Seven

Recently, we were coaching youth basketball, with six players on a team, needing to have one player sit out at a time. I asked the young girls each to pick a number between one and six, and a girl pipes up and says, "seven". Well, seven doesn't go into six, and that especially holds true for volleyball, six players on the floor at once.

Here are the 'superstars' of Melrose High School. And most of them haven't touched a volleyball twice. The library will always count more than the court, but when you're on the court, the play's the thing.  The best way for the players to respect the game is simply to come out and play hard every day.

This week, Coaches Celli and Wall will probably meet with the players and parents and give them an overview of his expectations.  Still, being honest with players and parents may not always earn points. He might regret a few of his decisions (who doesn't?), but that doesn't mean that he would change them at the time.  "Sports doesn't build character, it reveals character."

A parent cheering enthusiastically for the team when their child doesn't play much always shows me a lot about that family, and why that player made the team in the first place. Sometimes "patience carries a lot of wait".

The coach does the best job possible identifying combinations of players that will help the team have a good process and play well. At the same time, the coaches help maximize the ability from every player.  A player might earn more time because of a specific skill (e.g. defending, blocking, serving) and that will necessarily come at the expense of the time of another player.  Melrose volleyball has never lived on the seniority system. But at the end of the day, seven still won't go into six.

Coaches have to make tough decisions all the time. Years ago, a couple of players threatened to quit unless the coach reversed an executive leadership decision. He told the players to do whatever they had to do. Each made a choice which they felt was right for them. The team went on to win a sectional championship.

Although many players have earned attention locally and some regionally, few have accomplished more than a girl who played years ago- being a great teammate. She wasn’t the star of the team. She often played only late in games after the outcome was decided. She came to practice every day, practiced hard, and became the best she could be. She knew she wouldn’t be in the game at the big moments, while younger, less experienced athletes would be. She accepted this because she valued being part of the team and contributing however she could. Her best friend, Marianne Foley, became an All-Scholastic in 2003, while she cheered and supported the team. Both shared Melrose's first Division II North volleyball championship, on a team that went 22-2 and came within a point of going to the state championship, losing to the ultimate champions, Marlborough. And everyone remembers Danielle Burke as a great teammate, a part of Melrose volleyball history.

*Modified from a previous article on this site.