Most players won't do that much 'lifting' during the season. Elite players do.
Here's a short video with some simple exercises.
Monday, September 30, 2024
Rewrite the Stars
"Pressure is a privilege." Weak teams never play meaningful games. You know what today brings.
Most of the 'signature wins' in MVB history have come away from Melrose. Maybe the biggest home win came in 2009 over superpower Barnstable. MVB 2009 had a great setter (Colleen Hanscom, MHS HoF), an elite middle (Hannah Brickley, MHS HoF), a complementary power hitter (Laura Irwin), and solid, experienced players throughout the roster. In other words, they shared similar construction to MVB 2024.
Competitors live for the chance at a shot at the champs, a bite at the apple, a chance to be onstage at Carnegie Hall.
What's your definition of success? Success is nuanced and personal. As a coach, I valued teams that 'showed up', worked, and fought to be worthy competitors.
Ralph Labella and I coached many of the 2012 MVB champions as basketball players, as well as Victoria Crovo and Lauren Joyce, fiery Melrose student-athletes and brilliant leaders. Regardless of whether winning or losing, they brought competitive fury to the court.
Great moments happen when your families, coaches, and teammates say, "I believe in you." You're blessed when you have total confidence, immutable belief that as an underdog you can rise up and meet the challenge. What matters most is believing it yourself.
"Fight like a girl."
Lagniappe. "This is a completely different kind of test."
Book It
Amidst your busy lives at home, school, and after school, think about the book you're reading, Beyond Basketball.
The book explores words associated with coaching and playing. These words always have meaning.
One of the words is CARE. Coach Mike Krzyzewski describes a visit from several players after his hip surgery. The coach tells his players that Duke will have a successful season...and asks "do you believe it?"
Player Chris Carrawell says, "Coach, if you say it, I believe it." Coach K says that is one of the greatest things a player has ever told him.
When a coach tells me, "if we play our best, we can beat anybody," I believe that.
As a player, trust the process and trust your coaches when they say every game is a "winnable game." That implies playing well.
Coach Scott Celli's three keys to winning have always included:
- Talent
- Health
- Luck
Melrose isn't quite at full strength but has plenty of talent. Lineups are always subject to change. Believe in the process and in yourself, and care enough to believe when you hear "anything is possible."
Stats Are In - Melrose vs Arlington
Melrose - Arlington statistics.
Highlights:
Attacking: Carol Higonenq and Sabine Wenzel led with 14 and 10.
Assists: Leah Fowke piled up another 30.
Receives: Maggie Turner added 13.
Serving: Gg Albuja rang up 15/20 service points.
Digging: Alex Homan led the way with eight.
Game 11: Melrose 3 Arlington 0
Melrose (10-1) qualified for the postseason with a 25-11, 25-20, 25-12 win over visiting Arlington.
In a real sense, the match was the opening act for tomorrow's battle against top power-ranked and defending State Champion Westborough.
Melrose continues to search for optimal combinations. With a titanic challenge ahead of it tomorrow, MVB appeared to have a few 'less-focused' moments, especially in the second set.
Melrose needs to bring their best tomorrow both physically and psychologically. More than anything else, the team needs to believe in having done the work, the weights, and in themselves.
Time to defer highlights until later in the week...
Excel in Your Role
Everybody wants to be a starter, but not everyone will be.
— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) September 30, 2024
That’s the hard truth.
But understand this—your role is just a position, not a measurement of your value.
The best teams have players who embrace their role, whatever it is, and elevate it. pic.twitter.com/pXBICMZZXg
Fund operator Todd Harrison reminds people, "never confuse your net worth with your self-worth."
Identity is a mix of all the inputs in your life. You matter to many people in many spheres.
Bring the best version of yourself daily. Ask yourself how to improve, how to make others better, how to impact winning and make a difference. "Make the big time wherever you are."
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Melrose Hosts Arlington Monday at 530 PM
Melrose (9-1) hosts Liberty Division member Arlington (1-9) Monday about 530 PM. Melrose looks to start the second half of the regular season with a win and Arlington seeks to build momentum coming off a 3-1 win against Stoneham.
Melrose comes off a critical 3-1 road win at Lexington with strong performances by numerous players.
Melrose rides a six-game win streak and has won 28 sets and lost 6, a 22 set difference over ten matches, accounting for its 2.20 MIAA "Margin of Victory" in the MIAA Power Ranking formula.
Teammates
🦊 Fox Hole Test: Make sure you have the pulse of your players.
— Coach Matt Dennis (@CoachMattDennis) September 29, 2024
- Who do they hang out with?
- Who do they listen to?
- Who do they trust?
- What cliques are forming?#leadership #basketballcoach #cmdcoachinglab #knowyourteam pic.twitter.com/10s66kzB6c
A rhetorical exercise... who are our best teammates? With one group, we had the "best teammate award," not the MVP. The players voted for the person whom they believed was the best teammate and the second best (in case of a tie).
What makes great teammates?
- Teammates who put others first
- Teammates who put the team first
- Teammates who lead, inspire, and model excellence
What Do You Want? "Show Me"
"The great ones want to be disciplined - want to be held accountable.
— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) September 28, 2024
It's the other ones that don't."
If you can’t handle accountability and discipline, you won’t handle success.
The great ones understand that greatness isn’t given; it’s demanded every single day. pic.twitter.com/lnArh789Qj
Exceptional performance requires extraordinary work. The better the opposition, the harder it is even to be 'average'.
The second half of the season offers a chance at exceptional. Five formidable opponents (by power ranking) present opportunity - Westborough (5.62), Wakefield (1.62), Burlington (1.49), Duxbury (3.82), and Newton North (5.41). Except for Woburn, the other teams scheduled have sub-zero power rankings.
Lagniappe. The sixties shared the classic music of your grandparents. Audrey Hepburn makes this demand in My Fair Lady. Coach Scott Celli issues the same request.
In Search of the Best...
Cornbread
"All cooking is a function of time and temperature." - Thomas Keller As a principle, I believe the same for coaching, with inputs of time and intensity.
"What's your plan for the seven pounds of corn meal?" To be fair, that includes both yellow corn meal and white corn meal for arepas.
What are the ingredients on those little boxes of Jiffy muffins? On principle, I'm not cooking with lard...
Here's this week's recipe (in search of the best cornbread):
Dry ingredients:
1 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
1/3 cup neutral oil or melted butter
1 egg
1 cup milk
Mix together until moist and cook at 400 degrees for 25 minutes...
Saturday, September 28, 2024
They’ve Got Your Back (Row)
Twins from different mothers, Gg Albuja and Maggie Turner are two of the best defensive specialists since Jill MacInnes. Autumn Whelan also fell in that category. Often defensive specialists get overlooked because they're 'doing the job' silently.
In baseball, great defenders excel in "runs saved" or "outs above average." In volleyball, exceptional defenders have high efficiency (chances - errors)/chances and 'steal points' by keeping the ball up.
Both have qualities in common such as athleticism, anticipation, skill, leadership, drive, communication.
Both are efficient players who have a high percentage of service points.
A formidable back line of defense, left to right, Carol Higonenq, Leah Fowke, Maggie Turner, and Gg Albuja.
Maggie and Gg are interchangeable and invaluable foundational players. Carol is earning 'most underrated' status in 2024.
Slide Presentation
Reminiscing about three decades, ask what "slides" belong in an MVB recap. Nothing approaches adequate.
Many of you have not heard John Barth's "everyone is necessarily the hero of his own story." That makes creating a definitive MVB slide show impossible.
Should it be chronological? Should it focus on the chief architect, Coach Scott Celli? Where does the 2012 Championship team belong? Where do the elite players (18 All-State, numerous All-Scholastics, and Hall of Famers) fit? No matter where one begins or ends, errors of omission abound. Know your MVB history.
Here are a few of the best.
This 2005 photo of the Crovos (Stephanie, left, Victoria) flanking Liz Sheerin is iconic. Stephanie would play on the 2012 champions. Victoria became one of the toughest MVB athletes ever...a future All-State player. Her next title is Dr. Crovo when she completes veterinary school.
Another iconic shot from November 2006 photo shows Coach Scott Celli with a future MVB Assistant varsity coach and All-Scholastic, son Ryan Celli.
2012, the greatest assembly of senior talent in MVB history. These cool cats could play.
Hannah Brickley, MVB 2009, the "Queen of Melrose Volleyball," three-time All-Stater and pending induction into the Trinity College Hall of Fame.
Players care...a lot. The 2017 State runner-up trophy didn't bring total joy to Lily, Saoirse, and Lydia.
From 2019, objects in the rearview mirror still loom large.
From 2006, Jen Cohane (MVB 2005) with Dick Collis, a founder of the Melrose High School Athletic Hall of Fame and "Back Row Gang" member.
It's never always 'sunshine and rainbows'.
The hunt is on.
And a championship secured.
These Are Your Primary Jobs in Sports
Players wonder, "what do the coaches want from me?" Ask them. In a recent Boston Sports Journal column, Mike Giardi interviewed Patriots defensive coordinator Demarcus Covington about Drake Maye, "And then we ask every player to do that, try to improve every day, try to be better than what you were yesterday. And I think that's what he's working toward that. I can't speak - offensively - what he's doing or is he making the right reads, all that stuff. I let them do that. But I do know that it seems like he's improving on a week-to-week and day-to-day basis."
Coaches expect players to work hard to improve their individual techniques (e.g. platform, footwork, arm swing, serve, block) and leverage those to impact winning. Improve day-to-day and week-to-week.
Coaches value players who care, who work, who want to play, and have the will to do the work.
Have mentors and learn to become your own coach, one who motivates, studies, develops a plan, works the plan, monitors progress and adjusts the plan.
What about goal setting? Imagine that you set a goal to become a starter on next year's team. Does that inspire you to action in the "whatever it takes" mode? Goals...or action?
Lagniappe. Winchester-Barnstable.
It Takes Time
Chase Greatness pic.twitter.com/zp4fmqtvyI
— Kara Lawson (@karalawson20) September 28, 2024
Don't believe the myth of overnight success. Whether you believe in Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 Hours or not, most professions or careers require a long runway of education and training.
Aspirants get tired or frustrated with the rate of progress or see others progressing faster than they do.
Sometimes it helps to visualize progress to the next step. As a medical student, imagine how to carry out the duties of an intern (first-year resident). As an intern, work to fulfill the duties and thought process of an advanced resident. As an advanced resident or fellow, think as an attending physician. That way, upon promotion, you're ready.
Mindset is critical in every discipline. If you're a "stay ready" reserve player, be ready at a moment's notice to step in as a starting player or big contributor.
If you're watching college or professional volleyball, study how the game is played differently. Or if you're watching Boston pro sports, think about how you'd coach. "Little things make big things happen," said John Wooden.
Stat Leaders - MA
Maxpreps.com organizes stat leaders.
Leah Fowke remains in the assists top ten.
Sabine Wenzel checks in at seven among leaders in kills.
Maggie Turner is at number 48 in digs.
Friday, September 27, 2024
In the Moment
Coach K on having a “Next Play Mentality”
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) September 27, 2024
Big time
(Via @PGCbasketball 🎥)
pic.twitter.com/3cDl8zYSQq
Reminder: feedback is backward looking and advice is forward looking. Opportunity is ahead of you.
Staying in the moment favors real-time execution and avoiding one misplay bleeding into a series of them.
Talk, listen, energize the group.
"Core Values"
Teams thrive on energy.
Some of you know the Coach John Wooden "Pyramid of Success." Wooden's UCLA team won ten national college basketball championships. There's a lot to see. At the 'cornerstones' stand "Industriousness" (hard work) and "Enthusiasm." Great players have the discipline and attitude to do both.
The 'core' of the pyramid include condition, skill, and team spirit. Don't sleep on team spirit. Self-belief separates excellent teams from exceptional ones.
Thursday's game at Lexington displayed team spirit beyond anything seen earlier this season. It looked different and I'm sure that it felt different in person.
Jon Gordon presents rules of The Energy Bus.
There's another unwritten rule that team leaders understand: "just because you're driving the bus doesn't entitle you to throw teammates under it."
Lagniappe. Jon Gordon has written great stuff.
— Jon Gordon (@JonGordon11) September 27, 2024
Lagniappe 2. Platforms aren't always the same.
Flash News
Winchester 3 Barnstable 0
Transitive properties? Lexington 3 Winchester 1; Melrose 3 Lexington 1.
Any given day.
Power Rankings - SOS
"We are not amazed."
The initial power rankings are out and it's an SOS (Strength of Schedule) issue. The Middlesex League teams are getting hammered by poor performance against non-league opponents as a group.
Whatever one's opinions of the power rankings, they're objective.
In Division 1, Winchester is 20, Lexington 26, and Belmont 28. In D2, Melrose is 12 and Burlington is 21. In D3 Wakefield is 16.
If a program wants respect, it has to earn it. With almost a point between number 8 and 9, it's a long pull to get there.
"Comparison Is the Thief of Joy"
"Comparison is the thief of joy." - Teddy Roosevelt
MIAA Power Rankings come out today. "Control what you can control."
Where does MVB belong in the polls, in the ratings, in the hearts and minds of America?
Does it matter? Bring the best version of yourself to home, school, and the court every day. Polls don't change that. "The MVB Blog" changes nothing. The rankings don't change that. They determine playoff seedings.
Joe Mazzulla said the goal is to win a championship, every season, regardless of how the prior playoffs turned out. That's wisdom.
In The Undoing Project, Michael Lewis shares the remarkable careers of Danny Kahneman and Amos Tversky. Kahneman, a Nobel Laureate points out an intelligence test... how long it would take to realize that Tversky was the smartest guy in the room, every room. If one thinks they're the smartest guy or on the 'best team', get out more.
Polls and rankings are fun. At the end of the day, every team has the same chance to prove itself during the postseason.
The Lever in Your Hands
"It takes hours and hours and hours to devote to be great at something.
— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) September 27, 2024
You can't skip that step.
You have to do that."
Success isn’t something you schedule.
It shows up when you’ve put in the work, when you’ve earned it. pic.twitter.com/uTRQrVcJqy
Adolescence has a lot of advantages. The lever you have to move the world is time.
The more you understand the world, the greater your opportunity to make a difference for the broad community, your family 'team', and yourself.
In "The Playbook" series, Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams' coach describes coaching a young male tennis star into the Top Ten. The player then dropped him, saying that he didn't need him to go farther. The player's career fell apart.
When you say, "I've made it," the gods laugh. Or they consign you to the fate of Tantalus or Prometheus or Sisyphus. Who are they? If you haven't heard of them, then you're in the sweet spot - high school.
From Brave AI:
The Tantalus myth originates from ancient Greek legend, with accounts varying across different sources. Here’s a summary of the key elements:
- Tantalus’ Character: King Tantalus was known for his arrogance and selfishness. He believed himself to be the smartest person, even surpassing the gods. He cared little for his wife, son, or people, and thought them foolish.
- Crime and Punishment: Tantalus committed three egregious offenses:
- He stole nectar and ambrosia, the food and drink of the gods, and brought them back to mortals.
- He killed his own son, Pelops, and served him as a meal to the gods at a divine feast.
- He committed other unspecified atrocities.
- Divine Retribution: The gods, outraged by Tantalus’ actions, punished him in various ways. According to Homer’s Odyssey (Book XI), Tantalus stood neck-deep in water that receded whenever he tried to drink it, and fruit hung above his head, which the wind blew away whenever he attempted to grasp it. This torment is the origin of the word “tantalize,” meaning to tease or torment someone with something just out of reach.
- Alternative Accounts: Pindar’s odes provide an alternative myth, where Tantalus’ punishment focuses on his theft of ambrosia and nectar. In this version, Tantalus is condemned to eternal hunger and thirst, with food and drink always eluding him.
The Tantalus myth serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of hubris and the consequences of defying the gods.
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Process-Oriented
Pat Summitt said, “Our emphasis is on execution, not winning.”
— Greg Berge (@gb1121) September 27, 2024
Direction > Destination
It’s easy to get fixated on the destination - achieving success, reaching a goal, or winning a title.
But the truth is, direction matters more than the destination.
Success is not just… pic.twitter.com/HuJCAWPsaH
Bill Walsh's book states it well, The Score Takes Care of Itself.
1) Focus on the process.
2) Trust the process.
Coach Scott Celli's got game. So much that 2022 doesn't even fit on the updated banner.
3) Execution of fundamentals defines teams. In football, it's blocking and tackling. In baseball, it's pitching and hitting. In volleyball, it's passing, setting, and hitting. Don't go back to basics; never leave them.
MVB Notes: Melrose hosts Arlington Monday.
"A Contagion of Dreams"
All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. This is not an official publication of any Melrose organization.
"A movement is a contagion of dreams." - Gloria Steinem
Be a champion of girls' participation in sports. Athletic participation adds value for both boys and girls. Here are excerpts about the benefits:
The New York Times published a review of benefits of athletics.
It noted, "Hiring managers expect former student-athletes (compared with people who participated in other popular extracurriculars) to have more self-confidence, self-respect and leadership; actual measures of behavior in a sample of people who had graduated from high school more than five decades earlier showed those expectations proved accurate."
It noted, "Hiring managers expect former student-athletes (compared with people who participated in other popular extracurriculars) to have more self-confidence, self-respect and leadership; actual measures of behavior in a sample of people who had graduated from high school more than five decades earlier showed those expectations proved accurate."
Athletes develop more robust leadership skills and function better in teams.
Girls participating have improved health - better bone density (less osteoporosis), less high blood pressure, and diabetes, and fewer mental health problems. Physical exercise reduces the risk of breast cancer in young women.
Teen pregnancy rates are lower among female athletes. Sports helps girls become successful women. "Using a complex analysis, Dr. Stevenson showed that increasing girls’ sports participation had a direct effect on women’s education and employment. She found that the changes set in motion by Title IX explained about 20 percent of the increase in women’s education and about 40 percent of the rise in employment for 25-to-34-year-old women." Competition on the field and in the gym helps women advance in business and in the boardroom.
Lagniappe. Canton appears in the top five in the latest Boston Globe poll. Statistics Are In - Melrose at Lexington
Melrose won 25-18, 26-24, 9-25, 25-22.
As expected in a longer match, Melrose put up some big numbers.
Attacking: Sabine Wenzel had 18 kills and Carol Higonenq 12.
Setting: Leah Fowke piled on 34 assists.
Serving: Maggie Turner had 17/25 service points while Melrose had 39/80 service points and a 90% serving percentage.
Digging: The four senior main defenders (Carol, Alex Homan, Maggie, Gg Albuja) combined for a massive 61 digs. Carol led with 18, and Alex and Maggie both had 16.
Receives: Maggie (22) and Alex (11) both tallied double digits.
Game 10: Melrose 3 Lexington 1
"Writing is easy. All you do is sit down at a type writer and bleed." - Hemingway
Melrose drew first blood. The locals traveled to battle first place Lexington and emerged with a 3-1 signature win. The win reverses the standings with Melrose at 9-1, toppling Lexington which had recently defeated Winchester by the same score.
Junior Emme Boyer was a key contributor in the final set delivering five kills.
MVB Notes: It was a timely win for Melrose as MIAA Power Rankings come out tomorrow.
In other Middlesex League action tonight, key matches include Wakefield at Winchester and Burlington at Belmont.
In late news, Winchester shuts out Wakefield 3-0 and Burlington tops Belmont 3-1.
Broken
The quote above comes from The Last Lecture, after Randy Pausch and his sister drop a ceramic figure after leaving a Disney store. The staff replace the loss and earn a lifetime of respect.
Coaches (and sometimes blogs) teach sport and life. We have the acronym THINK (before speaking):
T - is it true?
H - helpful?
I - inspiring?
N - necessary?
K - kind?
The world underestimates soft skills. Yet day to day, interactions thrive on kindness, gratitude, empathy, authenticity.
“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.” - Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms
Everyone breaks sometimes. How we recover from breaks and how we support the broken matters.
All You Have to Do Is Ask
Often we don't want to bother someone or ask for a favor. Call it courtesy, deference, embarrassment. Whatever.
Times arise when you should ask.
- You seek a letter of recommendation.
- You want a reference for a job.
- You'd like a mentor.
- You request an interview.
- You need extra time on a project.
- You're requesting a guest speaker.
- You want a lunch meeting or a date.
If you never ask, you'll never know.
Not that she fully understood, Dr. Faith Fitzgerald from UC-Davis was a mentor from afar from the time I heard her lecture at Boston City Hospital. She gave a guest lecture on Intravenous Drug Abuse (IVDA) based on her experience in San Francisco. Years later she kindly accepted an invitation to reprise the lecture at Grand Rounds at Bethesda Naval Hospital. All I had to do was ask.
Return to Mr. Rogers' advice, "Look for the helpers." If you ask authentically, sincerely, and ethically, you'll get some yesses.
Once in a blue moon, people surprise you and volunteer to help. Lauren's mom came into Dunkin Donuts where I seldom go. I asked how Lauren was doing and her college plans. "She dreams of going to the Naval Academy." I asked whether she had the requisite Congressional nomination. "That's a problem." "Okay."
I went home and wrote a three page letter to Congresswoman Clark, explaining how Lauren is a great leader, a tireless worker, three-sport captain, and among the top students at Austin Prep. I explained that having ten plus years as a Naval Officer, I was certain that Lauren would become an exceptional Naval Officer if given a chance. I sent a copy to Lauren's family.
Lauren got the nomination, has graduated from Annapolis, and last I heard is in helicopter pilot training in Florida.
Mostly, you need to ask.
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Thursday at Lexington
Melrose travels to Lexington Thursday in a matchup of the Liberty and Freedom Division leaders.
The game marks the end of the halfway mark of the 2024 regular season campaign.
Complacency
Nick Saban emphasizes the process because he knows how important it is for success and excellence.
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) June 15, 2024
In 2016, he was asked, "What is the greatest threat to excellence?"
His answer was ONE word.
He said,… pic.twitter.com/l8zbNSshD4
"The wind blows hardest at the top of the mountain." Staying at the top is even harder than getting there.
Complacency is contentment with your current situation. A former Red Sox pitcher got a lengthy contract extension at over $15 million annually. He was overheard saying, "It doesn't matter now. I got paid."
His performance fell significantly.
Part of MVB success relates to a lack of complacency. Doing more imposes physical and psychological demands. Don't think, "I've done enough. It's good enough." That dog will not hunt.
Great players and great teams work more to grow skill, game understanding, physicality, and psychology. "Pleased but not satisfied."
Physicality relates to self-care, not just working out more. Hydration, nutrition, sleep, and recovery (e.g. contrast hot/cold therapy) increase performance. Dehydration doesn't show up primarily as thirst. It manifests as fatigue.
Hydration will always matter. Remember, dehydration equals fatigue.
Kevin Eastman says, "you own your paycheck," meaning your habits determine your performance. Take care of yourself to bring your best to the team.
Reminders:
- "The wind blows hardest at the top of the mountain."
- "Be pleased but not satisfied."
- "Performance relates to self-care."
- "Think hydration, nutrition, sleep, and recovery."
- "Dehydration equals fatigue."
- "You own your paycheck."
Lagniappe. Don't sleep on the setter.
Brooke Bell Enters the Melrose Athletic Hall of Fame
She was at the core of the "Second Dynasty," the four year run of sectional championships 2009-2012, culminating in a State Title in 2012. She had the complete skill set need as an elite setter.
Ain't Too Proud to Beg
"Look for the helpers." - Fred Rogers, Mister Rogers Neighborhood
I don't know how much pregame talks work or influence process. The one I remember was from the 1973 State playoffs where Coach Sonny Lane told us, "these guys are good, they can give you a game." We players looked at each other thinking, "that is not happening." At halftime we lead 45-10.
I asked ChatGPT for input for developing a pregame message and expected player perception and to put it into tabular form.
"Here’s a table with five possible pregame messaging inputs and their expected player responses. The goal is to focus the team while fostering confidence and mental readiness."
| Pregame Message | Expected Player Response |
|---|---|
| "Trust the process, not the outcome. Focus on the next play." | Players feel less pressure to win and focus on each moment, building confidence and staying in the present. |
| "Your preparation brought you here; now it's time to execute." | Players feel reassured and confident in their readiness, leading to calm, focused energy. |
| "We play for each other. Stay connected and communicate." | Players feel a sense of unity and accountability, which increases team cohesion and effort. |
| "Mistakes happen. Respond quickly and don’t dwell on them." | Players are more resilient, staying mentally tough after errors, and bounce back quicker during the game. |
| "Enjoy the challenge. Pressure is a privilege." | Players embrace competition with a positive attitude, channeling nerves into excitement and sharp focus. |
Each of these inputs aims to shift the players’ mindset toward focus, resilience, confidence, and team connection, contributing to optimal performance.
Coaching and playing live in the public domain. There's no "double secret information" club where brilliance arises.
Jaylen Brown said this, "We need to win each day, one day at a time." That's another version of 'bring the best version of yourself daily'.
Coaches can't magically create belief. Blog posts or polls or parents can't either. "Overnight success" is a myth. The hours of training, offseason workouts, lifting, running, Summer League, playing together, and in-season practice accumulate. "The magic is in the work."
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
The New Normal Will Never Be Easy. Handle Hard Better
Make "The New Normal" the best it can be...daily. That's how MVB operates.
As the season approaches the halfway mark (ten games), obstacles are the way. What do MVB opponents think about the team missing a key player, Sofia Papatsoris? I'd expect, "if you need sympathy, look in the dictionary." They're not mean, just Belichickian as in, "we focus on our team."
The lineup and rotation at the end of the season is never a copy of that at the beginning of the season. "Every day is showtime."
Carpe diem. Bring positive energy while thirsting for opportunity. Maggie Shoemaker elevated her game against Stoneham, seizing opportunity. The designated server spots are in flux, with good performances by Adele Akland and Anna Burns. Seniors like Ava Perrotti and Milana Noessel are in the mix. And both freshmen, Elise Marchais and Ella Friedlaender have 'shown up' as they get accustomed to varsity play.
Versatility matters, too. Emme Boyer can play outside or middle which gives Coach Scott Celli more options.
For MVB, the New Normal comes every day.
Lagniappe. Repost. "It never gets easier. You handle hard better."
Kara Lawson Gold 🥇
— Greg Berge (@gb1121) September 21, 2024
Hard things happen in life.
How do you handle it?
Ultimately, this will define who you become.
- Embrace the struggle of sports.
- Embrace the struggle of life.
"Handle Hard Better."pic.twitter.com/LWFZ4x2mYT