Sunday, February 23, 2025

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. 







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