Statistics are in for Melrose-Stoneham.
Attacks:
Eight players had kills led by Sabine Wenzel with 10. Four had at least six, Sabine, Maggie Shoemaker, Carol Higonenq, and Emme Boyer.
Setting:
Leah Fowke continued to pile up assists with 29.
Serving:
Melrose had an 85 percent service percentage. Maggie Turner led with twelve service points and Adele Akland had eleven serves without an error.
Defense:
Maggie Turner led in serve receives and digs.
Melrose traveled to the newly minted Stoneham High School and forged a 25-15, 25-15, 25-20 over the Spartans. The win brings Melrose to 7-1.
"Every day is player development day." With Sofia Papatsoris out with injury, Coach Scott Celli moved players around and got close observation of both veteran and young players.
Sabine Wenzel dominated the first set, ably assisted by setter Leah Fowke. Carol Higonenq and Emme Boyer both has solid performances on the outside with Boyer breathing fire with four first sets kills. Sophomore Maggie Shoemaker owned the second middle spot with a capable outing.
As usual, the back row of Maggie Turner, Gg Albuja, and Alex Homan cleaned up. Adele Akland and Anna Burns both got turns as designated servers with admirable results.
Freshman Elise Marchais got time outside in the second set, authoring a pair of kills and Ava Perrotti tallied a couple of kills as well. Abby Dennison displayed her usual steadiness throughout.
Freshman Ella Friedlaender worked the right side during extended parts of the third set. She had a pair of kills as well. Melrose jumped to a 12-3 lead before a 10-0 Spartan rally captured the lead. Coach Scott Celli gave the group a chance to find solutions but ultimately took a timeout. A mini-run followed as Melrose gained control of the set. At times Melrose had a "Kiddie Korps" front line with both freshmen and sophomore Shoemaker at the net. This helps build both confidence and continuity for this season and beyond.
MVB After-Action Review:
PLAYERS: "You don't ever judge how you play by how you shoot the ball or how many points you score. You always judge how good you play by how your effort and whether you play to the best of your ability and you executed.”
— Jamy Bechler (@CoachBechler) September 18, 2024
~ Geno Auriemma video from @Jammer2233 pic.twitter.com/u0t7lN8dXg
Impact the game. Even when you don't get in the game, you impact the game as a teammate, how you support others, and the energy you bring.
There is a true story from a former Oklahoma woman's coach about a player who was viewed as selfish by her teammates. She got called out in the locker room and broke down crying. She said that her father wouldn't talk to her when she wasn't scoring.
Legendary rugby coach Jack Clark says you get unconditional love at home but conditional love in rugby for being a good teammate.
The Boston Globe posts its new poll with five ML12 teams in the top 20. Deserved? Overrated? Too soon to know? Chaos.
“A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork.” - John Wooden pic.twitter.com/ZkMkTLLfy7
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) September 19, 2024
In team sports, excellence measures collective performance. As an individual, think about how you can make the team great - as a blocker, a defensive specialist, a server, or player who does everything.
"Normalize 'I don't know anything about that yet' as a successful answer." - from a disappeared Twitter post
Volleyball is power and finesse, smiles and tears. A mother once told us her daughter was inspired by watching our daughters soar above the net. The daughter became an all-time great.
Do more than play; inspire. You have the power but not the obligation to transform ordinary into extraordinary for a little girl you don't know. "Be a good ancestor."
Good coaches help players "see the game" and "put the team in the best position to succeed." That entails a lot of details including but not limited to:
Coaches create physical or mental "depth charts" in case of the above. In the case of yesterday's injury, Coach Scott Celli chose a "least disruptive" approach, slotting Maggie Shoemaker in the middle which changed only one position.
If Plan A doesn't work out, then coaches consider Plan B through whatever. That requires formulating multiple backup plans.
Players need to step up and everyone needs to be reminded that coaching takes more than a whistle.
Lagniappe. Not for in-season, but for out-of-season training, details on plyometrics.
Key When Doing Plyometrics For All Ages:
— Joey Bergles (@JoeyBergles) September 18, 2024
Keep Ground Contacts Quick pic.twitter.com/PLfZCNFNsx
Sport mimics drama with its unique structure. There's plot, character, dialogue. Remember that "every story is about someone searching for something."
Usually, three acts reveal the plan of getting from point A to point B to earn a cherished reward. Obstacles arise along the way - bad weather, villains and their posse, transportation failure, illness. Near the end of the second act, the protagonist seems trapped in a "no win" situation. The audience sees no escape. But the hero finds a way.
1. Stick to the story. "The director is the keeper of the story."
2. The obstacles define the journey. Find a way.
3. Get help along the path. We never know where an unlikely hero will emerge.
Lagniappe.
It's hard to make broad generalizations but the statistics suggest that it was not a competitive match.
Melrose won 25-5, 25-7, 25-14.
Attacking: Carol Higonenq led with five kills. Elise Marchais (2) and Ella Friedlander (1) each had their inaugural kills.
Serving: Melrose scored 58/71 service points and had over 91 percent serve percent.
Melrose (5-1) traveled to Wilmington (1-4) for a Freedom Division clash.
Melrose blanked the Wildcats 3-0 to move to 6-1.
Unfortunately, senior middle Sofia Papatsoris suffered a lower body injury that ended her night early. Sophomore Maggie Shoemaker substituted.
Melrose travels to Stoneham Friday for a 5:30 PM match.
ML12 Notes: Several matches should help establish the ML12 pecking order today. Winchester faces Lexington, Burlington goes to Wakefield, and Woburn hosts Belmont.
This ❤️ A teacher has the power to make a child at any age feel special. That is a super power that we should all make an everyday focus 🙌📚 pic.twitter.com/fyBw339xWh
— Jonathan Alsheimer (@mr_Alsheimer) September 17, 2024
Fresh is special. Newly minted MVB callups Ella Friedlaender and Elise Marchais embark on their varsity journeys. That reminds us of our varsity debuts and the varsity launches of our children.
Savor the experience; don't be overwhelmed. You earned MVB selection; promotion is never gifted. Former Melrose Athletic Director Sonny Lane told us many times after success, "I'm pleased but I'm not satisfied."
Commit to playing smart, playing hard, and playing together regardless of the opponent. Years ago an opposing coach trash talked MVB after Melrose swept a team on the road. MVB won the rematch first set 25-3. Statement made.
Exceptional teams don't play down to the level of the competition. They take care of business. That also allows everyone to play.
Melrose travels to Wilmington (1-4) Wednesday to face the Wildcats, who come off a shutout of Watertown.
Melrose brings a newly minted pair of varsity callups - Ella Friedlaender and Elise Marchais.
The pair increases the "Sister Act" contingent in addition to Gg Albuja, Anna Burns, and Maggie Shoemaker who are younger sibs to MVB alumnae. Elise's older sister, Manon, graduated last season.
Find ways to make your life better today.
On the "Australia Alone" show, a woman contestant took some acacia leaves and rubbed them together to release saponin, similar to soap. She made "bush soap" that allowed her to clean her hands, a big deal in that environment.
What could make your life better, your family life better, your education better, your volleyball better?
Only you know what works for you. Here are a few for consideration.
1) "Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care." - Shakespeare
Plan to get eight hours of sleep nightly. LeBron James gets twelve. Sleep hygiene matters. No caffeine after noon. Limit chocolate, mints, and acidic foods that can worsen acid reflux and impair sleep. Heavy screen time depletes melatonin. Ask your trainer/doctor whether there is any role for evening melatonin for you.
2) Gratitude check-in. Writing down three gratitude items a day for twenty-one day makes concrete all the blessings that surround us.
3) Healthier eating. Melrose has had a long tradition of pre-game snacks, but not always healthy ones. Skittles or a healthy fruit choice (e.g. an apple).
4) More efficient study (tips from Coursera - Learning How to Learn
Love this! 🧡 pic.twitter.com/zv3Vnc1smP
— TeacherGoals (@teachergoals) September 17, 2024
“For sale. Baby shoes, never worn.” The legend was that Ernest Hemingway penned this story. The legend was false.
Part of education flows from creativity. In a creativity challenge between humans and AI, judged by humans, AI won 35/40 times.
Give it your best shot and we'll also supply some from ChatGPT.
Five of these come from ChatGPT. The other five are mine.
1) Everything's temporary. Champions seventeen straight years.
2) Just win. It's what we do.
3) Block high, win higher – Melrose unstoppable.
4) Spike lands hard, victory lands harder.
5) One point down, but spirits soaring.
6) Serve fierce, block strong, Melrose wins.
7) One heart, one team, championship dreams.
8) Melrose, until the fat lady sings.
9) Know your job; do your job.
10) Varsity callups - Ella Friedlaender, Elise Marchais.
Lagniappe. On-court leadership.
Leadership on the court means more than just stats. Older players set the tone with work ethic, mentorship, & accountability. Their responsibility is to elevate the team, inspire younger players, and lead by example. 🏀
— Marsha Frese (@CoachFrese) September 17, 2024
Special players make impossible happen.
Post by @ifd_videotheque__View on Threads
"Video is the truth machine." Every exceptional player, without exception, studies video. Here are highlights from yesterday's third set. The program (or the operator) are twitchy today.
Leah Fowke has the quarterback's job. She doesn't get enough credit for her steadiness and all-around play. Here she attacks an overpass.
Net calls can be confusing during a fast-paced game, so Brennan clears up some common misconceptions about plays that are legal and illegal:
Hat tip Brook Kohlheim
We get what we accept and what we encourage and reward. Be a 'learn-it-all' not a know-it-all.
This HBR article suggests ways to encourage a learning culture.
1) Reward it.
2) Give feedback (backward looking) and advice (forward looking).
3) Model excellence (be the example).
4) Surround yourself with curious people.
Learning comes from many modes:
Melrose stats versus Burlington are in.
Attacking: Sabine Wenzel led with 13 and Swiss army knife Carol Higonenq added 10. Leah Fowke added three at setter.
Serving: Melrose had only 4 service errors in 73 attempts and 50 service points. Alex Homan had a whopping 13 service points in 16 tries and both Leah and Gg Albuja hit double figures.
Assists: Leah added another 22 tonight.
Receives: Carol tallied a hefty 14 in the back row.
Digs: MVB spread them around with 12 for Leah, 11 for Gg, 9 for Carol, and 8 for Maggie Turner.
From an online summary of the Heath Brothers' Made to Stick
"In 2004, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that people were more likely to donate money when they heard a message about a starving seven-year-old girl in Africa than a message about 3 million starving children in Africa.
When you tell a personal story about yourself, someone you know, or someone you read about, your audience can put themselves in their shoes and feels that person’s struggle and success."
“If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.” – Mother Teresa
Rivalries fuel sports. Within the ML12 Freedom Division, the fuel historically comes from Burlington and Wakefield. They're the "dominos" that must be knocked over.
Years ago Melrose basketball was leading Burlington by 25 with four minutes left, despite have two star players (juniors Shey Peddy, Lynley DeAmato) knocked out of the game by "physical" play. Burlington scored 17 points in the final four minutes after Dave Brady cleared the bench. Burlington parents left saying, "see, we're every bit as good as they are."
MBB players had steam coming off their heads and asked to be let loose in the rematch. Melrose came out afire and led 42-10 after ten minutes. Brady called off the dogs. Melrose made their point.
Some players need to optimize their intensity by listening to calming music before the game. Others need to be amped up. Do what works for you. Create 'signature wins'.
It never ceases to amaze me that no matter what game or open gym or pick up game I’m watching...there’s ALWAYS someone who plays harder than everyone else.
— Hoops Companion 🏀 Resources for Coaches (@Hoops_Companion) September 8, 2024
It’s a skill.
You know it when you see it. At tryouts, in practice, in games, you see that 'guy'. Geno Auriemma addresses the women as "guys," as an encompassing term. "Guys, we gotta play harder."
Sometimes 'the guy' is a vocal leader. Sometimes she leads by example without many words.
She usually wins the sprints.
She sprints to the huddle for a timeout.
She never "cheats the drill."
She's "first to the floor" to "keep the ball up."
She's Jay Bilas's example of "play so hard your coach has to take you out."
"How you do anything is how you do everything." Brad Stevens said that he never coached a great student who wasn't an excellent defender. The work ethic for both is the same.
"Be the guy."
Lagniappe. Nobody has everything go their way all the time.
This! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ykznfJGsf2
— Help A Teacher (@HelpATeacher) September 9, 2024
What's your plan to push through?
Learn from other sports and experience and extrapolate to volleyball.
Bob Knight says that basketball is "a game of mistakes" and that better teams reduce the number of mistakes.
Dave Smart says "every day is player development day." Platform skills, attack and block footwork, attack and block handwork need continuous refinement.
Stay humble. Dean Smith said, "a lion never roars after a kill." Success is something to build upon, not brag on. The only poll that matters is the one after the playoffs.
"Control what you can control." Stoic philosophy. Serving is the only aspect of volleyball under your total control.
General Alexander Suvorov, "the general who never lost," preached "always forward." Aggressiveness matters.
Learn every day. Be a continuous learner. Congressional Medal of Honor winner Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, hero of the Battle of Little Round Top at Gettysburg said, "I can learn."
Stay positive and do the work. Be focused and as told by John Wooden, "Make every day your masterpiece."
Bill Belichick, via Sun Tzu, believed "utilize strengths, attack weaknesses." Volleyball isn't baseball as you don't have to go through the batting order. You can go to your "big hitters" and better strategies as much as possible. Restate as "do more of what works and less of what doesn't."
Lagniappe. Worth a follow.
Coaches teach sports and much more. Not a comprehensive list, these skills will assist you throughout your life.
1) Have a firm handshake. Connecting well matters.
2) Learn eye contact. "The eyes are the windows of the soul." People sense whether you can be trusted or not and eye contact is part of that.
3) Conversation skills. Communicate without a steady stream of um, er, like, and you know. Don't know how? Practice in front of a mirror or use your phone to record your voice and play back.
4) Conduct a pre- or post-game interview. Be thoughtful, credit teammates and coaches, and avoid blame, complaint, and excuses. Adam Grant's book Give and Take shares the value or problem with ability to share credit.
5) Saying 'thank you'. Don't be sarcastic, condescending, or syrupy. "Thank you for helping" or "I appreciate your suggestion" goes a long way. As Robert Townsend wrote, "thanks is the cheapest form of compensation."
6) Show strong body language. Stand tall, be expansive. Learn to maintain good posture.
7) First impressions matter. "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Combine eye contact, a firm handshake, good posture and body language, and unforced conversation. Be interested in people and they're more likely to be interested in you.
Your ability to get a job, entry into school, or other opportunity often depends on your interpersonal skills. Cultivate them.
8) Critical thinking. Our first instinct is to believe what we see and hear. In an era of manipulated images and disinformation, ask yourself whether something you hear is probably true, probably false, unknown, or just spin. Another Grant book, Think Again describes people as preachers, politicians, or prosecutors. He suggests thinking as a scientist examining evidence.
Developing these skills takes time and effort. As adolescents you may think it's not necessary now. If not now, when?
Lagniappe. When studying an opponent what are you evaluating? Before watching, ask what you're watching.
Thomas Edison said, "opportunity is most often missed because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work."
What one word most often defines success? Melrose youth coach Ralph Labella said, "commitment."
What word matters most? Sacrifice? Persistence? Teamwork?
There's no unitary answer. The hard to digest recommendation is "professionalism."
So much goes into professionalism:
Truth is where you find it. Several examples emerged in today's version of The Boston Globe.
In Jim McBride's article about the Boston Bruins, he notes, "no sandpaper, no survival." He meant that winning requires grit, toughness. Exceptional teams and players have a different quality, intensity, and 'never quit' element to their game. It's not available from Amazon or online elsewhere. It comes from within.
After a cheap shot to a middle school teammate years ago, a future MVBer asked me during a timeout, "do you want me to take her out?" I replied, "you mean, to lunch? No, that is not how we play." But the toughness intent was undeniable.
Later, Christopher Price shared numerous nuggets in his piece.
Michael Jordan's position coach lauded his efforts. “MJ is a consummate professional,” Peters said. “He’s been around the league; I know he’s had some highs and lows in his career. But what really impresses me most is his approach and his professionalism. He works at everything, so really tries to do exactly what we want. And that’s shown up big time.”
About guard Layden Robinson, "“He’s a really tough guy,” veteran David Andrews said. “He wants to get it right. He’s very coachable in that sense. Like, you tell him something, he’s going to try to do it to the best of his ability.
He just does such a great job of trying to soak up all the information he can and trying to correct things he needs to correct and move forward. I've really enjoyed getting to work with him and think he's done a great job."
How does any of this apply to high school sports?
Ideas surround us. "Rubber ducking" is another term for brainstorming. Some writers have used a rubber duck as a conversation starter to overcome 'writer's block'.
What does this have to do with sports or volleyball?
Brad Stevens asked rhetorically, "what does our team need today?" Every coach and player can benefit from asking the question. No singular answer exists.
Coach Scott Celli invests time to put the team in the best position to succeed. MVB might need:
When reflecting on anything, we're subjected to recency bias. "What have you done for me lately?"
Stay aware of cognitive biases and mental models. Someone comes in and takes half a dozen serves including an ace. That's a tiny sample size. There's a statistical principle about "if nothing goes wrong, is everything all right?" The formula is 3/n. With 100 serves and no errors, that's a p value of 0.03 which is strongly statistically positive. 3/6 is 0.5. Means little.
MVB followed up Wednesday's match against Winchester with a much better one Friday at Wakefield. Some can be attributed to practice and corrections and some likely occurs from mean reversion.
There's plenty of time for us to discover who the 2024 MVB team is. And even then, time changes perception. Vincent Van Gogh sold ONE painting from about 900 painted during his lifetime. Now a Van Gogh is priceless.
Be aware of the many factors that affect perception.
AI take on some important cognitive biases:
Absolutely! Cognitive biases can significantly influence how we perceive and make decisions, often without us even realizing it. Here are six prominent cognitive biases that are particularly relevant in sports and coaching contexts:
Confirmation Bias: This is the tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses. For instance, a coach might focus on the positive aspects of a player's performance while ignoring any areas needing improvement because it aligns with their belief that the player is already excellent.
Overconfidence Bias: This bias involves having excessive confidence in one’s own abilities or judgments. In sports, this might manifest as an athlete or coach overestimating their skills or the likelihood of success, leading to under-preparation or poor decision-making.
Anchoring Bias: This is when individuals rely too heavily on the first piece of information they encounter (the “anchor”) when making decisions. For example, if a coach initially assesses a player as highly skilled, they might continue to rate the player's performance favorably even if subsequent evidence suggests otherwise.
Availability Heuristic: This bias involves relying on immediate examples that come to mind when evaluating a situation or making a decision. In sports, if a coach or player recently witnessed a major success or failure, they might disproportionately weigh that recent event when making future plans or decisions.
Bandwagon Effect: This is the tendency to align with the opinions or behaviors of the majority. In sports, this could mean a coach or team adopting strategies or training methods simply because they are popular or widely accepted, rather than based on evidence or effectiveness.
Sunk Cost Fallacy: This bias refers to the inclination to continue an endeavor once an investment in money, effort, or time has been made, regardless of whether the future benefits justify the additional investment. For example, if a coach has invested a lot of time in a particular training method that isn’t yielding results, they might continue to use it just because of the previous investment, rather than switching to a more effective approach.
Lagniappe. Part of Coach Scott Celli's success has been identifying need areas to retool strategy and lineups.
You're probably working on a hype video. Here's a random one.
To contribute more, add value.
Here's an old (2020) post from my basketball blog. To earn more playing time, it's about attitude, effort, decision-making, better individual and team play, and the ability to impact the game.
Coaches don't make out lineups, players do.
Updated ML Standings
The edge is earned.
— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) September 14, 2024
It’s about proving ourselves, not to anyone else, but to the work.
Every rep, every drill, builds the foundation.
When it’s time to compete, we don’t hope for victory—we expect it, because we’ve prepared like champions long before the game even starts. pic.twitter.com/299optc631
Danny Hurley challenges players daily. Some might see him as a hard guy to play for.
Team success demands a lot from coaches and players. It demands sacrifice, superior effort, and as Bob Knight said, "the will to prepare." Many people say they have the will to win but not the will to prepare. Coach Hurley believes in desperation.
This is literally in the oven now, a variation of the WW2 chocolate "Wowie Cake" which has no eggs, butter, or milk.
There are a lot of ingredients. Cooking "mise en place" (getting all materials together first) keeps chefs efficient and effective. For example, I had to buy molasses to make this.
Plenty of good action to review...via WCAT
Key points:
Overpasses can result from efforts at precision passing - good passes are often better than attempts at perfect ones.
Came across this old MVB article on Sister Acts.
Interesting table, too.
Toughness is a skill. Hard work is a skill. Sportsmanship is a skill.
MVB has won the MIAA Sportsmanship Award. Compete while showing sportsmanship.
Toughness and sportsmanship coexist within the ecosystem of the team, too.
Fake Toughness
— Craig Doty (@CoachDoty) June 6, 2024
*Cheap shots
*Talking trash
*Taunting
*Handshake line scuffles
Real Toughness
*Practicing hard every day
*Doing the dirty work
*Playing through aches and pains
*Cheering on your teammates when you’re on the bench
*Playing through fatigue
*Making winning plays
Maxpreps.com generates a postgame summary.
Here's the box score.
Maggie Turner led in digs and serve receive.
Sabine Wenzel delivered sixteen kills.
Gigi Albuja had another huge night with 17/22 service points as the float serve expert. The team serve percent approach 92%, a significant gain.
In other area scores/surprises:
Weston upset Needham 3-2.
Lexington shutout Woburn 3-0.
Bellingham shutout Medfield 3-0.
MVB played better technically and tactically. Here are a few clips from WCAT video.
Emme Boyer goes short.
Melrose traveled to Wakefield (3-0), looking to resume its winning ways against the rising ML12 power. MVB played its best volleyball of the season in a 25-12, 25-14, 25-16 sweep of the Warriors before a loud and boisterous home crowd in a playoff atmosphere.
The win brings Melrose to 4-1 as we are already at the quarter pole of the regular season.
Melrose made some lineup and technical tweaks based on film study and came out better in all aspects of the game.
A first star would have to go to Sabine Wenzel who dominated offensively and defensively up front showing her full array of skills. Setter Leah Fowke was her steady self and Carol Higonenq had an excellent all-around game from the outside. It would be remiss not to mention Sabine and Leah combining on a set by Sabine and kill for Leah.
Improved blocking helped steady the defense anchored by Maggie Turner, Gg Albura, and Alex Homan whose setting ability comes in handy.
MVB serves were more consistent tonight with few errors while Wakefield struggled to stay out of the net against the Melrose offense.
Sofia Papatsoris, Emme Boyer, and Abby Dennison added steady play with few errors up front.
Adele Akland got her first extended action at a designated server and provided a steady performance.
MVB Notes: State Champions in the House. Brooke Bell, Amanda Commito, and Sydney Doherty from the 2012 club all were in attendance.
The Boston Globe profiled Melrose. Not exactly the Sports Illustrated jinx but cause for optimism as Melrose hits the court today at Wakefield.
Melrose travels to Wakefield for an early season Freedom Division matchup against Wakefield who defeated Belmont 3-1 on Wednesday.
Melrose looks to get back on track after the home loss to Winchester.
Legendary hoop coach Don Meyer has a saying, "it matters more how we play than whom we play."
Jay Bilas wrote the article and book "Toughness." Some of you have read it. He helped define basketball toughness for tens of thousands of players and coaches. Not all the rules applied to volleyball, but key ones do.
Most of these are self-explanatory. Amplification occurs as needed.
"It's not your shot, it's ours." Decision making is an underappreciated part of hitting.
"Get on the floor."
"Talk on defense." Communication problems lead to 'campfires' and players running into each other.
"Get your hands up." Desire is an enormous part of the block.
"Play so hard your coach has to take you out." Exceptional players have exceptional drive, the motor pushing them forward.
"Take responsibility for your teammates." It's not enough to play hard. Lead and energize teammates.
"Finish plays." Make the best play. Not many players are so powerful that they can just whale away.
"Work on your pass." Passing is an underrated skill. "Great" is the enemy of good.
"Take and give criticism the right way." John Wooden tells the story of being unable to "move" the family mule no matter what he tried. His father Joshua approached the mule, whispered something in her ear and she cooperated. Become a coach-whisperer.
"Show strength in your body language." Don't allow your opposition to drink your tears.
"Be alert."
"Concentrate and get your teammates to concentrate." Next play.
"Take responsibility for your actions." Accountability means holding yourself to a high standard.
"Look your coaches and teammates in the eye." Coaches remember great eye contact. "The eyes are the window to the soul."
"Move on to the next play." As Ted Lasso would say, "Be a goldfish, the animal with a ten second memory."
"Be easy to play with and hard to play against." Your opponents and teammates respect players who give great effort and teamwork.
"Make getting better every day your goal." Nothing has changed since the banquet at the end of last season. The goal is to win the last game of the season.
Lagniappe. Who's the future setter for MVB? Someone with great hand-eye coordination, athleticism, maturity, calmness.
