Strong teams bring a game plan and execution to the court.
Make the first pass difficult.
Think "S's."
- Seams
- Short
- Sidelines
- "Sister" (less skilled defender)
- Spin or spinless or speed
Serve intentionally.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Intentional Serving
Monday, June 15, 2026
"Up in Smoke" - You Will Be Judged on Both Rules and Appearances
Know the rules, follow the rules, and don't compromise yourself or your team by your actions.
Melrose athletes have been suspended for rules violations. Nobody holds up a flag saying, "That couldn't happen here." That's why this column matters.
Student-athletes have freedom of choice; freedom of choice does not include freedom from consequences.
You work too hard and too long, make too many sacrifices to see those go "up in smoke."
I asked ChatGPT Plus to summarize a recent high school rules violation that caused a team to forfeit a Final Four match. Good people can make poor choices.
The Ipswich lacrosse controversy is less about cigars and more about judgment, optics, accountability, and unintended consequences.
What Happened?
In June 2026, several graduating players from the boys' lacrosse team at Ipswich High School were photographed after graduation appearing to smoke cigars. Because the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) prohibits tobacco use by student-athletes, the school investigated and suspended six senior players. With additional players opting not to participate, Ipswich forfeited its Division 4 state semifinal game rather than compete shorthanded.
The controversy intensified when parents argued that the cigars were actually homemade props containing tea and other non-tobacco materials. School administrators later disputed those claims, stating that their investigation led them to conclude the cigars were real and that some of the evidence presented after the fact was inconsistent with the timeline.
Regardless of which version ultimately proves correct, the season ended with a forfeit, a divided community, angry parents, devastated teammates, and a cautionary tale for high school athletics.
Accountability Lessons for High School Athletes
1. Optics Matter
One of the oldest coaching lessons is:
"Don't put yourself in a position where appearances become the story."
Even if the players believed they were not violating the rule, they created an image that looked exactly like a rule violation. In the social media era, adults, schools, opponents, and governing bodies often react to what can be seen rather than what was intended.
A useful standard for athletes:
If a photo requires a five-minute explanation, it's probably a bad photo to take.
2. Individual Choices Affect the Team
The most painful lesson is that a small group decision ultimately impacted dozens of teammates.
Athletes often hear:
"You represent more than yourself."
Whether fair or unfair, the actions of a few players ended a championship opportunity for an entire roster. This is the essence of team accountability.
3. Know the Rulebook
Many high school athletes know the game rules but not the conduct rules.
Elite programs teach both.
The question is not:
"Do I think this rule is reasonable?"
The question is:
"What are the consequences if someone decides I've violated it?"
Those are different questions.
4. Winning the Argument Isn't Always Winning
Much of the public discussion has focused on whether the punishment fit the offense. Reasonable people can disagree.
But successful athletes learn that after a mistake, energy spent proving someone else wrong often produces less value than accepting reality and moving forward.
The scoreboard doesn't care who won the debate.
5. Leadership Means Thinking One Step Ahead
The best captains and leaders develop a habit of asking:
- How will this look tomorrow?
- How could this be misunderstood?
- What happens if this photo goes public?
- Is the risk worth the reward?
Most leadership failures occur not from bad intentions but from a failure to anticipate second-order consequences.
A Coaching Perspective
For a coach, the biggest lesson is not tobacco, cigars, or even discipline.
It's decision-making under uncertainty.
The players likely saw a harmless graduation tradition. Administrators saw a potential rules violation. Parents saw an overreaction. Teammates saw a lost opportunity.
All of them may have been sincere.
The enduring lesson for athletes is that maturity means understanding that intentions matter, but consequences matter too.
Or, as many coaches put it:
Make decisions that leave no room for doubt.
That's often the safest path for athletes who don't want their season, team, or reputation determined by a photograph.
Summary:
- Know the rules. The MIAA rules on tobacco, alcohol, and drugs are unambiguous. Coach Scott Celli shares them with you.
- Don't think, DATU - "doesn't apply to us."
- Follow them to the letter. If you are at a gathering where others are violating the rules, that can impact you and your team.
- You are accountable for your choices which can affect your team.
- You own your choices. Make good ones. Bad choices kill dreams.
Lagniappe...from Coach Lisle on Instagram
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Lifelong Lessons that Work for Volleyball
Student-athletes can learn lifelong lessons from sports. Take inventory of how many inhabit your toolbox.
Always do your best.
- Our best won't always be great.
- Best effort and focus leaves less room for regret.
"Character and Competence"
- Character is not reputation. It is values and actions.
- Competence relates to performance and consistency.
Seek balance between your home and 'work' life.
- Your family deserves your best, too.
- Be authentic and consistent daily.
Be a great teammate.
- Mentor younger players. That sustains program excellence.
- Support everyone.
- Everyone can lead by modeling excellence.
Be happy for the success of others.
- "Your joy is my joy."
- Radiate positivity. Nobody thrives in a negative culture.
- Sportsmanship recognizes that the other guy wants to win, too.
Success lives in the details.
- Know your job.
- Do the work of preparation. "We fall to the level of our training."
- Everyone needs to be on the same page.
Lagniappe. You know the "Achievement Equation."
ACHIEVEMENT = PERFORMANCE x TIME
Elite performers don’t rely on motivation. They rely on discipline. Motivation gets you started, discipline keeps you in the game. Greatness isn’t built on hype, it’s built on days you don’t feel like it. The gap between good & great— how do you show up, compete & work every day?
— Jon Beck (@CoachJonBeck) February 18, 2026
When you "show up" every day, both performance and time expand...
Dream Big
There is an African proverb:
“A cat that dreams of becoming a lion must lose its appetite for rats.”
Meaning: To achieve greatness, you must let go of old habits that could hold you back.
Have ambitions as a group that you can fulfill by bringing the best possible version of yourself daily.
What does that look like?
- Be great at home.
- Be great at school.
- Be a great teammate.
- Model excellence in preparation.
- Focus completely on your tasks.
Saturday, June 13, 2026
Dancing not Shaking
“Perpetual optimism, believing in yourself, believing in your purpose, believing you will prevail, and demonstrating passion and confidence is a force multiplier. If you believe, and I’ve prepared your followers, the followers will believe.” - Colin Powell, in It Worked for Me
In 2006, two 22-0 teams squared off at Tsongas Arena for the sectional championship. Melrose won handily, something like 68-51. After the game, I asked a player when she knew they would win. "In the tunnel to the court before the game. We were dancing; they were shaking."
Life rewards balance.
- Courage balances recklessness and fear.
- Confidence balances arrogance and doubt.
Redeem worthy values.
- Integrity
- Honesty
- Hard work
- Sacrifice
- Temperance
- Loyalty
- Friendship
- Humility
You own these. Nobody can bestow them upon you. You can only be as good as your self-belief.
Belief reflects proven success.
Belief is powerful. Belief is contagious. Belief derives from character and competence. Belief is earned. Own it.
Lagniappe. You have time to work on yourself if you start today.
Lagniappe 2.
The Alpha
"Thia: “On Earth… there’s a predator known as the wolf. It’s a powerful creature. They hunt in packs. They’re very loyal. The leader of the pack is the alpha, known as the most dominant.”
Dek: “Wolf. This alpha must be a great killer. I will hunt it too.”
Thia: “No. The alpha isn’t the wolf who kills the most. The alpha is actually the one who best protects the pack.”" - from Predator Badlands
The analogy is real in Dek's "origin story." The Alpha Female is the emotional and social anchor of the pack, respected and dominant. Her role is vital as leader and decision-maker.
Wolf social hierarchy evolved to support this truth, "the strength of the wolf is the pack."
Not everyone wants to assume the challenges and responsibilities of leadership.
Lead the pack at home and in the community.
Lead the pack in school.
Lead the pack on the court.
Be the one who best protects the pack.
73 Days Until Tryouts
There is no “established lineup.” Everyone has a chance to become a contributor.
The preseason practices, scrimmages, and Play Day will define the Opening Day lineups.
There are almost a “dozen deep” players who have legitimate hopes of earning roles.
- Take care of yourself physically and mentally.
- Be on time, ready to go.
- Be a great teammate.
- “Support each other” - Your joy is my joy.
- Be positive.
- Bring the best version of yourself daily.
Coach John Wooden summed it up, “Make every day your masterpiece.”
Friday, June 12, 2026
Winning Words*
*Adapted from my basketball blog.
Quotes alone don't win games. Embrace principles embedded within quotes. Here are some of my favorites:
1. "Invert, always invert." - Carl Jacobi
What's the opposite and what are the likely consequences of the opposite? How would you want people to describe our team? Smart (vs low VBIQ), tough (vs soft), together (vs selfish).
2. "Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson
Teamwork is a force multiplier. Exceptional teams usually exceed the sum of the individual parts. Sharers make those around them better.
3. "The game honors toughness." - Paul Patterson (popularized by Brad Stevens)
Jay Bilas's book Toughness is a must read for every serious coach and player. It's excellent for "team reading."
4. "Prove them wrong." - Kobe Bryant
Naysayers always have reasons "not to believe." Too small. Too slow. Too young. Too inexperienced.
5. "Excellent teams play harder for longer." - Dave Smart
Smart is aptly named, an under-the-radar coach who is among the best in the sport. Playing harder for longer manifests resilience.
6. "Shot selection is the quickest path to improvement."
Believe in Newell's legendary mandate, "Get more and better attacks than our opponent." It's the meaning behind Doc Rivers' "shot turnovers" and the first priority of analytics effective field goal percentage. "Me, too" or "My turn" shots are unacceptable.
7. "Fouls negate hustle." - Anonymous
Hustle can make something out of a negative. Fouls create the highest points per possession chances - free throws. Bad teams play bad individual and team defense, often leading to fouls. Service errors are much like fouls.
8. Just because I want you on the floor doesn't mean I want you to shoot." - Bob Knight
Contribution doesn't equate to "box score hero." The best teams get the ball to the best shooters for the most shots from their spots. Players can contribute with defense, digs communication, screening, blocks, and more.
9. "Drag a teammate into the top ten percent." - Urban Meyer
Working out with a teammate improves two players, enhances communication, teamwork, and creates competition. Meyer require top ten percenters to bring someone from the "middle class" (the 80 percent) to work out.
10. "I believe in you." - Anonymous
When your coach tells you, "I believe in you," they convey a powerful message. A woman was walking into a CIA meeting to give a presentation and her boss asked her, "Do you know more about this than anyone else here?" She said, "Yes." He instructed her, "Act like it." We own our belief.
Lagniappe. Learn every day. You don't need expensive equipment to jump rope, do calf raises, pogos, tuck jumps, bounds, single leg squats, or serial broad jumps. You do need desire and commitment.
What do Coach Scott Celli and Santa Claus have in common (besides five letter words and the same initials)? They both know who's been naughty or nice over the summer.
Scoring While Undersized (Watch and Study)
"All things are relative." Relative to MVB 25, Melrose will have an undersized attack.
The video shows a player who uses versatility to her advantage, blending technique (skills) with tactics (strategy).
The MVB 26 attackers who embrace and maximize these techniques have the opportunity for breakthrough performances.
Thursday, June 11, 2026
Character Synergies, Venn Diagrams, and Conflict
Overlapping values between players and coaches creates synergy.Kirby Smart shares the two things he looks for in everyone who joins Georgia.
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) June 12, 2026
"The threat for us is complacency. The first thing you have to do is acknowledge that it's a threat. If you acknowledge it - that's the first step towards stomping it out."
Then he revealed what… pic.twitter.com/zipuFLPEh3
A Venn diagram is a visual tool that uses overlapping circles to show relationships between different groups or ideas. The overlapping areas represent similarities or shared characteristics, while the separate sections show differences. It helps simplify comparison, classification, and problem-solving by making connections easy to see.
Diagram created with ChatGPT Plus
Areas of convergence matter more than differences as long as none of the differences are "deal breakers."
Ricky Williams was a talented running back who found marijuana use helpful for both physical recovery and anxiety. The NFL didn't see it that way. Williams said that if he had pain, he was told "take Percocet" and he wasn't interested in hard drugs. His career was short.
Coaches uniformly will have concerns about:
- Work ethic
- Accountability
- Attention to detail
- Teamwork
- Being "part of the program"
Almost every player is concerned with:
- Individual success
- Minutes
- Role
- Recognition
- How the team functions
When the player understands what the coach wants, she has a far better chance to prepare, perform, and persist if she can adapt her wants to the coach's.
If a player's vision of "competitive character" doesn't align with the coaching staff, then problems are going to arise. That's where openness and communication matter.
Conflict can be destructive or productive and most people have one of four conflict styles: Amanda Ripley is a vital share from her MasterClass...realizing that overlap is normal.
We develop these styles young.
Avoiders often agree or walk away. Ignoring toxicity doesn't fix anything. "Sometimes exposure is the only good treatment." Most people, bottom line, want to be heard and understood.
Mediators look for common ground. They sense problems and seek to defuse it. But we can cede our feelings to others to our detriment.
Fighters want to battle. "Let's go." That's seldom a solution and power imbalances exist. "Social justice warriors" don't alway win even if their positions are just. Fighting and bullying can overlap. They're often fact-based but not necessarily persuasive.
Conflict entrepreneurs are dangerous, needy, often manipulators who live for it. They often have allies and are addicted to revenge. They don't see themselves as toxic. Compliance is a loss. Becoming them, "fighting fire with fire" doesn't work...getting into the mud. Ripley recommends 1) distancing, 2) trying to understand real wants, and 3) redirecting some of their energy when possible. They tend to be litigious.
Navigating our role on a team either as a head coach, assistant, or player matters. Touching the wrong nerves can hurt our cause. Try to figure out who we are and who we're working with/against.
I say that it's easier to have "Batman and Robin" than "Batman and Batman." Harmful conflict in families, workplaces, or teams never results in good outcomes. Think divorce, or Donald Sterling and the Clippers...
The most reliable predictors for high conflict are either contempt or disgust. Anger is not the characteristic issue.
Within dysfunctional conflict, destroyer number one is humiliating the 'opponent'.
Be able to ask, "Help me understand how everyone is feeling so that we can work on it." We have to understand that our behavior impacts others even if we think we're "in the right."
Healthy conflict can be stressful but creates knowledge of other perspectives and potential for solutions. Anyone who has been around sports for decades has their examples of "over the top" conflict which can't be shared.
Summary:
1) Recognize that both coaching staff and players have different values and desires. Learn them through communication.
2) Conflict is inevitable
3) Work to have healthy not dysfunctional conflict
4) Learn the "trigger points" that can set people off
5) Prioritize solutions over "winning" conflicts
Lagniappe. The middle blockers are vital. Study and learn the role and excel.
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Learning the Ropes
When training young players, spend less time obsessing over skill development and more time building habits.
— Steve Dagostino (@DagsBasketball) June 9, 2026
Skills matter.
But discipline, effort, focus, accountability, resilience, and consistency are what allow those skills to develop over time.
The best youth coaches… pic.twitter.com/gdQFASMLHP
Some of what separates varsity players and elite players is professionalism.
- Learn to take care of yourself.
- Learn to prepare and practice.
- Learn to bring intensity while under self-control.
- Learn to cope with failure and success.
Lagniappe. Make the role great.
🚀 The only career advice you need:
— Kevin Dahlstrom (@Camp4) June 7, 2026
The actor Glen Powell auditioned to play Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick.
When the role was given to Miles Teller, Powell was devastated. He was offered a smaller role, but declined.
Tom Cruise summoned Powell to his house and asked him:
“What… pic.twitter.com/3PvUrEvLRC
"STAR" Performance
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation..." - Henry David Thoreau
Need more? A job applicant was frustrated. High GPA, lots of interviews and no offers. He asked another applicant (who got the job) for help.
He explained his approach to being a "STAR."
S = situation
Do you 'want' this job or do you 'need' it? What do you bring to the situation that others may not?
T = task
What role do you expect to fill? Explain why your skill set fits the task at hand.
A = action
Describe what you've done - the steps you took, decisions you made, and how you approached the problem in a previous role. Don't read your resume. Connect.
R = result
What your actions achieved - your impact that directly improved your team's results.
"Every day is showtime." Show up on time, prepared, enthusiastic ("fired up, ready to go").
1. What is your MVB skill?
2. How are you earning lineup "trust?"
3. What are you doing TODAY to improve?
Earning trust is everything.
Lagniappe. Great plays are the tip of the iceberg. Making routine plays well consistently separates the best players. The possible...
Unreal Volleyball Saves!! pic.twitter.com/OKqSgr0C3R
— ꧁♛𝓑𝓵✯𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓮𝓼♛꧂ (@heyitsmeCarolyn) June 9, 2026
Lagniappe 2. More...
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