Chef's Table - More Than Food

Why go to school? Acquire the foundation that allows you to excel in a field that earns your purpose. 

Chef's Table isn't about pizza or pasta; it's about excellence. "But the most important lesson was how he treated people..." - Master pasta chef Evan Funke speaking of Rich Melman

Funke tried many professions but none captured his imagination. Then he went to Italy and learned purpose with pasta. He found a mentor, Alessandra. 

Mentoring wasn't enough. Practice made mastery. 

Make your excellence story live on. It starts with purpose. 

Lagniappe. Attack jump tips.

 

Outlook for MVB 25

Kids need Truth Tellers 🗣️.

And coaches are some of the last ones left.

“I don’t tell them how great they are. I tell them how hard they have to work to be great.” - Kelvin Sampson

pic.twitter.com/grulzfWSkp

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) February 27, 2025

Coaches teach truth. Winning is hard and that's what gives it value. Telling players "work hard" is repetitious and not specific.

• "Repetitions make reputations." There's no shortcut. "Pound the rock" and develop those platform, footwork, attack, serving, and setting skills.
• Become the teammate that you want to have. Support, encourage, cajole. Work out with a teammate. Make lifelong friends. 
• Lead by modeling excellence. Make excellence your standard. Chase perfection while knowing it is not possible.
• Elevate your athleticism. Even the best players I've ever trained got coaching to improve strength, quickness, and body movement skills. Athleticism helps you not to "leave points on the court." 
• Become a habit master. It's hard to go to the gym or use the bands and dumbbells and machines. It's easy to say, "I'm a little sore, I need a day off." Don't miss twice. 

Sometimes obsession drives excellence. It's hard to recommend that and harder to make that your passion. With a critical mass of work, ACH - anything can happen. 

Leadership SEALs of Approval

Leadership often separates success and failure. Jocko Willink and Leif Babin share leadership principles of Navy SEALs in their excellent book Extreme Ownership. 

Everyone can lead. Lead better with an understanding of five core ideas. 

"Two is one and one is none." Teamwork is vital in the military, business, and sports. Teamwork helps competition, development, and elevates level of play. 

"Cover and move" is another teamwork aphorism. For example, in an attack, the back row players move and provide coverage in the event that the defense blocks the attack. After the attack, the defense realigns in preparation for the return. The cycle repeats. Teamwork is forever. 

"Prioritize and execute." In the book Same as Ever, Morgan Housel informs readers that human behaviors repeat again and again. In volleyball, themes repeat - winning "serve and receive," containing the outside hitters, and attacking aggressively and efficiently. 

"Manage risk." Coaches and teams manage risk in a variety of ways. Developing depth manages risk. Doing more of what works manages risk. And being prepared for an opponent's early aggressive service is another part of risk management. 

"Follow the chain of command." Commander's Intent means that Coach Scott Celli oversees preparation and game planning and outlines the desired "intermediate steps" and "end state." Leadership within the team implies that information regarding player health, psychology, and attitudes has to flow up the chain, too. Communication has to be a two-way street. 

Leadership principles matter in every aspect of society. Work together, give and get feedback, and always put the team first. 

Lagniappe. Many MVB elite hitters relied on three-step approaches. Figure out what works for you. 

Make a Buffet of Lunges Part of Your Training

Improve your athleticism as part of global MVB training. One way to measure strength is hand dynamometry.

After working out almost every day for seven weeks, this researcher increased grip strength by over thirty percent. 

 

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Magic Beans

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. 

Stories help create the beauty of childhood. Age reveals which stories hold water and which don't.

"There are no magic beans." Only work.

The poorest Americans spend an average of over $400 a year on lottery tickets. Last time I checked, the Massachusetts lottery returns about 43 cents per dollar spent. More than 50 percent worse than gambling casinos.

Celtics GM Brad Stevens said, "The magic is in the work." Which is why origin stories fascinate us. Art thrives on origin stories. Think "Rocky" or "Batman" or "The Best Day." 

Exceptional players train and train and then do it over again. They work on their platform, their attack footwork, the block footwork, the service toss, and steps to defend. And then repeat. 

Michael Jordan told North Carolina assistant Roy Williams, "I will work as hard as any player ever at Carolina." Williams answered, "You have to work harder than that." 

UCLA Coach John Wooden said of Bill Walton, "he never got tired of working on the fundamentals." That's the hard part of excellence, getting after it day after day after day. 

Lagniappe. Work on your core. 

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Lagniappe 2. Volleyball attack footwork. You don't need a gym to work on footwork. Remember EDIRx5 explain, demonstrate, imitate, repeat times five. 

The Value of Your Edge (ACH)

DON’T BE THIS TYPE OF PLAYER

The purpose of working out, training, etc. is to be able to produce in games. For players the progression should be simple…
1. Put in the work
2. Play confidently in games
3. review how you played, adjust and start back at 1

If you are playing… pic.twitter.com/lAmFGh3UlI

— Steve Dagostino (@DagsBasketball) February 26, 2025

The hard work of skill training and physical development creates edges. Edges impact your performance, your teammates' performance, and your team. 

Having a higher vertical touch, better short area quickness, or better bench press won't get published in a newspaper or online. No headline ever read, "Susie Improved her Athleticism 27 Percent." 

Maybe you'll develop higher grades, more confidence, and better sleep by commitment and discipline. Who is the most important person who will recognize a difference? You. 

Do the work. Take your best shot. 

Lagniappe. ACH. Anything can happen. On March 14th, 1998 the Harvard Women's Basketball team went to Palo Alto as a sixteen seed against powerhouse Stanford. Susie Miller hit the game winning shot. She won't be thinking about that today as she's too busy working in an emergency room, Dr. Susie Miller. 

Trivia - Stanford Coach Tara Van Derveer was born in Melrose

Kiss the Sky

"What if you look your fears right in the eye?

Say you'll see them another time?"

The top MVP players played as though they had a pogo stick. 

Become a great athlete and "kiss the sky." You can do this. 

Squats and lunges should be a regular part of your training. 

Goblet squats are another important exercise. 

18 exercises to turn your legs to springs

1. Forward bilateral pogo jump
2. Forward SL pogo jump
3. Pogo to frog jump
4. Repeat frog jump
5. Double hurdle to lateral jump
6. Repeat high hurdle jump
7. Quadruple pogo to box jump
8. Repeat maximal pogo jump
9. SL drop jump
10.… pic.twitter.com/8a4Nl2A7Cv

— Gerry DeFilippo (@Challenger_ST) February 23, 2025

Great video on warmup, athleticism, and strength and balance. Seek balance. Don't ignore training and don't overdo it.

More ideas from Reid Hall. 

• Make sure you're healthy. 
• Do baseline testing.
• Don't work out through pain. 
• Allocate at least 20 minutes a few times a week. 
• Have a warmup as suggested in Coach Hall's video. 
• Do three sets of at least 8-10 reps. 
• Do followup testing. 

Lagniappe (bonus material). 

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Bonus Post - French Dip

Fans of The Lincoln Lawyer season three saw Mickey Haller enjoying a French dip in LA, along with a discussion of the sandwich origins.

Coincidentally, this recipe appeared on a social media feed. I wondered about the "classic" bread for French dip and suspected a baguette, although others are used. 

That also begs the question of the best meat for the sandwiches. Many of us "thrifty" shoppers will look for something less pricy than Top Round and this article addresses alternatives. 

Offseason Highlights

Content is king. "Smoke 'em if you got 'em." Offseason highlights via Hudl  

Addition and Subtraction

Boston Celtics Director of Player Development Craig Luschenat

“We’re constantly trying to find ways to help players impact winning and whether that be adding something or taking something away from their game. It comes down to, for us, ‘How can you best help move the scoreboard… pic.twitter.com/qrpHProMC3

— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) February 24, 2025

Think back to early math. Everyone's net and growth sum addition and subtraction. Subtracting a negative number is positive! Removing a less efficient server or blocker is addition by subtraction. Lineup changes don't mean you're a bad player. Legendary Coach Bob Knight said, "just because I want you on the floor doesn't mean I want you to shoot." 

"Do more of what works and less of what doesn't." If a team doesn't excel at setter dumps, pipe attacks, or right side attacks, use fewer. 

Edit practice time. Find ways to add positives and reduce negatives. An answer might be to abandon something. If you're not in the serving rotation, investing a lot of time and effort in service is a distraction.

Becoming an all-around (all six positions) player requires attention to all core skills. Emma Randolph holds the all-time kill record for MVB (a good trivia question). She played different positions, sometimes used a three or four step approach, and helped her team to a state final. Then she rowed crew in college! 

Keep adding to your skill, game understanding, physicality, and resilience. 

Rethink the process. Sometimes a position change is a solution. Alyssa DiRaffaele moved from attacker to libero and helped her team get to a state final. Gia Vlajkovic went from setter to outside hitter and became impactful at both positions. Athleticism, volleyball IQ, and skill allow for flexibility and impact winning. 

Intangibles matter. Strong teams own aggressiveness and communication. Strong teams own effort, toughness, and teamwork. They're the opposite of the dreaded S's - sloth, softness, selfishness. Extinguish these! 

Lagniappe. Attacking... "one size does not fit all." Attackers have to decide where and how to attack. Martin shares a great video. 

Common Sense Process

Programs come with track records. Usually results sort into threes:

• Winning programs 
• Mediocrity 
• Losing programs

Coach Bill Parcells said, "you are what your record says you are." That's harsh and sometimes seems unfair. 

Advice flows to each level. Feedback is retrospective; advice is prospective (forward looking). 

Winners 

• Keep doing what has worked in player acquisition and development, strategy, motivation. 
• Study areas that need 'cleaning up' against the better teams. 
• Assess what can be done differently close and late in 'winning time'. 

Mediocrity

• What can move average to excellent? Can we recruit and train better at youth levels? 
• What do we have to do more offensively and defensively to get 'escape velocity' from average? 
• What weaknesses are holding us back? 

Struggles

• Is there a structural issue (facilities, coaching, elite alternative for players)? For example, Watertown has a superpower field hockey program that has gravitational pull for top athletes from other sports. 
• Analytically, is the team not scoring enough positive points or allowing too many points from lack of skill? 
• Is there interest and 'will' to revitalize a 'down' program? That has to come from a lot of sources - leadership, community, youth program. 

An area coach described Melrose as a 'legacy program'. Even with sustainable success there's always interest in improvement. 

Melrose has challenges: 

1) Replace all-state setter Leah Fowke

2) Find two solid hitters to replace kills from Carol Higonenq and Sofia Papatsoris

3) Retool the back row with the graduation of Maggie Turner, Gg Albuja, and Alex Homan. 

The good news: 

There's an abundance of potential with talent at all levels from rising seniors to rising freshmen with a promising middle school program. At the volleyball banquet, Coach Scott Celli renewed the pledge that every job is open to competition. 

Lagniappe. Part of your job as a student-athlete is leadership training. Sites like this share suggestions. Coaches and players both must solve problems in real time. "In 99% of situations, the self-imposed agony of an unmade decision is far greater than the consequences of a poorly made one." Players need to make corrections under pressure during serve receive, blocking, and defending space (e.g. tips). 

Lagniappe 2. Turn excellent into exceptional. 

18 exercises to turn your legs to springs

1. Forward bilateral pogo jump
2. Forward SL pogo jump
3. Pogo to frog jump
4. Repeat frog jump
5. Double hurdle to lateral jump
6. Repeat high hurdle jump
7. Quadruple pogo to box jump
8. Repeat maximal pogo jump
9. SL drop jump
10.… pic.twitter.com/8a4Nl2A7Cv

— Gerry DeFilippo (@Challenger_ST) February 23, 2025

Keep the Wolves at the Door Away

Via Ben Volin of The Boston Globe:  

"In his memoir “The Score Takes Care of Itself,” Hall of Famer Bill Walsh described the frenetic life of a head football coach. 

“In the NFL, events occur – hit you – at supersonic speeds with volcanic force,” Walsh wrote. “There aren’t months or weeks to recover, not even days. Usually only hours or minutes. While you’re throwing a wolf out the back door, another is banging on your front door and two more are trying to crawl through the windows.”"

Coaches get input from many sources - administrators, assistants, doctors, players, families, fans. Coach Bob Knight shared, "if you listen to the fans in the stands, pretty soon you'll be sitting next to them."

Coaches hardly get a breath during volleyball season. It's a sprint not a marathon. Blink and it's over. 

It's a constant balancing act as coaches balance development and winning, the present and the future, senior experience and promising young players. It's even worse in college with NIL and the transfer portal. 

What are the wolves? Here are a few possibilities:

• Overconfidence. Past results don't guarantee future results. Respect every opponent. 
• Doubt. You can only be as good as you believe. As Bon Jovi sang, "you can't win until you're not afraid to lose." 
• Outside recruiters. "We can make you better."
• Distractions. The world offers an unlimited number of possibilities to teenagers. Focus on the process. 

No coach ever made everyone happy. It's impossible with limited minutes, role, and recognition. At best, the coach teaches and cares for every player, puts the team first, and communicates why decisions are made. Then (s)he fights off the wolves...daily.  

Lagniappe. MVB makes us proud with the competitiveness and character of the players and coaches. 

Lagniappe 2. Great video on warmup, athleticism, and strength and balance. Seek balance. Don't ignore training and don't overdo it. 

The CARE Acronym

My favorite interview questions for finding A-players: pic.twitter.com/phhM6S1VSW

— Dave Kline (@dklineii) February 18, 2025

What do coaches examine when looking for players? Yes, you have to be able to play. Talent is always a prerequisite for success. But it takes more than talent to win and to win big.

You know the saying, "Before players care what you know they have to know that you care." There's symmetry for players.

When tryouts happen in August, coaches examine your skill, your volleyball IQ, your athletic explosiveness, and your "makeup" - attitude, desire, and effort. 

CARE about teammates, about playing, about succeeding, about improving. 

CARE 

C - concentrate on every play

A - anticipate...read the play as it happens not after it happens

R - react 

E - execute

Your commitment, preparation, and execution matter at home, school, workplace, and on the court.  

Why Can't We Change Our Mind?

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. 

“The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him.” - Leo Tolstoy

We'd rather believe we're right than be right.  

James Clear lays out an argument. We're tribal. 

"The Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker put it this way, “People are embraced or condemned according to their beliefs, so one function of the mind may be to hold beliefs that bring the belief-holder the greatest number of allies, protectors, or disciples, rather than beliefs that are most likely to be true.”

We know experimentally that when peers say that a line is longer than another, even if we know it's shorter, we 'see' the line longer. 

Early on in Officer Indoctrination School, we purchased Navy "blues" which are black. Once we believed black was blue, anything was possible. 

How can we encourage people to hear each other? Philosopher Alain de Botton opined, "For all the large-scale political solutions which have been proposed to salve ethnic conflict, there are few more effective ways to promote tolerance between suspicious neighbours than to force them to eat supper together.”

Thus the high value team-building action of pasta parties or pizza nights. 

Whether it's volleyball or veganism, approach it as a scientist not a preacher, prosecutor, or politician.

• Be curious. 
• Be open-minded. 
• Be literate (read). 
• Be aware of bias.  
• Be committed to search for better ideas. 

-What's the best volleyball serve - float, jump, hard, short, mixes? 

-What's the best way to increase power hitting? 

-How can I increase ball movement on serves? 

Asking questions helps unearth answers.

Lagniappe. Be versatile. 

Adjusting to the Set

Most sports require adjusting to the ball. 

Football - catching a pass or a kick, players go to the ball.

Baseball or softball - adjust to the pitch

Tennis - receivers adjust to both location and speed 

Volleyball is no different. Coach Donny (repost) shows the footwork necessary. 

 

Permanent or Expiring?

"Permanent information is harder to notice because it’s buried in books rather than blasted in headlines. But its benefit is huge. It’s not just that permanent information never expires, letting you accumulate it. It also compounds over time, leveraging off what you’ve already learned." - Morgan Housel in "Same as Ever"

Morgan Housel informs that there are two types of information, permanent or expiring. Permanent information is better, it has more staying power. Expiring information is like yesterday's weather. It may have been good or bad, but it's over. 

Sometimes sport experiences a "paradigm shift," a new way that replaces the standard. Dick Fosbury changed the way high jumpers performed and won a Gold Medal in 1968. 

What's "expiring knowledge" in volleyball? Opponent personnel and strategy change year to year. Years ago an MVB opponent thrived on tip attacks and annoying dancing after every point won. What was the best way to manage that? Stop the tips; stop the dancing. MVB won the sectionals. 

What's permanent, truth that you can 'bank'? 

The movie "Risky Business," explains the commercial. 

1) Talent, there is no substitute. Melrose's gold standard team, 2012, had four current or future All-State players, "The Great Wall," and a pair of Boston Herald "Team of the Decade" members. Platform skills, footwork, armswing, and setting all get paid. 

2) The best teams, the exemplars, win more points. In the postseason, you can't rely on opponent errors. You have to win the points, scoring off aces, block-kills, and attacks. You need defense to keep the ball up for offense. 

3) Sport rewards athletic explosion. Volleyball rewards quickness to the ball, verticals, and power. 

Study the serving, blocking, footwork, and aggression by some of MVB finest. 

4) Toughness is a skill. Toughness is physical (going to the floor, competing at the net) and mental, the will to stay focused regardless of the situation. Toughness works for you raising a family, in school, and in your career. Sport teaches skills that stay with you for a lifetime. 

5) Learn every day. Be coachable. Absorb the fine points that create edges, reading and reacting to plays to get to the spot quicker and ready to play. Learning is a durable ability. 

Summary: Develop permanent skills.

Talent 

Scoring

Athleticism 

Toughness

Learning

 

More Training for Your "Leg Days"

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No equipment leg work. You don't need a gym for everything. 

The Holy Triad

“If you play well, you get extended minutes. If you don’t, they have to go to somebody else.” - Dawn Staley

Basketball at the highest level is a results driven business & the best coaches run their programs with no hidden agendas

(Via @amanda_1815 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/1eiNLFQhcg

— Players Era (@Players_Era) February 19, 2025

The Holy Triad includes minutes, role, and recognition. Every player and their family and friends want these. They're earned, not gifted.

Coaches work to create competition to put the team in the best position to succeed. And they work to create depth, to create antifragile teams. 

In baseball or softball, there's a batting order. That doesn't apply in basketball or in volleyball. You literally get your cleanup hitter more at bats. There's no "my turn." Shot selection matters in volleyball. Earn more shots through performance. Do more of what works. 

Some players get to "eat more." Ceteris paribus (all things being equal), Sabine is going to get more in 2025. Beyond that, I don't know. Carol had a great year in 2024, so had more opportunities. 

As Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra says, "there is always a pecking order." 

Lagniappe. Strength training... 

Jump Training

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Build your workout program... take advice from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, "don't miss twice." 

Every great MVB athlete has been an exceptional athlete.  

Imperfections can Help Us

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. 

"Same in investing. Cash is an inefficient drag during bull markets and as valuable as oxygen during bear markets. Leverage is the most efficient way to maximize your balance sheet and the easiest way to lose everything. Concentration is the best way to maximize returns, but diversification is the best way to increase the odds of owning a company capable of delivering returns." - Morgan Housel in "Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes" 

As much as I preach efficiency, there's room for inefficiency. Efficiency might cause stagnant thinking. A Stanford study showed that walking increased creativity 60 percent. "Dot b," as in stop and take a breath, allows us a reset. In Adam Grant's Think Again, he encourages us to keep a rethinking scorecard of things we were wrong about. 

When we miss an exit on the highway, we don't drive on forever. We look for the next exit to correct our course. 

Sometimes seniors leave bequests to underclassmen. 

• Someone has to accept the lead communicator role of Maggie Turner. Everyone must communicate but everyone isn't the alpha. 
• Someone inherits the dreaded lollipop duty. 
• Most players would benefit from the consistency of a Leah Fowke. 
• Anyone would want the mantle of "most improved." 

"Passing perfection" causes problems. Imperfect passes trap setters against the net or cause the deadly overpasses. Sadie Jaggers said one of the best pieces of advice she got was from Gia Vlajkovic, "make good passes instead of seeking perfect ones." 

Sometimes "mishits" fall in, impossible to defend as back rows can't anticipate an unintended short ball. 

Winners avoid shortcuts. Never cut a corner taking laps. Circa 1846, the Donner Party sought a shortcut through Utah to California during the Gold Rush. This wasn't shorter, trapped them in the desert and prolonged their journey into winter. That resulted in starvation and cannibalism. Ouch.

Young players were asked "how many of you have dogs and is it great to have a dog?" Usually half had a dog and agreed it was great. "Was there anything not great?" "Picking up the poops." Everything in life has a not so great part. 

Training is hard. It hurts...the sweat, the 'lactic acidosis' burn of conditioning and the shortness of breath with high intensity aerobics. Then muscles ache. "The trick is not minding..." 

Lagniappe. Become explosive. Tips.

 

What If You Commit to Everything You Do?

What does commitment look like?

- Practice with a purpose
- Listen with their eyes
- Do the little things
- Are energy givers
- Accept coaching
- Show up early
- Give 100%
- Stay late
- Work
- WIN!

Commitment is contagious. Do you show commitment to your team?

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) February 18, 2025

Check the list above. Now think about your teams. 

Home. Do the little things. Work. Give 100%.

English or Math class. Listen. Accept coaching. Work. 

Job/career. Show up early. Give 100%. Stay late. Work. 

MVB. All of the above. 

The skills you learn playing sports aren't unique or "domain-specific." How you do anything is how you do everything.  

Memory Makers

"There is a saying that people don’t remember books; they remember sentences. —" Morgan Housel in "Same As Ever"

Amidst 'signature wins' players make signature plays. These represent just a tiny slice of a much larger pie. 

The 2010 team laid the foundation for future success with many sophomore standouts (e.g. Brooke Bell, Sarah McGowan, Rachel Johnson) and a senior All-State standout (Athena Ziavras). Athena finishes the sectional win. 

Projecting the MVB 2025 roster in February is a fool's errand. Yet, MVB 2025 could remind long-time fans of the 2010 club.  

The 2022 team showed maximum resilience during a postseason match with Billerica. 

Set 4, Melrose leads 23-22. Ruth Breen slows an attack, Emma Desmond makes a running one-handed save going out of bounds, and Chloe Gentile gets a kill with an athletic adjustment.

In 2021, Melrose executed an improbable comeback, rallying from multiple fifth set deficits in the sectionals at Billerica. 

Melrose fell to 3-10 before it’s epic rally. Video from Ralph Labella shows the comeback fists of fury starting with Melrose trailing 11-14 (game to 15). 

Lagniappe. Performance means more than raw individual statistics. Making the right play consistently, communication, and leadership all define your contribution. 

The best player on a team isn’t always the player who scores the most. Sometimes it’s the player who has a high IQ or a diverse/versatile skill set or a player who is unselfish & coachable or who knows their role inside & out. Basing “good” only on points scored is a big mistake!

— Jon Beck (@CoachJonBeck) February 17, 2025

"Becoming a Person of Influence"

*Inspired by John Maxwell's Becoming a Person of Influence

The best players, coaches, and administrators succeed by making those around them better.

Decades ago I saw a young man who struggled at a crossroads in life. He hated his job and his wife left him. He said that he wanted to act. I asked whether he had experience and he said that he had done some commercials and dinner theatre. I asked, "what's stopping you?" He said, "my friends say I'm not good enough." I responded, "get new friends." He moved to California to follow his dream. 

Maxwell argues that influence, not control, arises at the intersection of integrity, empathy, and mentorship. Integrity means doing the right things not because they are easy but right. Empathy helps you understand how someone else is feeling, putting yourself in their shoes.

Maxwell suggests four elements to influencing:

• Modeling
• Motivating
• Mentoring
• Multiplying 

Modeling. Provide a template, an example for others to follow. Be the hardest worker, the best teammate, the best communicator. With the graduation of Maggie Turner, others must raise their "com" game. 

Motivating. The greatest motivation comes from within. Coach Nick Saban would say, "How good do you want to be?" Sometimes the greatest motivation comes from telling a player whom they can become, before they're actually that player. Multiple MVB players, veterans and young, have high ceilings. Translate potential into performance. 

Mentoring. The Romans had a term anteambulo, meaning walking the path in front of a patron. They "cleared space" for them. A coach asked why I promoted Cecilia Kay so much. She's now a top player as a freshman in the Patriot League. "She never cheats the drill. She never takes a play off." After he coached her for a few days, he said, "best prospect to ever come out of Melrose." Telling a player, "I believe in you," has immense power. 

Multiplying. "Leaders make leaders." Players have a responsibility to teach and empower the players around them. Become a mentor to younger players, energize teammates, and encourage always. Some players are "force multipliers" with broad impact on those around them. 

Lagniappe. Ultimately, your rotation depends on your coach's plan. Simplicity matters.

 

Lagniappe 2. "It's not what you're capable of; it's what you're willing to do." Be hungry and be humble. 

Many are capable, few are COMMITTED.

Mike Tomlin nailed it.

It’s not about what you’re capable of - it’s about what you’re willing to do.

Many people have talent. Commitment and excellence are rare.

Commit. Show up. Stack the days. pic.twitter.com/Nsft3a17Uh

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) February 15, 2025

Two Truths About Successful Coaches

Steve Kerr said, "You could feel that they loved you and they cared about you, but you were a little afraid of them...You didn't wanna disappoint them."

The quote emphasizes that great leaders do 2 things:
1. Build real relationships
2. Set high standards

Let me explain... pic.twitter.com/BJLhii3Py0

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) February 16, 2025

Two words I hated to hear as a coach were, "That's okay." Turnovers, bad shots, or missed assignments are not "okay."

Winners hold themselves to high standards. Remember Kara Lawson discussing "chasing perfection." Perfection won't come but telling teammates that's okay, especially with mental errors, departs from nearing the 'asymptote of excellence'. 

Baseball great Yogi Berra, part of TEN World Series championships had a saying, "90 percent of baseball is half mental." Staying in the game mentally with supreme focus, playing in the moment helps prevent a single error from snowballing into a run of errors. 

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski told players, "Next play." The last play is done, control this play. I liked to tell players "Positive play," to redirect from a mistake into doing the next right play. 

Whe coaches correct you, it's because they believe in your ability to be better. Be concerned if they stop correcting you. 

Lagniappe. "But I don't have a gym." Footwork practice doesn't require a gym. Whether you're practicing the skills in the video or closing the double block, the more you practice, the better you'll be. 

Reading the ball, proper footwork, and better athleticism give you the foundation for success that increases your playing time, role, and recognition. 

"Help Yourself"

For all of you “athletes” running away from … or trying to hide in the weight room… this is a pic of the GOAT - Michael Jordan. LIFTING … all season long and YES, regularly on NBA GAME DAYS.

Note: Read what MJ’s trainer said in pic below. Note: pic and story Credit IB… pic.twitter.com/kl3FIBPhuJ

— Trent Mongero (@CoachMongero) February 11, 2025

Words and phrases can have multiple meanings and implications. Think about "cow." That conjures a picture of a farm animal, a milk source, protein, British slang as a derogatory term for a woman. In the hospital, "COW" meant "computer on wheels." 

"Help yourself" could mean "do as you please" or "have a treat" or literally "do what it takes" to train, to study, or acquire more skill. 

Some of you want to make the team, to have a role, to impact winning, to become a difference maker. 

Your ultimate resource is time - time with family, studying now for your future self, your training. 

Coach Saban shares a variety of expressions. 

"Are you investing your time or spending it?" 

"It takes what it takes." 

"Are you going to be an AND player or a BUT player?" 

Help yourself. 

Lagniappe. Coach Scott Celli asked a rhetorical question recently about who were the best MVB position by position. I recently shared highlight video of libero Jill MacInnes. Here's are short clips of the underrated DS Amanda Commito. Note how quickly she pops up and repositions and how "she keeps the ball up." 

Failure Is the Springboard to Success

“I’m very different than your parents because your parents don’t want you to fail and be uncomfortable. I love you enough to allow you to fail,” @dawnstaley
Success is built from your ability to learn from adversity. pic.twitter.com/bmdpDIg7Im

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) February 15, 2025

You may be unhappy with how last season went for you. Even the best players have forgettable moments.

Dawn Staley explains how she approaches failure.  

Seek Growth

Encourage growth. 

Parents Growth

Coaches, Parents, Players, Trainers… they all get a lot of blame for the negatives that go on in the basketball world. No one is perfect, no one expects you to be perfect, but I think if you are one of those four roles, it’s your job to continue to grow.

Being… pic.twitter.com/o6rvjYQZEn

— Steve Dagostino (@DagsBasketball) January 30, 2025

Nobody has all the answers. Everyone has a chance to grow in our role. Players, children, and teams don't come with instruction manuals. 

In developmental coaching, prioritize development above winning. That doesn't mean winning has no value, just not the primary emphasis. 

A well-known basketball expert, Herb Welling, told me "when you get the kid, the once-in-a-lifetime player, you have to take care of her." If that meant extra minutes, a bigger role, more recognition, so be it. 

Every player has value and deserves coaching. The player who shows extreme commitment, "showing up" at every opportunity for growth, has the best chance to become 'special'. 

Do you want to be special? Special means to work harder, think better, study more effectively. Multiple returning players have the potential for special. 

Lagniappe. Train to be special. 

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