MVB 25 Team Selection - "I Love It When a Plan Comes Together"

"Dare to fail. “Output will tend to be greater,” (Andy) Grove (Intel CEO) wrote, “when everybody strives for a level of achievement beyond [their] immediate grasp. . . . Such goal-setting is extremely important if what you want is peak performance from yourself and your subordinates.” - Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr

It's hard to earn a spot on MVB. Winning is even harder. That's what makes it valuable. 

You are in the evaluation phase of team construction. Every day you get a chance to prove yourself. 

The initial MVB 25 Roster, new varsity players with asterisk

Seniors (4):

Sabine Wenzel (C)

Emme Boyer (C)

Adele Akland

Juliet Chevalier*

Juniors (2):

Anna Burns (C)

Maggie Shoemaker

Sophomores (4):

Sadie Smith

Ella Friedlaender

Elise Marchais

Sabrina McArt*

Freshmen (4):

Adriana Santoriella*

Alisa Dautovic*

Leila Kiggundu*

Daniella DiGiorgio*

The preseason schedule approaches quickly with matches next Tuesday, Thursday, and the Saturday "Playday." 

The regular season begins September 3rd at 530 in Belmont.

Melrose notes: All four freshmen have first names that end in 'A'...this group names itself. 

This Is Your Team - MVB 25

Details to follow

 

Kiraly on Possibilities

Karch Kiraly is a legend. In this excerpt, he discusses his formative years as a pre-teen playing against men.

When you've experienced success, you are a target. Choose to respond like Kiraly. "Wow, this is so cool." 

Team First - A Lesson from Cinema

Exceptional teams understand sacrifice. Have the will to put the team first.

Celtics legend Bill Russell said, "My ego depends on the success of my team." In "win or go home games" Russell's teams went 21-0 as he set the standard for winning.

Communicate with teammates. Depend on each other. Team is solidarity. Give what the team needs in the moment.

Before The Hunger Games, there was Spartacus (1960) which won four Academy Awards. 

 

Thinking Like a Farmer

Great leaders think like farmers. pic.twitter.com/yvI0a4ef4H

— Reads with Ravi (@readswithravi) August 4, 2025

Farmers, and coaches, create part of the ecosystem necessary for success. They don't control the weather. Droughts and floods are unavoidable parts of the landscape.

But they control the "culture" of the farm, the weeding and feeding, tending to plants and animals in the way that experience teaches is most likely to produce success. 

Think like a farmer.  

Playing Strength

Playing strength or "playing with force" is both underrated and hard to measure.

In the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework, "key results" are measurable. Aces, blocks, kills, and digs get measured. Resilience in play under pressure also counts. "Strong plays" are subjective.

Playing strength is part physical and part mental. Libero Jill MacInnes wasn't a 'tank' or a workout warrior, but had excellent playing strength. 

Playing strength shows up on some digs, jousts (net battles), some blocks and saves.

It allows a player to make plays when they don't get the optimal ball to play or have to recover. 

This illustrates playing strength as Chloe Gentile has to make multiple efforts coming off a block attempt to recover into an attack. 

ChatGPT Plus generates a better discussion of playing strength: 

1. Physical Attributes

• Power and Jumping Ability: How high a hitter can get over the block, how fast a serve arrives, how explosive a block closes.

• Endurance and Quickness: The ability to sustain high-level play over long rallies and five-set matches.

• Strength in Contact: Stability in blocking, absorbing attacks on serve receive, and keeping the ball in system under pressure.

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2. Technical Skill

• Serve and Serve Receive: A team’s playing strength rises or falls dramatically with consistency here. Strong servers who generate aces or weak passes, and receivers who neutralize tough serves, dictate point flow.

• Setting Quality: Precision in tempo, location, and decision-making magnifies attackers’ strengths and covers weaknesses.

• Attack and Block Efficiency: Kill percentage vs. hitting errors, plus the ability to block cleanly or funnel balls to defenders.

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3. Tactical Understanding

• System Play: How well a team runs its offensive and defensive systems (e.g., quick middle attacks, read-blocking, back-row defense).

• Adaptability: The ability to adjust mid-match to an opponent’s tendencies—shifting blocking schemes, targeting weak passers, or altering serve placement.

• Game IQ: Making the “right” play under pressure—choosing a high hand swing, tipping to open space, or soft-blocking instead of chasing a stuff block.

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4. Psychological & Team Factors

• Resilience: Playing strength shows when trailing late in sets—whether a team can claw back instead of folding.

• Communication: Seamless coverage, reading cues, and constant feedback raise collective strength beyond individual skill.

• Trust and Role Clarity: Players who know their jobs and trust teammates magnify overall effectiveness.

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5. Depth and Consistency

• Bench Contribution: Playing strength isn’t only starters; substitutes who can serve, block, or stabilize passing shift outcomes.

• Error Management: Teams with low “unforced error” rates—missed serves, net violations, out-of-system swings—have higher practical playing strength, even with less flash.

• Day-to-Day Ceiling vs. Floor: A team’s strength is not just its best performance but its average baseline on a normal day.

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Bottom Line

“Playing strength” in volleyball is the integrated, game-day expression of a team’s athleticism, skill, tactics, mindset, and cohesion. It explains why a team with less raw height or talent may consistently outperform a taller, more physical squad: their real-world execution, adaptability, and cohesion raise their effective strength.

Hard to measure but vital, playing strength often separates success from less. 

Lagniappe. Raise energy. 

A major cheat code in life: Raising the energy of every room you walk in. Stand tall when others shrink. Optimistic when pessimism reigns. Present not distracted. Enthusiasm is rare. Contagious. And a choice. Be the one who elevates everyone else. Let your energy be magnetic.

— Dave Kline (@dklineii) August 3, 2025

Tryouts Continue with a Heavy Dose of Scrimmaging

MVB 25 tryouts head into the final leg with a heavy dose of scrimmaging today. Ideal conditions in the MVMMS gym with low temperatures and little humidity allowed for high level competition.

Teams will be finalized at the end of tryouts tomorrow. 

Coach Scott Celli praised the effort of everyone involved and noted that the competition is making their job tougher, a good thing.

Celli said that he will select 12 or 14 players, an even number.

Once the team is finalized, more emphasis on team alignments and coverages will be possible.

Bonus Material - Emmylou Harris Style

Regular blog readers know that "you never can tell" what will show up. Here, Emmylou Harris covers Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell."

That introduces a ChatGPT Plus suggestion of 50 SAT-level/prep word list. 

Here’s a strong, diverse list of 50 SAT-level vocabulary words. These tend to appear in test prep materials or reflect the style of the SAT verbal section:

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Advanced Adjectives

1. Abstruse – difficult to understand

2. Acrimonious – bitter, sharp in tone

3. Altruistic – selflessly concerned for others

4. Ambivalent – having mixed feelings

5. Apathetic – showing little interest or concern

6. Arduous – difficult, requiring effort

7. Astute – shrewd, perceptive

8. Bellicose – warlike, aggressive

9. Benevolent – kind, charitable

10. Cacophonous – harsh-sounding

11. Capricious – impulsive, unpredictable

12. Convivial – sociable, festive

13. Cursory – hasty, superficial

14. Demure – modest, shy

15. Didactic – intended to teach, moralizing

16. Disparate – fundamentally different

17. Ebullient – enthusiastic, full of energy

18. Ephemeral – short-lived, fleeting

19. Esoteric – understood by few, obscure

20. Fastidious – very attentive to detail

21. Fractious – unruly, irritable

22. Grandiloquent – pompous in speech

23. Iconoclastic – attacking cherished beliefs

24. Irascible – easily angered

25. Lugubrious – mournful, gloomy

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Nouns

26. Apathy – lack of interest or emotion

27. Candor – honesty, frankness

28. Conflagration – large destructive fire

29. Conundrum – puzzling problem

30. Deference – respectful submission

31. Disdain – scorn, contempt

32. Elation – great joy

33. Enigma – mystery, puzzle

34. Equanimity – composure, calmness

35. Fortitude – courage in adversity

36. Hubris – excessive pride or arrogance

37. Ineptitude – clumsiness, incompetence

38. Ingenuity – cleverness, inventiveness

39. Magnanimity – generosity of spirit

40. Pragmatism – practical approach to problems

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Verbs

41. Abrogate – to abolish, annul

42. Ameliorate – to improve

43. Bolster – to support, strengthen

44. Condone – to overlook or forgive

45. Disparage – to belittle

46. Exacerbate – to worsen

47. Mitigate – to make less severe

48. Obfuscate – to confuse, make unclear

49. Repudiate – to reject, disown

50. Undermine – to weaken gradually

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⚡ Tip for SAT prep: The test doesn’t just ask for definitions—it often asks you to apply words in context. A good way to practice is to make a sentence for each word or to connect them in pairs (e.g., “ephemeral joy” vs. “lugubrious sorrow”).

Sometimes it helps to know "roots" from Latin, Greek, wherever. For example, the Latin for war is "bellum." That is a root for bellicose,  belligerent, and antebellum. 

Chicken or the Egg? Body Type and Sport

Within sport, there are few absolutes. Consider the difference between body types in softball and volleyball players. How much does body type influence sport choice versus sport choice influence body type?

I turned to ChatGPT Plus for some guidance and found overlap and explanations:

PROMPT: Chicken or egg type prompt. Consider women's softball and volleyball. In addition to women with certain body types choosing a sport, does participation in the sport tend to alter the body type?

ChatGPT said:

Great question—it’s a classic “chicken or egg” scenario in sports science. The answer is both: body type influences sport selection, and sport participation influences body type. Let’s break it down for women’s softball and volleyball.

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1. Selection Effect: Body Type Influences Sport Choice

• Volleyball often attracts taller, leaner athletes with long limbs, since height and reach give advantages in blocking and attacking. Coaches also tend to scout and steer taller athletes toward the sport.

• Softball favors explosive lower-body power, strong core, and upper-body strength (especially for pitchers, catchers, and hitters). Athletes with stockier, more muscular builds often thrive.

So the initial pipeline is shaped by genetics and body type.

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2. Training Effect: Sport Shapes the Body

Once an athlete commits to a sport, training demands reinforce certain physical adaptations:

• Volleyball training emphasizes jumping, agility, and overhead power. Over time, players develop stronger lower-body muscles (quads, glutes, calves), shoulder strength, and often leaner physiques due to the aerobic and anaerobic mix of the sport.

• Softball training emphasizes rotational power, sprinting, and throwing mechanics. Players often develop more mass in hips, thighs, and upper body, reflecting explosive short-burst movements rather than sustained jumping or aerobic activity.

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3. Bidirectional Shaping

• A tall, lean young athlete may gravitate toward volleyball and be further molded by plyometric, agility, and jump training into an even leaner, spring-loaded body.

• A more compact, powerful athlete may enter softball, where years of rotational hitting, sprint intervals, and throwing condition her body into even greater explosive strength.

Over time, these differences become visible: volleyball players often have a “taller, leaner” silhouette, while softball players may carry more “compact power.”

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4. Overlap & Exceptions

• Not every volleyball player is tall and skinny—liberos and defensive specialists often have builds closer to softball athletes.

• Some softball players, especially outfielders, may share the leaner build of volleyball players.

• Multi-sport athletes often start with a versatile build and specialize later, when training molds them further.

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✅ Bottom line: Body type initially influences which sport athletes gravitate to, but the training, movement demands, and long-term specialization in volleyball or softball accentuate and shape those natural tendencies. It’s not either/or—it’s an interplay. 

Playoff Runs

Every team has ambitions to "go deep" in the postseason. As Coach Scott Celli reminds us, that means a combination of excellence, health, and luck.

The Melrose-Longmeadow playoff match on NFHS Network reminds us that the margin between wins and losses is often subtle. 

"Great players make great coaches." Nobody wins without talent.

In addition to talent, what do strong teams have? 

• Confidence. "Confidence comes from proven success." Winners believe they will do whatever it takes to win.
• Chemistry. Chemistry sums everything surrounding culture - high character, resilient players, who care about each other. 
• Antifragility. The 2001 Patriots lost Drew Bledsoe, an All-Pro caliber quarterback in the second game of the season. Out of nowhere, Tom Brady began to write his legacy. Depth helps teams become antifragile.
• Coaching. Melrose has a MAVCA Hall of Fame Coach in Scott Celli who has seen it all. 
• Leadership. The best teams are player-led. In addition to the captains, every player can lead through buy-in, hard work, and no distractions. 

As for talent, what's needed? 

• Strong setting. Melrose always has a setter or finds a setter. There's reason for optimism with Sadie Smith and others competing.  
• Three dynamic hitters. Every year "hundreds of kills" graduate. Melrose loses a lot in Sofia Papatsoris and Carol Higonenq. But MVB returns All-Conference middle, D1 college candidate Sabine Wenzel, and has a host of candidates to fill attack spots including Emme Boyer, Maggie Shoemaker, Elise Marchais, Ella Friedlaender, and others in the mix. The battle for "pin hitter" spots should be ferocious. 
• Back row consistency. Melrose graduates the back row stalwarts yet returns talent with Anna Burns and Adele Akland. Melrose had strong back row defense on the JV last year and adds a promising freshman class so expect to hear new names. 
• Aces > errors. Top teams have more service aces than service errors. Serve is the one area of volleyball completely under your control. 
• Defensive coordination. The choreography between front and back row defenses is underappreciated by many. 
• Communication. MVB has to overcome graduation of "The Voice," Maggie Turner. Know that communication will be an early and daily priority of the coaches. 

Nobody can presume deep playoff runs before a regular season ball has been in the air. The competition to earn roster and playing spots deserves full attention with tryouts starting the 18th. 

Tryouts Continue

The second day of tryouts happens today. As a player, stand out in positive fashion. 

Tryout Signal Is not Noise

1. Communicate. Call the ball. Encourage teammates. 

2. Energize. "Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm." 

3. Compete for a role. Other than M1 (middle hitter one), any position is potentially available. That's not to say competition isn't fierce. Compete to attack, to defend, or as a designated server. 

The Exceptional Player Impacts the Game

1. Exceptional players make teammates and the team better.

2. Exceptional players impact winning. They either find ways to end plays by scoring or assisting or preventing opponents from scoring by keeping balls alive. 

Show the coaches the impact of your competitive fire.

Perspective

It's too early to assemble lineups physically or mentally. Think about the Red Sox and how Rafael Devers was unwilling to make changes that he felt were not in his interest. Always put the team first and look to assume the role that the coaches believe will help the team.

Lagniappe. Rituals can be positive or negative depending on how they're completed. Think about some MVB rituals:

• Setting up and breaking down equipment
• Practice warmup
• Pregame warmup
• Warmup music 
• Pregame introductions
• Your pre-serve routine
• Lollipops for fans
• Brownies on the bus
• "Who let the dogs out?" 

Rituals help provide stability. Sometimes rituals help restore calm and focus. One player wipes her hands on her jersey. Another stamps the dust of her shoes. Another takes a deep breath before the serve. 

Some rituals are "automatic" and ingrained by habits. Others require attention. 

1) Delay responding to upsetting emails if possible. 

2) Before issuing angry comments after a game, use the "24 hour rule" to allow situations to cool. 

3) Widen the distance between receiving harsh comments and responding.

Lagniappe 2. “When someone slights you in a meeting, take a deep breath before you speak and watch how often you change what you’re about to say." - "Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results" by Shane Parrish

Lagniappe 3. Be a good teammate. That's a choice. Even now, former schoolmates sometimes contact me appreciating how I treated them. That's over fifty years ago! Choose kindness. 

 

Wenzel Announces Signing at East Texas A&M

6'6" middle blocker Sabine Wenzel announced accepting an NCAA Division I volleyball scholarship at East Texas A&M. She plans to study Nutrition. 

One of the MVB 25 captains, Wenzel is a four-year varsity player at Melrose and Middlesex League All-Conference player. 

Congratulations to Sabine and her family. 

With over 12,000 students, East Texas A&M is the third largest school in the A&M system and is located at the northeastern edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. 

And They're Off

MVB 25 officially underway with tryouts at the MVMMS gym. 

In the morning session, 15 freshmen came out and the afternoon session had over 30. 

Intelligence, immediacy, and intensity marked both sessions. 

Coach Scott Celli oversaw both sessions along with surprise returner Ryan Schmitt as Assistant Varsity Coach and Ryan Celli as JVa coach. 

The Cracked Pot

Sahil Bloom shares the story of The Cracked Pot. 

Each of us carries a unique set of gifts and skills. The key is to use what you have instead of dwelling on what you lack.

The tallest player may not move with your quickness or anticipation. A smaller player may not match your power or vertical jump. What matters is learning to maximize your strengths—for the team and for yourself.

Bring the best version of yourself. 

Make the Leap into MVB 25 - "Geronimo"

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. The blog is not an official publication of MVB or any Melrose institution or the City of Melrose. 

A look back through the musical time machine...homage to disco "Making It." 

The ten year-old was leaving in her softball gear. I said, "going to play softball?" She answered, "No, Daddy. I'm going out to win." 

Take a moment before tryouts.

Stand tall on the court, close your eyes, and pause to appreciate the people in your life who helped you get here.

Thoughts for Tryouts

• Bring your best. Miguel Ruiz wrote in The Four Agreements: “Always do your best.”

• Compete to contribute. Whether you’re a freshman or a senior, every job is open. Be relentless.

• Bring energy. Energize yourself and your teammates.

• B+ (Be positive). 

• Lead. Leadership is showing up on time, never being a distraction, and being a great teammate.

• Focus. Embrace the “next play” mentality.

• Be coachable. If Coach Scott Celli says, “half-speed lap,” run half-speed—never cut a corner.

• Play for the girls next to you. That’s the meaning of team.

What do these have in common?

They’re all doable. Focus is a skill. Coachability is a skill. Hard work is a skill. Communication is a skill. Toughness is a skill.

Be excited, not anxious.

Lagniappe. Make the leap into MVB 25. "Geronimo" is the symbolic call of courage when making a leap, derived from Apache leader. 

Tryout Details (Via Insta)

AI Overview

Here's the information regarding Melrose volleyball tryouts on August 18th, 2025:

• Date: August 18, 2025.
• Grade Levels and Times:
  • Grade 9: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
  • Grades 10-12: 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
• Registration: Registration is required and still open. Student-athletes can register online via the Melrose High School Arbiter registration link: students.arbitersports.com/organizations/melrose-athletic-department.
• Important Requirement: A valid physical is required for tryouts.
• Subsequent Tryout Dates: Tryouts will continue on August 19th and 20th, with two sessions each day (9:00 AM - 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM). Participants will be informed at the end of the August 18th tryout which session to attend on the 19th. 

In addition to registration, all athletes, band members, cheerleaders, and drama members, along with their parents/guardians, are mandated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to complete an online concussion course annually. Ensure this requirement is met before registering online.  

Close the Accountability Gap

"Mom and Dad, I'm overwhelmed by the demands on my time." Imagine how your parents must feel.

Each of us chooses an "accountability" standard to pursue.

1) What is accountability? 

There's no universal definition. A useful one for athletes might be, "to hold myself and my team to a high standard of performance." That incorporates personal and team leadership.

From David Kline, "Accountability Coach"

2) How can I adopt an accountability standard? Use some ABCs to "Call Your Shot" every day. Simplify. 

• Attention. Be locked in to practice and games. Be coachable.
• Best. Be the best version of yourself. 
• Check. After the event, ask whether you met one and two. 

Michael Jordan told his assistant coach at UNC, Roy Williams, that he would work as hard as any player ever had at Carolina. Williams replied, "You have to work harder than that."

3) What hinders me? Is it will, my intentionality, or skill, my inventory of abilities? 

To excel, want to excel. Setting the bar on making the team is lower than setting it to contributing to team success. Because volleyball is important to you, raise you goals. Raising personal and team goals, match your work to your dreams. Your coaches provide the training and support to help you raise your skill (footwork, platform skills, attack technique and portfolio of attack choices). Your discipline and work impacts your teammates and team. 

Summary: 

• Commit to accountability to personal and team improvement. 
• Use your ABCs daily - attention, be your best, check 'A' and 'B'
• Your intentional and leadership impacts everyone around you. 

Common Themes

Sports share common themes. Everyone starts as a novice and trains. The training imperatives include:

1) Technique (skill development) with mastery of fundamentals

2) Tactics (strategy) to understand and grow game knowledge (VB IQ)

3) Physicality defeats opponents with quickness, power, conditioning

4) Psychology of resilience...do not quit, overcome adversity

Additional tenets apply:

• Technique beats tactics.
• The mental game exceeds the physical.
• Sport rewards athletic explosion.
• You can't skip steps.
• Be coachable. 
• Top players elevate everyone else.
• Be a great teammate.
• Elite players never stop doing the little things right. 

"In the moment" you're doing not thinking. 

Lagniappe. Never give up on a play. Keep the ball UP. 

 

Get Your Rest Today, Get It On Tomorrow

The bright lights come on at the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School  gym tomorrow. Rest today; get after it tomorrow. 

 

What Dreams Are Made Of

Boston had Community Auditions, a reality talent show, before the genre actually existed. A few made it out. 

MVB tryouts give young athletes the same chance to show your skill, will, and competitive character. 

"There is nothing cheaper than free advice."

• Bring the best version of yourself. 
• Make a mistake. "Shake it off." 
• Bring positive energy. 
• Support everyone there. 
• Visualize success before you even start. 
• Celebrate the journey. 

Let's get a consult from ChatGPT: 

Here are five clear and practical pieces of advice for any aspiring girls' volleyball player heading into tryouts:

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1. Be Loud and Energetic
Show you're engaged. Call the ball, cheer for teammates, and communicate constantly. Coaches notice players who bring energy and uplift others—it signals leadership and confidence.

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2. Hustle on Every Play
Whether it's chasing down a shanked pass or sprinting to shag balls during drills, your effort should never dip. Hustle is 100% controllable and often separates similar players.

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3. Show Coachability
Listen carefully, nod when being addressed, and apply feedback immediately. Coaches value players who are receptive and adaptable—those who make the team better, not just themselves.

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4. Focus on Fundamentals
Pass with proper platform, set with clean hands, and swing with purpose. You don't need to be flashy—just consistent. Reliable ball control is often more impressive than raw power.

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5. Be a Great Teammate
Encourage others. Shake off mistakes and help others do the same. Volleyball is a team sport, and players who are unselfish and positive stand out—even if they’re not the top performer.

Lagniappe. Adjust your approach to the situation.

 

Resources for MVB Fans

The blog is not an official publication of Melrose Volleyball or any organization within Melrose, MA. 

The blog is just one place for information about MVB. Some readers will excavate more information at sites like these. Some hunting may be required. 

The Boston Globe - Top 20 rankings, scoreboard and more

The Boston Herald - Historical, The Herald has led, in large part from the outstanding commitment of Danny Ventura, who recently retired. "We'll see how it goes." 

LocalHeadlineNews.com - The print edition features regular volleyball coverage from Jen Gentile. The online edition has limited access. 

MassHSVB.com - This site provides schedules, scores, and rankings. Polls are opinions, no more no less. 

MIAA.net - Clearinghouse of information from the MIAA. 

MAVCA.org - Massachusetts Volleyball Coaches Association includes some current information and Recognition of teams, coaches, and All-State players

Maxpreps.com - Schedules, scores, standings, updated stats input from Coach Scott Celli 

Melroseathletichof.org - Links to recent inductees, Melrose Hall of Fame Athletes, Coaches, and Teams, and the 2012 State Championship team

NFHS Network - Pay site. Is it worth it? There's no easy answer. 

SI.com - Schedules, scores, and a little more

YouTube.com - MHS sports games are often available either live (home) or on tape... there's value in watching MVB clubs and players of the past. 

HUDL.com - Not as useful for MVB but with some search you may find links to player profiles and other Melrose sports

Homenewshere.com - Covers high school sports for a variety of Middlesex League teams. Volleyball articles appear on an ad hoc basis. 

Instagram - Player maintained. 

Some teams maintain current and historical sites. Some away games are available from opponent local Cable Television providers. It's hit or miss. 

The Dominoes Start to Fall in Two Days

Tryouts start Monday August 18th, the first milestone of MVB 25. Be the "Big Domino" who changes everything. 

Scrimmages follow starting the 26th and 28th with the PlayDay ensuing on Saturday the 30th.

Enjoy the journey. 

The Letter 'E'

Edison said inventors used imagination, persistence, and analogy. Coaches have those attributes, too. 

Today's message brought to you by the letter "E" as in Edison. 

• Excellence
• Exceptional 
• Effectiveness
• Efficiency
• Enders, as in "Possession Enders"

Excellence. As children our grades read E, G, F, or P. E stood for excellence. Inside the UNC Women's Soccer locker room, a plaque reads "Excellence is our only agenda." Thousands of years ago, Aristotle supposedly said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." Make excellence our passion. 

Exceptional. Exceptional performance arises through commitment to exceptional work. Our work won't always be exceptional but we owe that effort. "Always do your best." 

Effectiveness. Coaches and players become effective when they change their world. Gandhi's impact came from his philosophy, "Be the change." 

Efficiency. Don't put in the time, put in the work. Get more done in any given "unit of time," with higher tempo practice, naming every repeated drill, and sprinting between drills. Brad Stevens said that he learned by watching Belichick's Patriots practice. I saw what was possible watching Geno Auriemma's 2016 team practice. 

Enders. Possession enders get scores and stops. They assist or score, rebound, get blocks, steals, and deflections. They impact the game at both ends of the court. Opponents must account for their presence at all times. 

Lagniappe. Effectiveness. 

Your effectiveness as a coach won’t be based on how much you know or what level you played at. It will be a reflection of how well you’ve taught, how effectively you’ve motivated, and how much you care for individuals.

— Coach Tony Miller (@tonywmiller) July 9, 2025

Lagniappe 2. Champions act like champions before they are. 

CHAMPIONS ACT DIFFERENTLY

Great reminder from @AllistairMcCaw pic.twitter.com/FQCmyWqiR4

— Jamy Bechler (@CoachBechler) July 9, 2025