My Top MVB Moments

"Everyone is necessarily the hero of their own story." - Kafka

I've watched and studied MVB since 2002, witnessing lots of success and occasional disappointment. Having watched twins 'matriculate' through the program for four years, avoiding "endowment effect" is impossible.

Many great moments occurred and we've gotten to watch many of them in person or taped. I won't pretend that I could reproduce the list or the order. 

1. State Championship run, 2012. The narrow loss to Newton North served as a catalyst before the playoff run. The team determined that it would not lose again. 

2. State Championship loss, 2005 to Medfield, 3-2. It wasn't Melrose's time and MVB wasn't "ready to win" it all. It had a murderer's row of opponents up to the sectional title - Central Catholic, Arlington Catholic, and North Andover. 

3. Beating Barnstable. Barnstable is the "name brand" of Massachusetts volleyball, closing in on twenty state titles. D1 superpower Barnstable serenaded Melrose in 2008 with "Mickey Mouse" in a show of supreme confidence and playful disrespect. MVBers were the Disney princesses in the 2009 rematch.

  

4. Sectional title 2021 at Billerica. Stunning, improbable comeback in a hostile road environment. 

5. Sectional title win 2003 at Andover versus AC. Melrose came in as a heavy underdog, the equivalent of the 2001-2002 Patriots versus "The Greatest Show on Turf." AC was 22-0 and had not lost a set all season with a pair of 6'2" middles. Melrose blended youth and experience, sweeping them 3-0 with a Denise Applegate topspin smash. 

6. Sectional title win over Duxbury in 2022. MVB captured another great win on the road against an undefeated "Dragon" team. MVB 2022 established itself as the "Third Dynasty" with consecutive sectional titles. 

7. Shutting out Westborough in 2012 on the road. Ralph Labella had the call as the future State Champions rode team play and an otherworldly libero performance from J-Mac to win.

 

8. 2005 playoff win over nemesis Central. This was a "home" win at Stoneham during the construction of the Middle School. Future D1 program Central would frustrate Melrose numerous times as a regional superpower drawing players from the Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire. The match went to the full five and was a 'signature win' over a talented club. 

9. 2002 playoff win over Dracut. Melrose was on the ascent and won a marathon 3-2 home match. A "marathon within a marathon" the fifth set win was a Melrose 38-36 win in the era of 30 points to win and three set wins in the playoffs only. 

10. This is the "PUT YOUR NAME HERE" spot. MVB 2024 has the talent, experience, and coaching to make special happen. 

Lagniappe. Why would you NOT study the 2012 powerhouse?

 

Immutable Truth

Jay Bilas said, "The greatest compliment to any player is he is a great teammate. We can’t all be great players, but we can all be great teammates."

Great teams have great teammates.
• It means dedication.
• It means support.
• It means trust. pic.twitter.com/x5izFtElb9

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) June 30, 2024

Many of you have read Jay Bilas's Toughness. Bilas had an exceptional college basketball career, works as a national broadcaster, and has a law career. He provides highly regarded commentary about college sports and the business of sports. 

The NBA Champion Celtics called the reserve players "The Stay Ready Group" this season. "The Stay Ready" philosophy implies 1) being ready, 2) working to maintain readiness, and 3) acknowledging that coaches may call on you at any time to provide good minutes or replacement minutes for injury or illness. 

"Star in your role" whatever it may be. The MVMMS cameras capture not only the game but the engagement and reactions of the bench. Supporting and celebrating the players on the floor adds value. 

Lagniappe. Your behavior matters. 

Your Daily Routine

"We make our habits and our habits make us."

Your coaches don't make your habits. Your parents don't make your habits although they can help shape them. One person defines your habits. 

Every action we take is a "vote for the person we want to be," says Atomic Habits author James Clear.  

IF YOU LACK SELF-DISCIPLINE, OPEN THIS.

1. pic.twitter.com/finYSmd5xP

— Philosophy Call | Modern Stoic (@Philosophy_Call) June 30, 2024

Sunday Second Helping

from my basketball blog..."How Stoicism Can Help Us"

Study Stoicism. Our minds have incredible power. Take advantage to build resilience. 

Stoicism is a durable philosophy dating back millennia. Many professional teams and athletes have adopted stoicism. What principles guide stoicism? How can they help us? 

Control what you can control because disappointments are inevitable. We can't control events around us but we can control our response. 

Practice gratitude. It can help us appreciate our situation, even when things aren't going as well as we'd like. 

Favor reason over emotion. Use the power of our mental acuity to make better decisions, regardless of the stressors around us. 

Develop self-control. Put discipline and rational thinking above desires and wants. 

Live in the present. Work on virtue and presence and find the ability to let go of unfortunate pasts. 

We don't need an opinion on everything. This frees us from 'cognitive dissonance' of holding conflicting ideas simultaneously. 

This is an ideal opportunity to use AI (from ChatGPT)

Stoicism, an ancient Greek philosophy founded in Athens around 300 BC, revolves around several core principles that guide its followers toward living a fulfilling life characterized by virtue, reason, and resilience. Here are some of the top-level principles of Stoicism:

1. Virtue as the sole good: Stoics believe that moral excellence (virtue) is the highest good and the only true measure of a person's worth. Virtue includes qualities like wisdom, justice, courage, and self-discipline.

2. Live in accordance with nature: This principle suggests that humans should align their lives with the rational order of the universe. It involves accepting events and circumstances beyond our control while focusing on what we can control—our thoughts, actions, and attitudes.

3. Acceptance of the present moment: Stoicism emphasizes accepting the present moment as it is, without unnecessary emotional reaction or resistance. This involves cultivating a mindset of equanimity and tranquility in the face of life's challenges.

4. Control over desires and emotions: Stoics advocate for moderation and self-control in desires and emotions. By overcoming destructive emotions like fear, anger, and greed, individuals can achieve inner peace and clarity.

5. Understanding the dichotomy of control: This principle distinguishes between what is within our control (our thoughts, actions, and choices) and what is not (external events, other people's actions, and circumstances). Stoics focus their efforts on what they can control and accept what they cannot.

6. Live according to reason: Stoicism emphasizes the use of reason and logic to guide one's thoughts and actions. By cultivating a rational approach to life, individuals can make better decisions and avoid being swayed by irrational impulses.

7. Practice of mindfulness and self-reflection: Stoics advocate for regular self-examination and reflection to improve oneself morally and intellectually. This includes assessing one's actions, identifying weaknesses, and striving for continual improvement.

8. Understanding the transience of life: Stoicism teaches the impermanence of everything in life, emphasizing the importance of appreciating the present moment and being prepared for change and adversity.

These principles form the foundation of Stoic philosophy and are aimed at helping individuals live a more meaningful and resilient life, guided by reason, virtue, and inner strength.

Being in the present, focused, and rational helps us make better decisions at home, school or work, and in sports. We can't control how others treat us but we control how we treat them.  

Alone

“For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories." - Plato

Discipline defines destiny. Although volleyball is a team sport, training is often individual. Accomplish a lot alone - working on technique, tactics (e.g. studying video), strength and conditioning, and resilience with visualization and mindfulness. 

Every elite performer invests time and energy training. Having a mentor/partner is better but not always available. 

Technique: 

Tactics. 

When studying video, have your 'commonplace book' to keep notes on what you learned. Think about the big picture, e.g. scoring points on the serve, block, or attack. Also study the granular (fine) detail that goes into each of the above. 

As unpleasant as watching losses is, learn to love our losses and learn from them. 

Have a plan and execute. 

Physicality. 

Top players grow their athleticism. Time is ticking but you have time to grow coordination, strength, and conditioning. Over 50 years ago, we jumped rope for five minutes at the beginning of basketball practice. Can you?  

Given a choice of elite conditioning or elite jumping, choose conditioning. 

Psychology.

Under the pressure of competition, pressure, and fatigue, mental toughness often separates champions from contenders.

 

Watch at your leisure and take notes. Learn to practice resilience skills. Controlled breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the opposite of the "fight or flight" system that stimulates or overstimulates. 

Lagniappe. Process, process, process. 

Well said - It's a winning mindset and striving for a mindset of excellence.
• Focus on process over results.
• Focus on doing your best.
• Focus on getting better.

Excellence isn't a one-time event, it's a journey.

It starts by winning today and then tomorrow and then the… pic.twitter.com/i9Gu05E0F4

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) June 22, 2024

MVB Culture

"Fight for your culture every day."  

“What are the behaviors we tolerate? What are the behaviors we celebrate? The answer to those defines your culture.” - Ryan Odom (VCU Men’s Basketball) pic.twitter.com/5cunRvOg1j

— Alan Stein, Jr. (@AlanSteinJr) June 29, 2024

Outsiders can only speculate about MVB culture. But close observation for three decades reveals a few points.

1. Team first. It isn't always easy to put the good of the team above the good of yourself.

2. Improvement. Seldom does the team at the start of the season closely resemble the skill, collaboration, and resilience at the end. 

3. Simplicity. Simple is hard. Do well what you do a lot. And do more of what works and less of what doesn't. "Utilize strengths and attack weaknesses."

Lagniappe. Reading and returning tips at the front row.  

"Work in Progress"

Listen to someone bristle at being called "a work in progress." They take umbrage because someone suggests they are incomplete, imperfect, flawed.

Do we have room for growth, wisdom, more perfect understanding of the world and people around us and ourselves? Surely.

If a physical volleyball represented the world of volleyball, what surface 'covering' would reflect our understanding? Would it be dime-sized, quarter-sized, the size of a playing card?

At the other extreme, with the expanse of knowledge, how can we distill it to the essence of 'useful and usable' information? That's the ocean that coaches and authors navigate. 

"Work in progress" only insults us when our self-assessment is inflated and incomplete. 

Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich would say, "get over yourself." 

Lagniappe. 

pic.twitter.com/HfovhI9of1

— Mindful Maven (@mindfulmaven_) June 28, 2024

Sustainability

In many domains, sustainability defines both success and legacy. New 'technology' outcompetes old. Capital (think minutes, role, and recognition) flows to the most efficient sources of 'production'.  

Coach Scott Celli uses a version of "draft and develop" in roster building. Young players emerge as freshmen or sophomores to contribute to team success.

There's a cost to that, Pietra versus Paola. When a ninth or tenth grader excels, that pressures upperclassmen to 'raise their game' or lose playing time. That's reality, the numbers game of competitive sports.

On another site, Coach Brian Williams says, "this is not a union job."

At the banquet each year, Coach Celli reminds players that all jobs are open. He means it. Even during the season, lineup changes in both personnel or position happen. Alyssa DiRaffaela relocated from the front to the back row and ultimately helped get the 2011 club to the finals. 

I don't know which rising freshmen will compete for roster spots or whether a sophomore like Anna Burns can kick down the metaphorical door to earn a back row role. 

What is certain is that Coach Celli understands sustainability and player development. 

On my basketball site, I emphasize the importance of hidden truths. The sooner players learn these, the better for them.

The other message is that truths 'transfer' to your home, school, and employment life. David Mamet says, "do something every day for your craft and for your business."

Lagniappe. 

Brad Stevens is keeping the future in mind as he makes moves today:

“One of my main objectives is to not have this be anything but sustainable — keep finding a way to be sustainable, keep finding a way to sustainably keep yourself in the mix for years and years and years.” pic.twitter.com/n3k7v4Qkbt

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) June 28, 2024

What Teammates Remember

With luck you'll have memories to share with teammates in 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years and beyond. What will you remember about them and vice versa? 

Control the controllables pic.twitter.com/odfBbuZW2p

— Coach the Coaches (@WinningCoaches) June 28, 2024

Everyone can't be a great player but everyone can be a great teammate. Make great memories.  

Hatteberg and Bradford

At the Melrose HoF committee meetings, a member marvels, "how does volleyball sustain success?"

Everyone knows the "names" on a team such as Tatum and Brown. But stars alone don't drive success. In the MVB solar system, the hubs for 2024 are Leah Fowke and Sabine Wenzel. But the solar system depends on everything in orbit. 

In Moneyball, Michael Lewis unearthed the Oakland A's 'arbitrage' of the mispricing of players. Billy Beane's assistant, Paul DePodesta, explained that teams buy wins. That depends on buying runs and run prevention. The two poster children for undervaluation were Scott Hatteberg, who got on base by walking, and Chad Bradford who threw nearly underhand to get batters out.  

'MVB' translates to point production and point prevention. Top teams win points on both 'O' and 'D', not relying on opponent errors. Who was underappreciated for "putting the ball down" and "keeping the ball up?" 

Scoring. Sofia Papatsoris scored 129 kills in a breakout season as a starting middle, statistics cut short by injury not ability. Maggie Turner led MVB with 270 service points. 

Defense. Turner and Gigi Albuja clocked 189 and 171 serve receives, number two and three after libero Grace Gentile. 

"Serve." Add value through service. 

• Serve your teammates. 
• Serve the team. 
• Put runs on your board and keep them off theirs. 

Don't think about winning. Don't think about losing. Focus on this point. 

Lagniappe. Hitting drills. 

The Best Way to Prove Yourself

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. 

Sometimes looking backwards provides guidance on moving forward. Each team and player are unique. Solid teams can put up a 'stinker' like the Celtics did in NBA Finals game 4. They got outclassed, outhustled, and outperformed in a blowout. They grabbed their metaphorical lunchpails and won a championship the next game.

Last season MVB put up a few stinkers, too. I'd love to say "Hakuna matata," but that's not reality. Sometimes players tell each other after a bad play, "That's okay." Coaches cringe, knowing that championship teams realize that it's not. 

Find players who want success as badly as coaches do; then you get special.

Prove yourself every day.  

Post by @adamgrant

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Lagniappe. As young people grow personally and professionally, they form attitudes, beliefs, and values about leadership. They get inputs from family, teachers, peers, coaches, and even entertainment. Six or seven great scenes make a great movie. Here's one to digest (language). 

There's a saying, "an empty barrel makes the most noise." Yelling doesn't improve the quality of the message. Listen. Learn. Think. Be coachable. Grow. 

Attitude

"Attitude reflects leadership." 

Attitude. What is it? "Don't give me 'attitude' implies a lack of collaboration. Attitude is a set of beliefs and values reflected in our behavior. Attitude is dynamic...it varies from extreme positivity to negativity and everything in between.   

One might think that other people's view of us depends on our attitude, choices, and effort. More importantly, be better because of our positive attitude, good choices, and best effort. 

Jay Wright was a Culture King.

He said, “The most important characteristic any of us have is our attitude. It’s a concept that permeates everything you do. We all bring our attitude to every situation.”

His book “Attitude” dives into the mindset behind the great success of his…

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) June 10, 2024

Lagniappe. Every play won't be perfect "pass, set, hit." Adapt. 

 

Are We Doing This?

Have a central theme. "The standard is the standard." 

Saban GOLD 🥇

Standards drive your Habits. Habits drive your Success.

Focus on creating Winning Habits every day.

“We don’t talk a lot about winning. We talk about what you have to do to consistently be your best. Focus on high standards.”

- Nick Saban pic.twitter.com/LTRUomw6GH

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) June 21, 2024

 

Who You Gonna Call?

Captains serve multiple roles. Among them they lead, organize, teach MVB culture, model excellence for teammates, and act as liaison to coaches.

Captains communicate the culture to teammates and share the 'vibe' of the team with coaches. 

Modeling excellence includes showing high character at home, in school, and with the team. It means bringing positivity and energy. 

CAPTAINS: The most important person you should lead is YOU. You have to lead yourself positively before you can ever expect to lead anyone else. Don't expect others to follow your lead if you're not doing what you're supposed to do. Be an example to your teammates.

— Jamy Bechler (@CoachBechler) June 25, 2024

Lateral Quickness Exercises

Lateral quickness is underrated. It helps defenders close the double block, get to balls in the back row, and get into position to attack.

Here is a link to some exercises.

Emotional Regulation

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. 

Everyone experiences frustration...no exceptions.

We choose our response. Do we stay frustrated, emotionally drowned or do we recover to "next play" and play present?

Volleyball is a game of runs, of momentum. Excellent teams don't allow one point or one error to bleed into a series. You're going to get hit. Respond with your own flurry of punches. More than anything else, keep your will to fight back. 

Maggie Fitzgerald's first fight (language). 

Lagniappe. Self-regulation.  

Stephen Gonzalez, Asst AD for Mental Performance, talking to Dartmouth basketball about the importance of emotional regulation.

"Get out of the bucket!"

"People are going to go in the bucket. You will too, but you choose to stay there."@DartmouthMBBpic.twitter.com/QiYBia5PYF

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) June 25, 2024

 

Why Not Today?

#ThoughtForToday #TodayMatters pic.twitter.com/wBMA0WRkgl

— Bob Starkey (@CoachBobStarkey) June 21, 2024

Set the bar high. And reach it.  

What Hinders You?

Overcome obstacles to achieve. 

"Play a lot." The first key to playing is to play. At first, you won't be skilled enough, athletic enough, experienced enough. Play withers obstacles. 

Author David Mamet has "what hinders you?" inscribed on the back of a new watch. Sometimes people need reminders about their restraints. Having a mirror is easier. 

"Every story is about someone searching for something." Every season teams navigate a journey seeking the brass ring. 

Mamet says, "I wish" foretells failure, versus "I will" or "I intend." Yoda clarifies. 

Just as writers find answers to free the hero from setbacks, teams must figure it out when adversity strikes.

Lagniappe. "Keep the ball up." 

Earn the Ticket

Belief is powerful. Not in isolation...belief drives commitment, hard work, and growth.

Teams cannot achieve great things without belief. Both the components of the achievement equation, PERFORMANCE and TIME need belief. When you don't believe, performance drops, especially in 'winning time'.  

Players and teams need to hear that others believe. But belief has to be earned as it can't be gifted. And you must know that belief is deserved. 

You can only tell one player she's the best you ever coached. And because it's truth, she validates the ticket. Earn the ticket. 

Joe Mazzulla on winning the championship at TD Garden:

“I knew we were going to win. I knew we were going to win at home. There was a sense of inevitability within our team because they made a decision that they were going to do it.” pic.twitter.com/M3vHDISHyD

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) June 25, 2024

Everyone Makes Choices

A few themes echo from coaches. "Control what you can control." That means (ACE) attitude, choices, and effort. "Ace" the process. 

Coaches lose sleep over what players are doing or not doing. Coach Saban always said, "It takes what it takes." You must do what excellence requires and not do what will interfere with it.

Coach Scott Celli and his staff aren't looking in your windows assessing your skill building, hydration, nutrition, sleep, and post-training recovery. "You own your paycheck." 

"You can't be great and comfortable.
You've gotta make a choice.
Are you going to be great or are you going to be comfortable? " @TWSE05

Average may be comfortable, but it's never satisfying.
To be more, you have to be willing to do more. pic.twitter.com/HXZzN0qBE7

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) June 25, 2024

Time Reveals Truths

Every team has a story. Time reveals which are true or 'less true'?

Coaches help players and teams write narratives. Sometimes, "we run out of silver bullets." Former English cricket selector Ed Smith tells us not to underestimate the power of stories. Which is more powerful, truth or lies? Which moves more, love or hate, positives or negatives? Smith's essay asks as many questions as it answers. 

https://www.businessleader.co.uk/power-of-a-story/

"But WeWork failed because the story was a lie. And that’s what defines a storyteller’s long-term legacy. It’s not enough to have the confidence and the technique to make stories look right, the stories have to be right, too. And time will eventually sort that out, with no mitigation or mercy."

Team building requires coaches AND players to assemble a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Consider what Westborough accomplished the past few seasons. It's intellectually lazy to say, "they had the best player in the state and they could always 'go there' when necessary."

That diminishes their team effectiveness in 'conversion', serve and serve receive. 

Before the NBA Finals, some pundits lauded Dallas as having the best backcourt ever. Bill Simmons pushed back as did the Celtics.

Beware too much belief in our personal stories while working to upgrade what goes into them.

Lagniappe. "Play the right way." 

"Play the right way means play unselfishly, respect each other's achievements, play hard, and fulfill your role"

- Gregg Popovich

— Coach Mac 🏀 (@BballCoachMac) June 24, 2024

What Inspires You?

All opinions within the blog are solely mine. 

The Dalai Lama visited a vegetarian hot dog stand and the vendor asked, "what do you want?" The holy man answered, "one with everything" and handed the vendor ten dollars. He got his dog and asked, "where is my change?" The vendor replied, "change comes from within." 

What inspires you? It could be sport, leadership, literature, learning, music, art, drama, comedy. 

Here's the ChatGPT take on the 'value of inspiration'.

"Inspiration holds significant value across various dimensions of human experience, encompassing personal growth, creativity, motivation, and societal progress. Here’s an in-depth look at why inspiration is so valuable:

Personal Growth and Development

1. Self-Discovery and Improvement:

   • Clarity of Purpose: Inspiration often leads individuals to discover their passions and purposes, providing a clearer sense of direction in life.
   • Motivation for Change: Inspired individuals are more likely to embark on personal development journeys, adopting new habits, learning new skills, and overcoming obstacles.

2. Enhanced Resilience:

   • Strength in Adversity: Inspiration provides emotional and psychological resilience, helping individuals to persevere through challenges and setbacks with a positive outlook.

Creativity and Innovation

1. Fuel for Creativity:

   • Artistic Expression: For artists, writers, musicians, and creators of all kinds, inspiration is the spark that ignites new ideas and drives the creative process.
   • Innovation: In professional and academic fields, inspiration leads to innovative solutions, new theories, and advancements in technology and methodologies.

2. Problem-Solving:

   • Creative Problem-Solving: Inspired individuals approach problems with an open mind and creative thinking, often finding unique and effective solutions that others might overlook.

Motivation and Productivity

1. Drive and Ambition:

   • Setting and Achieving Goals: Inspiration propels people to set ambitious goals and work diligently towards achieving them, enhancing productivity and a sense of accomplishment.
   • Sustained Effort: Unlike fleeting motivation, inspiration often leads to sustained effort and long-term commitment to projects and endeavors.

2. Workplace Morale and Performance:

   • Employee Engagement: Inspired employees are more engaged, productive, and likely to contribute positively to the workplace culture.
   • Leadership: Inspirational leaders can elevate team performance by instilling a shared vision and fostering a collaborative, motivated environment.

Societal Impact

1. Cultural and Social Progress:

   • Role Models and Leaders: Inspirational figures, from historical leaders to contemporary influencers, shape societal values and drive cultural and social progress.
   • Collective Action: Inspiration can unite people around common causes, leading to collective action and societal change, such as social justice movements, environmental campaigns, and community service initiatives.

2. Education and Mentorship:

   • Inspiring the Next Generation: Teachers, mentors, and parents who inspire their students and children cultivate the next generation of thinkers, leaders, and innovators.
   • Lifelong Learning: Inspired individuals often become lifelong learners, continually seeking knowledge and self-improvement, which enriches society as a whole.

Emotional and Psychological Well-Being

1. Positive Emotions:

   • Joy and Fulfillment: Inspiration is often accompanied by a sense of joy, fulfillment, and a heightened state of well-being, contributing to overall happiness.
   • Hope and Optimism: Inspired individuals tend to have a more hopeful and optimistic outlook on life, which is crucial for mental health and emotional stability.

2. Sense of Connection:

   • Community and Belonging: Shared inspiration can foster a sense of community and belonging, as people connect over common passions and goals.

In summary, the value of inspiration is multifaceted, impacting individual lives and society in profound ways. It drives personal growth, fuels creativity and innovation, enhances motivation and productivity, contributes to societal progress, and promotes emotional well-being. By seeking and nurturing inspiration, individuals and communities can achieve remarkable outcomes and lead more meaningful lives."

Be empowered. 

Lagniappe. Sport rewards footwork, balance, and athletic explosiveness. 

What Price Success?

You want to succeed? You’re going to have to be willing to outwork everyone else. Period.

Few are willing to consistently put in the work on the days they don’t feel like it.

This is true for life, sports, business, faith, health, finance, family, academics, and athletics.

— Wendi A. Irlbeck MS, RDN, LD, CISSN (@Wendi_Irlbeck) June 23, 2024

What's the secret sauce? Hard work. 

Lagniappe. "Fast" hitting progression.  

Starting Over

“The wind blows hardest at the top of the mountain.”

Bringing commitment, energy, focus, and intensity aren’t easy for many teams. Some suffer the Disease of Me and others fall for many reasons.

Joe Mazzulla is not that guy.

Your Standard

“It's about holding our players accountable to be excellent.
When you are held to that standard for a period of time, then a funny thing happens.
At some point, you begin to hold yourself to that standard, and you no longer need someone else to do it for you.” -Kara Lawson pic.twitter.com/m8uOE6hZFj

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) October 9, 2023

Captains' roles include holding the team accountable to the standard. That doesn't mean winning every set or every match. It means accountability to standards of the MVB process. 

Doing the right things, the right way, all the time give teams a chance at success. 

Your today actions define tomorrows results. 

Lagniappe. Fight for every point. 

Excellence

𝐂𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐊 𝐎𝐍 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄
"My hunger is not for success, it is for excellence. because when you attain excellence, success just naturally follows."
• Excellence is the mindset.
• Excellence is the standard you set.
• Excellence starts with you. pic.twitter.com/lNIpdgR5GJ

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) June 23, 2024

Accountability means holding yourself to a high standard. That means accountability is pursuit of excellence.

MVB is never about rebuilding. Three seasons ago, Elena Soukos graduated. Two seasons ago, Gia Vlajkovic graduated. This season, Sadie Jaggers graduated. There's no white flag that goes up, because your job is reloading, not rebuilding.

"Make every day your masterpiece." - John Wooden

Lagniappe. Read "pass, set, hit" as soon as possible. Get to your spots and coverage area. Just as MVB scores will arise of attack, block, and sets, defense needs to contain the same from opponents. 

Bility Guys

 Over 800 words end in *bility. 

Paul Rabil was the world's top lacrosse player and confidant of Bill Belichick. Belichick's top two *bility words were ABILITY and DURABILITY.

Determine which *bility words apply for you. 

"Talent is a commodity.
Work ethic is a commodity.
But the ability to take coaching and instruction, to hear critique and then work to address it- that is rare.
Be rare.
Be coachable." @PaulRabil - 'The Way of the Champion' pic.twitter.com/r5irjdW4QV

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) June 22, 2024

Lagniappe. Fetch. 

Leadership Is Empowerment

John Maxwell said, "Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others."

Leadership means doing more.

It means leading from where the other person is, not from where you are.

5 Characteristics of Great Leaders: pic.twitter.com/Csso7d0KA2

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) June 12, 2024

Excellent teams have excellent leadership. All players can lead, not only captains. 

1) Energize yourself and teammates. 

2) Model excellence through hard work. 

3) "Don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses." - John Wooden

4) Be detail-oriented. 

5) Teach underclassmen to "be professional" in effort, focus, behavior. 

6) Never be a distraction. 

7) Teach younger player great habits. "We make our habits and our habits make us." 

Lagniappe. New to the game? 

Lagniappe 2. I like the concept but fear confusion and getting out of rotation. Simple is generally better. 

Every Breath You Take

You never know who is watching you. If a college coach comes to watch you play, what vibe do you want to project? 

1) Stand out as being special. If the assistant coach has to ask who they're scouting, you're done. 

2) Show top effort, communication, teamwork. Give coaches a reason to get and keep you on the floor. 

3) Body language matters. Nonverbal communication counts as much as what we say. Eye contact and a firm handshake close a lot of deals. Project maturity, leadership, and confidence. 

Your body language toward missed shots, teammates’ mistakes, being whistled for fouls, getting your butt kicked on a play, being subbed out of the game, how you lose & handle any adversity tells coaches all they need to know. What’s your body language saying about your maturity?!

— Jon Beck (@CoachJonBeck) June 21, 2024

 

The Playbook

Netflix has an excellent series featuring interviews with five elite coaches, including Doc Rivers. Coaching principles cross domains, widely applicable.

Here’s a summary of the Rivers segment.

Develop Communication Skills

Skills cross boundaries. Strive for clear thinking and communication. 

Study the techniques of skilled writers. Anne Lamott emphasizes first drafts. Get something down. Steven King preaches strong verbs and avoiding adverbs. Not much worse than very, truly, really which add little.  

Here's a post about the great Ernest Hemingway who said, "Writing is easy. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." 

 

Post by @yosawnts

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Bigger words aren't better. Longer sentences may create confusion. Exotic vocabulary doesn't help. 

Know your audience. Write to capture their interest. Find authors you admire and for practice, imitate their style. 

Better communication at home and school flows into your MVB play. Silent teams lose. Talk energizes. Talk focuses. Talk intimidates. Communication wins throughout your whole life. 

Lagniappe. Block better. Set high goals. 

Merchants of Optimism

"Mentors are merchants of optimism."

Ted Lasso preaches belief. Achievement never happens before belief...belief in possibility, belief in hard work, belief in each other.

What will MVB 2024 'look like'? There is always a spectrum of possibility. 

Your belief, work, preparation (habits), and luck determine outcomes. 

Consider the 2024 Celtics, heavily favored to win. The 'peak distribution' or expected is the middle of the Galton board. That happened but never excluded other possibilities - dissent, injury, bad bounces.  

Where do you see MVB 2024? Optimism has value. It's part of Performing Under Pressure. 

Great Coaches Always Look at How to Create Edges

All opinions expressed in the blog are my own. They do not reflect those of the Melrose School Department, Melrose High School, the Athletic Department or any individuals. Language in videos, especial from from professional athletes, may be 'rough'. 

Coach Scott Celli is relentless in his desire to improve. Learning about other sports, other coaches, their attitudes, beliefs, and value can help us all grow. 

Joe Mazzulla, fascinating, not yet anointed. Look under the hood. What formed a guy, tempered him, damaged and resurrected him? Some of the material, especially the Basketball Immersion video takes time to digest. 

First an overview article.

Formative years. Mazzulla used his time on the bench wisely. 

Joe Mazzulla helped get WVU into the Final Four by proposing a 1-3-1 defense to coach Bob Huggins. Always had coaching pedigree pic.twitter.com/cbkxjuH5RJ

— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) June 18, 2024

Mazzulla took hard coaching. He embraced criticism.  

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla on Jerry West:

"He had a tough way of showing that he loved you, but he was super, super competitive and he really, really cared about you."pic.twitter.com/lN70nE4aip

— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) June 13, 2024

Joe Mazzulla doesn't like the high school self. He sees him as short-tempered and reacting before thinking. He called that "Growing Pains."  

Philosophy. Prepare for copycats. "He incessantly emphasized pace, space, ball movement, and taking the right shot offensively, regardless of what happened in a given game. Defensively, he got the most out of Boston's absurd personnel by removing the inexplicable lapses that cost the Celtics in past seasons." 

“The healthiest relationship to have with success is to understand that you can still get better, and so I think that’s the space that we have to live in.”

Porzingis said, "“As coach said yesterday in the first meeting, we have to live that lifestyle. We have to live that life day-to-day. We have to put in the work, and then, in the end, if we put in the work, we will achieve the results. But it has to be like a daily focus. Not always keeping only that big goal in our minds. We’re keeping that in mind.”

Coaching clinics. "If you're late for class, then you're going to be late to a rotation." LQO - learning, questioning, ownership. 

Where am I?

Where do I want to get to? 

How will I get there?

What will get in the way? 

Video. Above all the brain is the organ that craves predictability. Our brain constantly predicts which allows unpredictability to disrupt us. 

It’s interesting to hear Joe Mazzulla promote chaos and unpredictability in training!

”The game is so unpredictable and a lot of times in the coaching world, you practice predictability and comfort, our (Celtics) guys have done a great job buying into the opposite.” pic.twitter.com/6jbJGLloW2

— Transforming Basketball (@transformbball) June 20, 2024

Joe Mazzulla sought out advice from @KevinGarnett5KG and @paulpierce34 early in his head coaching career.

He took their advice and has stayed true to himself ever since. pic.twitter.com/wHhfRJq09V

— All the Smoke Productions (@allthesmokeprod) June 19, 2024

“Praise and criticism are both just as dangerous, if you don’t handle them well. Winning is just as dangerous as losing if you don’t handle it well. Our guys handled winning the right way. Whether we won or lost, we just moved onto the next game,” Joe Mazzulla

Humility wins. pic.twitter.com/9i5kYVOQSa

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) June 18, 2024

The great author Maya Angelou says, "when someone shows you who they are, believe them."  

Quotes. Get caught saying the truth. 

Derrick White names his favorite Joe Mazzulla quote:

“When he won coach of the month, I said ‘hey, congratulations.’ And he just looked at me and said ‘nobody cares.’” pic.twitter.com/Y8qfdrsFAj

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) June 13, 2024