Blogging the Journey: For the Love of the Game!

Proud to be a Mounty! I will be starting my first year as an assistant coach at the college level with Mount Aloysisus College. As we begin the journey for the 08-09 season I will be "blogging the journey" towards our team goal of reaching the AMC playoffs. For the first time in our 3 year existance as a D3 school, we are now eligible to make the playoffs.

Previously, my experience has been working with players at the junior high, JV and Varsity levels, so this is an exciting new experience for me. It's been somewhat of a change for me to get used to not having any contact with the players during the off-seasons for conditioning and individual player development. Due to NCAA rules, coaches can not have any contact with their players on the court until the official start of practice opens in mid-October. For the past 7 years, my summers and early falls have been filled with summer leagues, camps and open gyms on a regular basis. This has been quite refreshing from a family perspective, having the spring, summer and early fall to be at home with my family, which is priority #1. However, we will be busy getting out during the off-season to recruit new players for our program. One difference between D3 and the other NCAA divisions I and II is that in D3, you can recruit all year long, there are no down periods for recruiting.

It's funny how things play out sometimes. After being so disappointed about not getting a head coaching position at the varsity level and closing the chapter on my coaching time at Windber, another door opened immediatly. This new chapter in my coaching career has provided me with the opportunity to do something that I have always wanted to do...coach at the college level. Ultimately, I still have a desire to be a head coach and run my own program. However, this is a huge step to the next level that could potentially lead me to a head coaching position at the college level. Needless to say, I am refreshed with a new attitude and enthusiasm and ready to get back on the court teaching the fundamentals and the game of basketball with a talented coach and group of players who are here for one reason...for the LOVE OF THE GAME.

Team Apostles... Leading a New Way

Team captains or co-captains are not enough anymore. It's something that is becoming more popular. The use of leadership "committees" is growing, particularly in college football locker rooms. Urban Meyer started the trend with his Leadership Committee and Champions Club at Florida. These committees are voted on by both the coaching staffs and players and are upheld to higher expectations, not just on the field, but off the field as well. In order to be considered to be apart of Meyers' Champions Club at Florida, you must excel in the classroom, in the weight room and be true to your personal values. What's the reward? Special treatment. Yes, that's right...according to Meyer, fairness or equality is not something that you see in the Florida football program. Urban Meyer is a big believer in rewarding achievement.

Similar to coach Meyer, I am a big believer in the old concept of "you snooze, you lose"! In a society today that follows the AYSO philosophy (don't even get me started on this one), where we reward kids for participation or where the runner-up is given the same type of recognition as the Champion, I am a strong believer that you should be rewarded for your performance and achievement. The fact of the matter is that life is not always fair and the person who puts in the most time & effort, is most likely the one to come out on top in most situations. Lets face it, the real world is nothing but competition, competing for the best school, competing for the best team, competing for the best business, competing for the best job!

The article below talks about the benefits of having more than just one or two "captains" leading the team. Actually, when you think about it, "leading by committee" is a very simple philosophy...the more leaders you have the better communication, commitment and buy in you have from your team. At Florida, Coach Meyer expects his leadership committee to to enhance team chemistry, police the team from within and exemplify what it means to be leaders, both on and off the field. When you give that responsibility to twenty of your players at all class levels (Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores & Freshmen), you have more players looking out for the best interests of each other.

Rich Rodriguez dropped the phrase Thursday, and ears perked up.
He
mentioned his leadership group, the one he'll consult often during the season,
to get the vibe of the team. And he referred to them as the "apostles," an idea
he has employed for years.
"It's not in biblical nature," Rodriguez said.
"The definition of an apostle is one that leads a new way. I'm not looking for
them to change the world. That's a description of it. ... I don't want anybody
to take it the wrong way."
He said the players voted and picked the group,
which is close to 20 individuals, including fifth-year senior cornerback Morgan
Trent.
Trent said he's glad the team has a larger voice to speak to the
coach, though the name is a bit unconventional.
"It's fine with me," Trent
said. "I don't think he thinks he's Jesus or anything. He broke down the word
and what it meant."
Having apostles is a longstanding routine with
Rodriguez.
"Since I was at West Virginia," he said. "I had a version of it,
too, at the small school, Glenville State. I've always had a group of leaders
that I let the players pick. We had a lot of fun with it. Sometimes it's as
simple as picking pregame music or that kind of thing. It's not like they're
making major decisions. They're not going to say, 'Coach, we're going to run the
wishbone this week.' They're making suggestions, not decisions."
As for when
they'll be implemented, Rodriguez made that very clear.
"I don't need the
leadership as much during practice -- that's what coaches are there for," he
said. "I need leadership more when the coaches aren't around, in the locker room
and around campus. That's where I need the leadership. When we're around, that's
our job."