball be important to you? That's entirely your call. 

2) Collaboration. "Look for the helpers." - Mr. Rogers  It's hard to do the work unless you know what work is needed. Find an MVB resource or another player to attach yourself to like a remora on a shark. Watch and learn from the shark. 

3) Command. Work to master the fundamentals. Make consistency your brand. Refine the relevant core skills - serve/receive, attack/block, set, and pass. Break them down into the pieces such as footwork, armswing, et cetera. Then play as much as you can. 

Lagniappe. There is no secret.

 

Be a Curator of Wisdom

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. Not an official publication of any organization. Blame no one else. 

Acquire and share accumulated wisdom over your lifetime. Webster's definition of curator includes: "a person at a museum, zoo, etc. who is in charge of a specific collection or subject area."

Here's an excellent collection of concepts from Dave Kline: 

21 leadership lessons I revisit weekly (you should too) pic.twitter.com/GMAZUUKdJp

— Dave Kline (@dklineii) March 30, 2025

Several particularly resonated:

1) Set high standards. Believe your team will meet them.

2) Reasonable people will draw different conclusions without a shared picture of excellence. (Making a team is not enough...chasing excellence is a shared vision)

3) Small feedback given regularly is coaching. (Coaching is not criticism. Coaches mentor players and teams to translate process into excellence.)

4) Subtracting is 10x harder than adding. Which is what makes it 10x more valuable. (Do more of what works and less of what doesn't).

5) Your culture is the sum of everything you celebrate minus everything you tolerate. (What we tolerate sets the floor of achievement.) 

6) Trust people with the truth. (Coaching advances players and teams toward the truth.) 

7) Your team will mimic your actions before they follow your words. ("Your actions speak so loudly I cannot hear a word you say.")

8) It's not real unless it's written down. (Be clear and concise. Share.)

Benjamin Franklin informed these in seven words. "Well done is better than well said." 

When you find someone who shares productive content, check in. There may be more than one nugget in that stream. 

Lagniappe. Loaded jumps will increase your block touch. 

Lagniappe 2. Martin suggests ways to make warmups fun, competitive, and productive. 

  

 

Coaches See Everything

Geno is talking about recruiting MUDITA.

Finding players who…

- Play with joy
- Love the game
- Are WE-first not me-first
- Celebrate their teammates

Are getting harder to find.

ATHLETES: Body Language screams.

Coaches are looking 👀.pic.twitter.com/LmBoacCiFT

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) April 1, 2025

As I've discussed, "mudita" means being happy for others' success. "Your joy is my joy."

Nobody enjoys being around negative, self-absorbed, sulking people. Your energy and enthusiasm impacts your teammates. Energize yourself and your teammates.

It's common for players who had success at a young age to expect immediate success in high school sports. It's also variable. Dominating against thirteen and fourteen year-olds doesn't always translate to dominating seventeen, eighteen, even nineteen year-olds who are bigger, stronger, faster, more experienced. 

Years ago a Middlesex League basketball team (not Melrose) was favored to go deep in the playoffs. The day before the tournament, a girl "stole" the boyfriend of a teammate. The team fractured immediately and lost their opener. One and done. 

Stay humble; stay hungry. Be team-oriented and be a great teammate. Your coaches see everything. 

Becoming Your Own Coach

Mike Leach said, "Everybody can work harder than they think they can."

"Everybody's a little better than they think they are."

Growth starts when you push past what you thought was your limit.

Great coaches see your greatness before you even realize it's there. pic.twitter.com/mmqD1LkRAr

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) March 12, 2025

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden didn't win his first championship until his 16th season. Excellence takes time. And work. You don't read the same books as a first grader or write like one.

Years ago on a steamy Sunday night at Horace Mann School, I taught Cecilia Kay reverse layups. It wasn't pretty. The next Sunday she had figured it out. In the State Championship game she made two. This week she was named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team. 

Anders Ericsson emphasized "deliberate practice." He discusses this in this Harvard Business Review piece. 

Expertise is made. "All the superb performers he investigated had practiced intensively, had studied with devoted teachers, and had been supported enthusiastically by their families throughout their developing years. Later research building on Bloom’s pioneering study revealed that the amount and quality of practice were key factors in the level of expertise people achieved."

"The development of genuine expertise requires struggle, sacrifice, and honest, often painful self-assessment. There are no shortcuts."

Two possibilities emerge. "This is too hard" or "I will do this." 

Here are the facts. Coaches don't choose teams. The players do. The coaches don't choose who gets the minutes, the role, and the recognition. The players do. It's up to you.  

Lagniappe. Always warm up before starting practice. You don't need hurdles. Imaginary hurdles work fine. Draw a chalk line. 

4 Plyometric Drills For Athletes pic.twitter.com/y2eAkwPkLC

— Joey Bergles (@JoeyBergles) March 12, 2025

Lagniappe 2. Author and playwright David Mamet has a phrase inscribed on the back of a new wristwatch. "What hinders you?" Everyone makes that choice. 

 

Everyday Lessons (Print and Save)

How to build a Great Reputation pic.twitter.com/cCuBbE603c

— Always Keep Learning (@AlwaysKeepL) March 23, 2025

Use your high school student-athlete experience a training ground for character and competence. 

Character allows you to do the right thing all the time, not just when it's easy or convenient. 

Competence means having the intellectual, physical, and emotional skill that drives high performance. 

Integrity, excellence, and accountability make a winning combination. 

Lagniappe. Karch Kiraly looking for "fleen" serves. 

 

Belief

Believe in yourself. Believe in your coaches. Believe in each other. Belief makes amazing results happen.  

I just think belief is really way more important than people think. Your belief in your team and your team’s belief in each other no matter what’s stacked against you, that you can find a way to win. These guys really do look at each other with a lot of confidence and know they… pic.twitter.com/OpmVOTWxUu

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) March 28, 2025

Metaphorical Fight

Team records depend on multiple factors - talent, performance, health, luck, scheduling. MVB always faces tough non-league competition. "Iron sharpens iron." 

Be the team that always shows up to fight, not run.

Last season's playoffs at Longmeadow, Melrose showed up a bit undermanned but brought the fight in a 19-25, 26-28, 25-17, 21-25 defeat. Sofia Papatsoris and Sabine Wenzel combined for 40 kills against a team that had lost only three sets all season. 

Limited highlights are available.  

Athletes choose the fight or something less. Competitors "bring the rain" in metaphorical fights.

In 2005, Melrose trailed 2-0 in the State Championship and fought off triple match point to extend the contest. 

Notice several features on this video:

• the powerful hitting approach of Medfield's Molly Barrett
• the spectacular point at 23-21 where Jen Cohane got concussed as she hit the floor. MVB players are strewn on the deck like bowling pins
• the remarkable hand-eye coordination of setter Amanda Hallett...how she picks the ball off the net
• the comeback from 16-23 was one of the great sequences of Melrose volleyball, possible because the coaches believed in the team

Stay in the fight. 

Anyone Can Be Average

Anyone can be average. #DailyWisdom via @BallIsPsych pic.twitter.com/txozO7d5rP

— Coach the Coaches (@WinningCoaches) March 27, 2025

Melrose is one of twelve in the ML12. "Average" means 6th or 7th. MVB usually has 12-14 players on the roster. That means somewhere around 6th to 8th will be average. 

Average doesn't get you on the floor. Average doesn't get you deep in the playoffs. Average doesn't get you on the Honor Roll. Average doesn't get you into the school you want. Average doesn't get you the job you want. 

Above average might get you onto MVB but it probably won't get you in the lineup. 

Make excellence your agenda. This is simple and clear, "don't put in the time, put in the work." 

Developing Leaders

Leadership books, courses, and articles are everywhere. When developing leaders, specificity matters. Telling others to 'earn respect' and 'model excellence' is good advice but not specific.

Return to specifics:

• Carry out the assignment/task/mission. That could be small (cleaning up the bench or locker room daily) or large (supervising offseason training)
• Take care of your teammates. That entails communicating expectations, providing specifics needed, monitoring progress, and reviewing the results (give and get feedback). 

"The Process of Developing Leaders"

Select some upcoming leaders whom you want to develop. 

1) Assign them a task to accomplish. 

2) Explain the conditions they must work under and the standard to which the task is to be completed. 

3) Hold those teammates personally accountable for the results. 

4) As they develop as leaders, give them increased responsibility and more challenging tasks." - from "The Program: Lessons From Elite Military Units for Creating and Sustaining High Performance Leaders and Teams" by Eric Kapitulik, Jake MacDonald

MVB has produced a myriad of exceptional players and talented leaders. How did they do that? 

• Excel at communication with clarity, simplicity, specificity. 
• Inform new players of the importance of identity (this is who we are) and process (this is how we do that). 
• Give and get feedback. What is your understanding of how we cover during attacks? Commit to being the hardest worker. 
• Ask "how can I help you be a better player?"
• Set high expectations. "We don't go out of rotation or have 'campfires' because our communication doesn't allow it."

The best teams have player ownership of process and results. 

Lagniappe. Outside hitters don't grow on trees. To be a great outside you have to excel at receiving. 

Confidence Building, Conventional and Unconventional

"You can only be as good as you believe you are." Confidence propels athletes and teams to achieve what they cannot without it.

What clear, repeatable actions boost confidence?

1. Self-talk. "I can do this."

2. Mindfulness. Mindfulness increases focus, decreases anxiety.

3. Sport psychology techniques like "Ten-Minute Toughness"

• Mindful breathing
• Identity statement - "I am a confident, prepared athlete."
• Highlight reel - visualization of high performance activities
• Performance statement - "I show up and make plays with athleticism and relentlessness.
• Mindful breathing 

Of course, there are "unconventional" approaches. "It's been a minute" since the 1986 World Series. 

View on Threads

Overcoming Adversity

Adversity arrives at some point during every season. How do we overcome it? 

Look back through history...with help from ChatGPT.

The Stockdale Paradox is a concept from Jim Collins' book Good to Great and is named after Admiral James Stockdale, a prisoner of war in Vietnam for over seven years. The paradox highlights the balance between unwavering faith and brutal realism in challenging situations.

Stockdale observed that the prisoners who fared the worst were the optimists—those who falsely believed they would be rescued by a certain date. When that date passed, they lost hope. Meanwhile, Stockdale and others who survived accepted the harsh reality of their situation while maintaining confidence in their eventual triumph.

The Core of the Paradox:

1. Face Reality Head-On – Acknowledge the brutal facts of your situation without denial.

2. Maintain Unwavering Faith – Believe deeply that you will prevail in the end, no matter how long it takes.

This paradox is useful in leadership, business, coaching, and personal growth, as it teaches resilience: Don’t sugarcoat challenges, but also don’t lose faith in long-term success.

Amidst great struggle, it's tempting to lose faith, feel sorry for oneself, and underachieve. 

What matters is letting go of distractions and controlling what you can control. Be able to say, "that's outside my boat." 

Lagniappe. Master your core skills and work on expanding them. 

Shared Post from Basketball - All the Small Things

Chapter 31 of Eric Kapitulik's The Program is entitled, "The Little Things Take Care of the Big Things." 

The quote describes the lesson - detail. The player? LeBron James.

Each of us has habits and systems. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says that habits are votes for the type of person we wish to be. Writers write, readers read, physically fit people work out. 

Many of you recall Admiral McRaven's University of Texas commencement address. He lays out ten rules for success.

Here are ten key takeaways via ChatGPT:

1. Make Your Bed – Starting the day with a small accomplishment builds discipline and momentum for bigger tasks.

2. Find Someone to Help You Paddle – Success requires teamwork and support from others.

3. Measure a Person by the Size of Their Heart, Not the Size of Their Flippers – Grit and determination matter more than physical attributes.

4. Get Over Being a Sugar Cookie and Keep Moving Forward – Life is unfair; embrace hardships and keep pushing forward.

5. Don’t Be Afraid of the Circus – Extra challenges (failures) make you stronger and more resilient.

6. Slide Head First – Take risks and be bold in pursuit of success.

7. Don’t Back Down from the Sharks – Face your fears head-on with courage.

8. Be Your Best in the Darkest Moments – Tough times test character; rise to the occasion when it matters most.

9. Start Singing When You’re Up to Your Neck in Mud – A positive attitude can inspire and uplift others during adversity.

10. Never, Ever Quit – Perseverance is the ultimate key to success.

McRaven’s message: Small actions, resilience, and teamwork can change your life - and maybe even the world. 

A core tenet of Stoicism is "control what you can control." What have the top players I've coached had in common? First, they had unusual size, athleticism, and will to develop the skill to become Division 1 athletes. Second, they had exceptional attention to detail. Samantha Dewey was always in her notebook, studying better basketball execution. Cecilia Kay has extraordinary intellect, becoming a high school valedictorian. She grew an exceptional basketball IQ through video study. She was on the Patriot League All-Rookie team this season.

As a coach, what "little things" have you emphasized that got big results?

• Teamwork. Be a "team first" player. Scoreboard over scorebook. 
• Priorities. Take care of business - home, school, then sports. 
• Share. Give credit to coaches and teammates. They'll remember. 
• Learn every day. You never know when you'll need knowledge. 
• Simplify. Vast stores of knowledge distill to fine points of wisdom.
• Give and get feedback. When people are not on the same page, painful failures persist. 
• Ask "what if?" CAPT Walsh said, "Never follow a lit fuse." 

Use small ideas to achieve great goals. 

Lagniappe 1. From "The Program," by Kapitulik et al. "The mission must always be communicated down to the lowest level if we hope to accomplish it. It isn’t enough if only half or even 80% of the team knows it. It is the leader’s responsibility to ensure that every single team member knows and understands the mission."

Lagniappe 2. Don't be afraid to coach. 

SCARED TO COACH YOUR BEST PLAYER?

If you are scared to coach your best player because they may leave, you are doing the rest of your players a disservice.
Players will leave their HS, AAU, and College teams for a million different reasons. That is the basketball landscape… pic.twitter.com/wx63GKJz1T

— Steve Dagostino (@DagsBasketball) March 24, 2025