An Easy Team to Like

Coach Sonny Lane used to ask us, "You know what I like about you guys?" We answered, "nothing." 

Cliches exist because they often have validity. 

Leadership maven David Cottrell wrote, "People don't quit jobs; they quit people." You can count the number of players who walked away from Melrose volleyball in two decades...on about one finger. 

"Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Fight for your culture every day." A welcoming and inclusive culture goes a long way. 

Legendary UCLA Coach John Wooden said, "Happiness begins where selfishness ends." The 2008 Celtics had a culture built upon the Swahili, "UBUNTU." It translates to "I am because of who we are." Superstars Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen sacrificed shots and 'usage ratio' to win an NBA title. 

"You can observe a lot by watching." - Yogi Berra   Some coaches such as Geno Auriemma and Pat Summitt film the bench. If you're not engaged, you're not playing. I've noticed terrific engagement from players on the sidelines. Attitude is a choice. 

"It's amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit." Every player on a championship team is a champion. Nobody can take that away from them. 

Most coaches take a shine to our teams as we know them well. Invariably, I'll mention a player to Coach Scott Celli and he'll say, "And she's as nice a person as you'd want to meet." He told me that about multiple girls on the team this season. 

That makes it easy to like the 2022 team, regardless of wins and losses.