There can't be correction without connection. The loudest sign of respect is not applause—it’s expectation. Real teammates hold you accountable. Not because they’re against you—because they refuse to let you settle.
Coaches have many roles - teacher, mentor, motivator, evaluator, psychologist, judge, and more. It's not only what we say, but how we say it and how it's perceived.
Coach Pete Newell said that a coach's primary job was to "help players SEE THE GAME."
I'll add a couple:
"The coach is the keeper of the story."
"The coach does what is best for the team first."
"The coach puts the players in the best position to succeed."
"Coaches decide." They decide when teams need a timeout to address an issue or a "time in" to figure it out by themselves.
"Coaches help take players where they cannot go alone."
Lagniappe. With young players, it's tempting to say that it will just take time. Coach Scott Celli emphasizes the importance of focus and hard work at practice to compress that time.
Ralph Labella and I watched the UCONN Women's basketball team practice in Storrs. Before practice they took two laps to help warm up. Nobody cut a corner...
"It takes what it takes."
"You can't skip steps."
"Champions act like champions before they are champions."
Former Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich says, "Pound the rock." If it takes a hundred hits to break it, then it takes a hundred.
Doug Lemov’s The Coach’s Guide to Teaching refines one point - coaching is teaching. The best coaches don't run drills; they shape how players think, learn, react, and remember. Here are six lessons from his work, applied to basketball, with parallels to the volleyball court.
1. Attention Is the Starting Point
"Start with the end in mind." In basketball, Mike Krzyzewski demanded laser focus even on simple warm-ups. If attention slips during a passing drill, it will vanish under full-court pressure.
Volleyball parallel: attention to detailmatters in serve-receive. If an athlete lets their platform angle wander or their eyes follow the scoreboard, the point is gone. Coaches build habits of attention by demanding sharp posture and readiness on every ball, even in warm-up passing lines.
How much focus can you generate? Can you catch a tennis ball consistently on your platform? When you can, then a volleyball should be easier.
2. Memory Drives Learning
John Wooden’s UCLA teams practiced fundamentals over and over with small variations—repetition without repetition. That way, players weren’t memorizing a drill; they were building recall they could use in different games.
Volleyball parallel: blocking schemes work the same way. You don’t just block line every day. You alternate line, cross, soft block, read the setter, then rotate. Spacing those situations out and revisiting them builds memory under pressure. When the big outside goes cross late in the set, your middle recalls the footwork instantly.
3. Feedback Must Be Precise and Manageable
Brad Stevens was known for his short, surgical adjustments: “Force baseline here.”One cue, not a lecture. Brian McCormick reminds coaches - no lines, no laps, no lectures.
Volleyball parallel: instead of stopping play to correct everything—“get lower, move sooner, watch the hitter’s shoulder”—pick one cue: “late hands” or “beat her to the spot.” Give players something they can act on right away. Volleyball moves too quickly for paragraphs of feedback.
4. Transfer Matters More Than Drill Mastery
Geno Auriemma ends UConn drills with chaos: fatigue, pressure, contact. He knows perfect free throws in silence don’t win games—transfer under stress does.
Volleyball parallel: perfect hitting lines against no block don’t tell you much. Can your outside score after a long rally when the block is set and the defense is waiting? That’s transfer. Game-like reps—transition swings, serve under pressure, digging in long rallies—are what stick when it matters most.
5. Culture Shapes Learning
The 2008 Celtics lived by Ubuntu: trust and unselfishness. Mistakes were allowed, effort was required.
Volleyball parallel: a team that embraces errors as learning grows faster. If players realize a missed serve but bear down on the next rep, they build resilience. Coaches set the tone—effort and communication must be non-negotiable. In volleyball, where trust in coverage and defensive responsibility is everything, culture is performance.
6. Teaching Is Deliberate, Not Accidental
Wooden scripted practices down to the minute. Nothing was left to chance—every rep carried a teaching point.
Volleyball parallel: the best practices don’t just run six-on-six for 45 minutes. They script: footwork warm-up, serve-receive with feedback, transition defense, then pressure scrimmage. Each piece builds on the next. Great coaches teach deliberately.
Basketball and volleyball look different on the surface—one has a hoop, the other a net. But both are our teaching laboratories. Attention, feedback, transfer, culture, and deliberate practice aren’t just buzzwords—they’re the lifeblood of how athletes learn.
Coaching is teaching. Teaching well is how you build not just good teams, but sustainable teams.
Lagniappe 2. Coaches celebrate the success of our players. MVB legend Victoria ("V-Rex") Crovo graduates from veterinary school in a few months and will return to the area.
Tony Dungy said, "If you only coach that person on the field and you only make them a better player, you've really missed a great opportunity."
Lagniappe 3. Exceptional coaches inform special preparation.
This is from Bill Walsh's playbook. Love his thoughts on practice. 1. Players got the practice schedule the night before. 2. practice was structured and everything done at full speed like a game. 3. learning process was accelerated. 4. All players expected to be mentally… pic.twitter.com/ju9C3zihp2
Lagniappe 4. Reading the hitter. (Hint: for longer videos, increase the playback speed to 1.25 or 1.5 for more efficiency). Where do our hitters like to spike? Use that to your advantage in practice.
Melrose had 58 kills, led by 29 for Sabine Wenzel and a career-high 12 for Adriana Santoriello
Serving
Although Melrose had a 90 percent serving percentage, MVB had a 64/109 service points to attempt. Two aces in the fifth set (Sadie and Gen) came a critical times. Alisa Dautovic (17) and Danni DiGiorgio (16) led in service points.
Setting
Sadie Smith racked up 33 assists and Anna Burns three with good 'out-of-system' sets
Digs
Anna had 13 and Sadie 12.
Receiving
Anna (14) and Alisa (12) were the leaders.
Updated stats for state stat leaders will appear on Maxpreps.com tomorrow.
All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose institution.
COVID winter season Melrose played 13 games as a full schedule. MVB 25 is at 11. "You're not in Kansas anymore."
Regardless of whether you’re a freshman or a sophomore, Coach Scott Celli relies on you physically and mentally to translate identity into performance.
You know the story of the tortoise and the hare. MVB 25 is the tortoise, plugging away, getting better.
Strong teams have identity. The Green Bay Packers of the 1960s had six running plays and rammed the ball down opponents' figurative throats on the way to NFL titles. Coach Ellis Lane told us before the first playoff game in 1973, "You're playing a good Division 1 team (15-5). They'll give you a game." We looked at each thinking, "That is not happening." We led 45-10 at halftime.
Tell yourself, "this is who we are" and "that is how we play."
Sports and coaching require problem solving. As a young player, find multiple ways to solve problems.
"If all you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail."
Few players can "make a living" solely by hammering. Exceptional players fill their toolbox with more skills.
Marlboro used cut shots to help beat Melrose in the State semis in 2003
Marlboro used pipe attacks (back row) to beat Melrose in the Finals in 2011
Medfield had a trio of sisters with different skill sets who beat Melrose in the Finals in 2005
Melrose had four current or future all-state players that enabled them to win States in 2012. A hard loss in 2011 hardened them for 2012.
Craft shows up in technique, tactics, physicality, and resilience. The ability to prevent "one bad play" from becoming a bad set separates elite players from solid ones.
And often the difference is focus, full engagement, "next play" mentality. Talent is not enough.
Become more versatile in your craft. An orchestra has drums, string, and wind instruments.
Follow the conductor. The conductor communicates. So must you.
Sometimes the music is scripted, other times it's jazz.
Lagniappe. Summary of Colvin's "Talent Is Overrated" (Via ChatGPT Plus)
🏐 Coaching Summary: “Talent Is Overrated” for Volleyball
Core Idea
Great volleyball players aren’t born — they’re built through deliberate practice: specific, structured, feedback-rich training that targets the skills just beyond their comfort zone.
1. The Myth of Natural Talent
We often call gifted players “naturals,” but consistent excellence almost always comes from years of purposeful repetition.
Even the smoothest players have put in hidden hours refining technique, decision-making, and anticipation.
The “10-year rule” holds in volleyball too — mastery of reading hitters, serve-receive, and defensive positioning takes thousands of deliberate, high-quality reps.
Coaching cue: Praise work habits and learning behavior, not “talent.” What we reinforce shapes identity.
2. What Deliberate Practice Looks Like in Volleyball
Element
Volleyball Example
Specific goals
“Improve eye sequencing on blocks” instead of “work on blocking.”
Immediate feedback
Coach or video feedback every rep; measure success by execution consistency.
Concentration
Short, high-focus sessions — no going through motions.
Repetition with variation
Mix tempos, serves, and angles so players adapt while refining technique.
Stretch zone
Design drills where success rate hovers around 70–80%; enough success to motivate, enough challenge to grow.
Key distinction: Playing games isn’t deliberate practice. Improvement happens when training targets weaknesses under feedback, not when players just scrimmage.
3. How Coaches Create “Deliberate Environments”
Film as feedback: Quick, specific reviews of footwork, platform angle, or hand positioning turn reflection into improvement.
Mental modeling: Watch elite players with a purpose — identifying movement cues, timing, and spacing.
Repetition under fatigue: Once mechanics are sound, add fatigue to simulate game-level decision pressure.
Peer teaching: Have players coach each other — teaching strengthens retention and awareness.
4. Motivation: The Hidden Engine
Sustaining deliberate practice takes intrinsic motivation — curiosity, pride, and the desire to master a skill.
Help athletes connect work to purpose: “We’re training your serve to give us momentum, not just points.”
Recognize that motivation ebbs; structure sessions so progress is visible — metrics, streaks, video comparison, or goal cards.
5. Implications for Team Development
Practice structure matters more than practice volume.
Feedback culture must be normalized — immediate, specific, and impersonal.
Attention to detail is contagious; leaders model deliberate effort.
Long-term development > short-term performance — Wooden’s “gradualness” applies here.
6. Coaching Takeaways
“Greatness is grown.” Every rep should either build skill or deepen understanding.
Make practice slightly uncomfortable — that’s where growth happens.
Replace the myth of talent with a culture of craft: learning, feedback, precision.
Celebrate process, not just outcome — the best players will be those who master how to practice.
Final Thought
“The difference between the good and the great is not genetics; it’s how they practice when nobody’s watching.”
Build that mindset into your gym, and “talent” takes care of itself.
Chat GPT Plus: “So What” – Miles Davis (from Kind of Blue, 1959)
Analogy:Structured freedom within a simple framework.
The piece begins with a clear call-and-response bass line and horn motif — like a team’s set play.
Then the solos (Miles, Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley) build off that structure, improvising within the modal scale.
Everyone knows the “system,” but within it, each player has freedom. Sports parallel: A basketball team that runs motion offense or read-and-react — shared language, fluid roles, adaptability within boundaries.
Lesson: Master the system first; versatility grows from understanding structure deeply enough to play freely inside it.
“Take Five” – Dave Brubeck Quartet (1959)
Analogy:Thriving in unconventional rhythm.
Built on an unusual 5/4 time signature, “Take Five” was revolutionary.
Paul Desmond’s saxophone floats effortlessly over Joe Morello’s precise drumming. Sports parallel: A volleyball or basketball team that changes tempo or formation — a zone press, a quick transition, a hybrid serve receive — and still maintains rhythm.
Lesson: Versatile players are comfortable when the game’s rhythm changes; they keep poise in odd time.
Sahil Bloom's column, "The Stonecutter Principle" reminded me of a conversation. A former President visited NASA Houston and stopped to chat with a custodian. He asked the man, "What is your job?" He answered, "I helped send a man to the moon."
Excerpt:
A traveler approached three stonecutters working on a construction site and asked each of them what they were doing.
The first stonecutter said, "I am cutting stone."
The second stonecutter replied, “I am building a wall.”
But the third stonecutter smiled proudly, “I am building a cathedral.”
The same principle applies for MVB. We might ask why you are here.
"I'm playing volleyball."
"I'm part of a team."
"I'm building a legacy."
Distinguish activity from achievement. Distinguish activity from experience. Distinguish time spent from time invested.
Purpose and passion are not the same. Some say passion fades while purpose endures.
Look carefully at the foreground of the picture of Neil Armstrong on the moon. "Success leaves footprints."
Lexington historically plays Melrose tough and that is an understatement as Melrose won at home in five sets - 25-21, 23-25, 21-25, 25-5, and 15-8. The win boosts Melrose to 8-3 starting the second half of their campaign.
Wild swings in performance characterized the play, which might be labeled the "Gen Overlan Game." Seldom do you see a player who gets midseason promotion play a key role in helping a varsity team win.
Wednesday afternoon Coach Scott Celli shared that he thought she could end up playing sooner rather than later. Prophetic.
By no means did Melrose dominate the first set as MVB led 21-20 and closed it out with a 4-1 run. In the first set, it was "Casablanca" and the usual suspects as Sabine Wenzel piled on kills.
The first set did not feature a lot of "high octane volleyball."
Adriana Santoriello has an increasing impact on the game. Key plays can occur at any time. Here a diving dig turns into a kill to knot the score at eight.
In an unusual play, Adriana Santoriello digs a serve, leading to a "get me over" free ball kill by Anna Burns.
The second set had more action but less fruitfully so for Melrose. Lexington showed a strong serve-receive game and general defensive excellence. There were some technical difficulties with the feed, limiting highlights.
Melrose trailed 18-21 but rallied to tie the set at 23 after a Lexington time out. But Lexington steadied their ship and Melrose errors gave the Lady Minutemen the set.
Things got worse in the third set but Melrose changed momentum. Trailing 12-19, Sabine blocks with a vengeance to start a Melrose comeback.
Trailing 15-24, Melrose strung together six consecutive service points with Gen Overlan a key architect, but Lexington still led 2-1.
At that point, plagued by defensive inconsistency, Coach Scott Celli made a decision to alter the defense radically, going small with Danni DiGiorgio, Anna Burns, and Gen Overlan in the back. The analogy was Steve Kerr substituting Andre Iguodala for Andrew Bogut in the 2015 NBA Finals. That turned the Finals around as the Warriors beat the Cavs.
Melrose lost the first point of set four, but then reeled off 19 of 20 points to lead 19-2. Sabine must have had a minimum of ten kills during the set and the defense was pristine. Aided by some rest from "all six" play, Adriana seemed revitalized with several powerful attacks as well. Melrose closed out the set in pedestrian fashion 25-5.
The question became not what the lineup would be, but whether Lexington had expended too much mental energy in the first three sets to recharge for the tiebreaker.
Melrose sprinted out to a 6-3 fifth set match with multiple kills. Lex narrowed the margin to 7-5 but Melrose had too much with a Santoriello kill at 10-5, an Overlan service ace to make it 12-7, an Ella Friedlaender crosscourt cut shot to widen the lead to 13-7, followed by a beautiful Elise Marchaise winner to put MVB on the threshold of victory.
With the score 14-8, Sabine added the coup de grace with a smash from the middle and Melrose escaped with the win.
Melrose Notes: Consistency and aggressiveness usually define victory. Melrose's young club went through the "quicksand" in the second and third sets, mostly manifesting as serve-receive problems.
Coaches rely on talent, player development, strategy, and "deployment" to get the right people in the right seats on the bus. MVB defensive changes led to a dramatic surge in overall performance as Melrose finished the match on a 40-12 run.
It was rewarding to see a broader distribution of offense in set five with a true team effort. That said, I expect Sabine to have matched or approximated her all-time record of 30.
Not since 2005 have I seen Melrose put the hurt on an upper division club like that since the 2005 rematch with Lexington. Melrose topped the visitors 25-3 in the first set.
“All the rookies, I tell them: be loud, communicate, play with great effort, & have a great attitude…You're going to make mistakes. But if you do those things, you're going to fulfill your potential & that's what being a pro is.”
Who do you aspire to be? That's up to you. Here's some advice.
"Don't settle." That doesn't mean tossing aside extraordinary. Don't settle for "fine." Good enough seldom is.
Work for more. Deserve more. Is a "Gentleman's C" good enough in math class? Was making the team good enough? If you want to be the best defensive specialist in the league, is becoming a starter enough?
"With great power comes great responsibility." Let ability meet opportunity; imagine the possibilities.
Don't let complacency hold you back. If you want more, go after it.
Lagniappe. What do you want for MVB? Bring immediacy, intensity, and intelligence.
Lagniappe 2. Facing failure is hard.
Kobe Bryant said, “The greatest fear you face is yourself.” “Being fearless means putting yourself out there and going for it, no matter what.”
Coach Scott Celli and his staff continually calibrate the roster with dual intent - win today and win tomorrow. Much to the relief of the rest of the league, Sabine isn't going to be here forever. That puts urgency on performing well now and opportunity for the future, especially in the middle with Emme Boyer also Class of 2026.
Study success. Entrepreneur Sara Blakely founded SPANX, the women's shapewear company. She turned an idea into a five billion dollar company, without issuing stock or debt. Listen to her advice on branding:
Make it
Sell it
Build brand awareness
All follow her primary rule: OBSESS THE PRODUCT
Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban says, "It takes what it takes."
Skill (technique)
Strategy (tactics, volleyball IQ)
Physicality (sport rewards explosiveness)
Psychology (resilience, mental toughness)
This gets me to today's point:
"It takes a lot of extra, not a little." Everyone can't be "the best" at whatever, but each of us decides whether to be our best. When you work at developing the "Core Four" above, you raise your academic, athletic, and personal ceilings.
That's the daily challenge - to become the best version of yourself.
MVB has developed an enduring culture with positivity and team-building activities.
Organizational culture is the global environment surrounding a program. Culture is a force multiplier. Coaches drive culture and strong teams have its ownership. Culture includes everything from leadership, positivity, and relationships. It's an inside job that outsiders only partially understand.
Some examples:
Team readings, this year Jay Bilas's "Toughness"
Pasta parties
Brownies on the bus
Team bus song, "Who Let the Dogs Out?"
Home game "Lollipops"
"Shout Outs" - celebrating and recognizing teammates at practice for effort and contributions
A welcoming environment for young players
Offseason physical training as a group
Club volleyball together within restrictions
Positive culture isn't unique to MVB but it's an expectation. Players enjoy each other's company and many have close friendships.
ChatGPT Plus Consultation:
A positive culture doesn’t just “happen”—it grows from shared values, habits, and accountability. Here are some ideas and perspectives you might find useful:
1. Establish Clear Standards and Shared Purpose
Define the “why.” Teams unite around a bigger mission than wins and losses. Whether it’s “be the hardest working team” or “make each other better every day,” clarity gives direction.
Set standards, not rules. Rules are enforced externally; standards are lived internally. Teams with high standards regulate themselves.
2. Build Trust and Relationships
Trust is the foundation. Players need to believe teammates and coaches have their back, both on and off the court.
Model vulnerability. Admitting mistakes or showing humility creates safety for others to do the same.
Invest in connection. Shared meals, community service, or small rituals (e.g., high-fives, team circle before practice) strengthen bonds.
3. Emphasize Communication and Candor
Open communication. Encourage players to speak honestly while maintaining respect. Silence breeds resentment.
Radical candor. Balance caring personally with challenging directly. Feedback lands better when players know you care about them.
4. Reinforce Selflessness
Celebrate “we” plays. Highlight assists, hustle, or smart rotations as much as scoring.
Promote servant leadership. Captains and seniors model putting team needs above personal stats.
Ubuntu mindset. As the Celtics once said, “I am because we are.”
5. Create Daily Habits of Excellence
Attention to detail. Culture lives in the little things—being on time, listening, picking up equipment, practicing with intent.
Consistency. Great culture is “boring” in that it shows up every day, not just on game night.
6. Repairing a Damaged Culture
Acknowledge the issues. Pretending problems don’t exist only deepens them.
Reset with honesty. Team meetings where players can voice frustrations—framed constructively—help clear the air.
Recommit to values. Coaches and leaders can re-anchor the team in what’s non-negotiable (effort, respect, togetherness).
Small wins rebuild trust. Fixing culture isn’t one speech; it’s steady improvement in how the team interacts.
7. Celebrate Progress, Not Just Outcomes
Catch people doing it right. Recognize effort, teamwork, and growth daily.
Tell the stories. Remind players of moments when the team embodied its best self—these stories become cultural glue.
Culture is the scoreboard you can’t see. Wins and losses show up in the record book, but culture determines whether a team thrives in adversity, whether players leave the program better than they arrived, and whether success is sustainable.
All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. The blog is not an official publication of any Melrose organization or institution.
Volleyball season, unlike baseball, is a sprint not a marathon. Here's a look from an MVB observer since 2002.
1. "You are what your record says you are." - Bill Parcells
If the season ended today, Melrose wouldn't get a playoff home game. Sometimes that's the way the cookie crumbles. Last season in boys' soccer, Newton North, ranked 31, won six games in the postseason...and the State Championship. I'm not saying that's going to happen again but the goal is to be playing well at 'Tournament Time'.
2. "Coaches don't make up lineups, players do."
You force your way onto the court with your performance. It's easy to overlook that with the current 15 person roster, nine are freshmen and sophomores. Everyone gets opportunities and some are able to take advantage of them sooner than others.
3. "Your actions speak so loudly that I cannot hear a word you say."
MVB has always had admirable culture, the ecosystem surrounding the team. I heard a loud roar from the back room signalling the team welcoming Gen Overlan. Embracing team play, not always easy in sports, creates culture. MUDITA, a foreign term, means "your joy is my joy."
4. "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want."
Melrose opened the season with a tough five game stretch, including facing Winchester, the top-ranked team in the state. No excuses, MVB wasn't ready to win at that point. Love your losses and learn.
5. "Form begets function."
A serve time violation reminds players to shorten their pre-shot routine. A "campfire" reminds players to show constant communication. A "rotation error" tells players to show attention to detail.
Are you watching? Watch the long runway (behind the ten foot line), the three step approach, the high armswing back during the decisive attack, the high contact point, and the crosscourt attack. That must be a senior, right? It's freshman Adriana Santoriello. Better ingredients, better results with classic form.
6. "Confidence comes from proven success."
There's an old basketball saying, "The best thing about a freshman is that next season he's a sophomore." A corollary on experience is that "Experience is the best teacher but sometimes the tuition is high." MVB has only one lineup constant from 2024, Sabine Wenzel. And nobody will pretend that the state leader in kills doesn't matter.
Sadie Smith has worked her way up to the top 15 in assists.
Sabine remains on top.
7. "Leaders make leaders."
Coaches work to fashion teams who play to their philosophy - detailed, consistent, and aggressive. Someone asked legendary coach Amos Alonzo Stagg about his team and he said, "Ask me in twenty years and I can give you a better answer." MVB graduates become outstanding people, professionals, leaders in many fields, and often mothers.
Coach Scott Celli remains the architect, as passionate about the sport as he was over 25 seasons ago.
8. "You're getting better or worse. Staying the same is getting worse."
The team has improved from four weeks ago at Belmont. The receiving, attacking, blocking and defense are better. I'd ask my teams what we need to work on and get the one-word answer, "Everything."
With two consecutive practices coming up, the team can continue to work on serve receive, passing, and serving.
What coaches want to see is a lot of players under consideration for Most Improved Player. And there are a lot of players in that category now.
