The beginning of a system

During my 40-plus years of coaching, I was fortunate to work with nine players who were gifted enough to earn scholarships to D1 programs. I also worked with a number of players who went on to play college volleyball at other levels. Was I the reason that those kids had the opportunity to compete after high school? Maybe a little. But I can take full credit for one. Yes, only one.

She was an above average player who was overlooked by everyone. She was about 5’ 10” and played middle on a pretty good team. After the season her mother called me to see if there was anything I could do to find her daughter a place to play. Through a phone call to the Miami coach, I found out that Kent State had just hired a new coach, and he need a few players. I contacted him. He asked me to send him a skills tape. He saw it and signed her. So my networking skills, not my coaching skills proved to benefit her.

All of those kids would have had opportunities to play after high school regardless of who happened to coach them. I am definitely proud to have been part of each girls success, but realize that I had played only a small part.

“I know we won, but your girls are doing it right. You are teaching them the right way to play.”

I take more pride in developing players with less natural ability like the little 5th and 6th grade teams that I trained. My daughter’s team needed a coach so I volunteered. After one loss, I was waiting after the match to make sure all of the girls had rides home.

A parent from the winning team approached me and complimented how our team played. She said, “I know we won, but your girls are doing it right. You are teaching them the right way to play.”

Her daughter’s team had a few very strong girls who could serve well, and her team made no attempt to score points by using all three contacts. Their girls would just bang the ball over on the first contact. We lost because I told the girls regardless of the score, we were going to try to pass to the setter’s box, set to a hitter and strike the ball properly.

I was very happy that someone in the crowd appreciated what my girls were trying to do. The training system I used was using proved to be successful.

Of the kids on my daughter’s team, only one went on to play college volleyball. I’m not sure many made it through their high school programs. The one girl who went on to play in college at a small D1 school went from being the shortest girl on the team in 5th and 6th grade to playing college at about 6 foot. It’s all in the genes.