Minimum Input, Maximum Reward...

Lisa Stuck was fed up.

The head coach of the Glendale Community College Gauchos decided it was time. “About 6 years ago I made a decision to shift my focus to players with certain intangibles. I decided I didn't want to spend my time coaching kids without work ethic and who were only concerned with themselves. It was too frustrating and usually caused tension on my teams.”

Stuck was a top flight athlete at Apollo High School, Arizona State University and later in the pipeline at USA Volleyball. She struggled, as so many of us do, with how players today had to be coaxed and cajoled into working hard, into accepting and embracing a team first mentality like she was and like those she had played with.

So she shifted her recruiting focus.

“As a result, I began to look for specific qualities more-so than height, jump touch, and one dimensional ability. If we could find players with ball control, competitive spirit, work ethic and some athleticism, we could teach them what they would need to know and do to be successful.”

Make no mistake, Lisa wants to win. She is as competitive now, heading into her 19th season at GCC as she was her first day. The focus is still winning, but the landscape around her has changed.

“It was much more rewarding for me and my staff to be able to teach kids, who were eager to learn, improve, were team-minded and super hard workers. It’s about the satisfaction and reward involved in coaching kids who have a passion for the game and their teammates; who LOVE and know how to compete. Kids have the most success when they are having fun, learning, are challenged and successful.”

It’s hard to argue with her success the last few years. Lisa’s teams have a combined 90-30 record the last four years, 48-16 in conference play. Her worst season of the four was in 2014 when her squad limped into the ACCAC Regional tournament as the #4 seed of 4 and a sub .500 record and won out, winning a date at Nationals where her Gauchos finished the most improbable season with a National Championship. Her 32-3 season last year and 15-1 in conference sent her back to Nationals again.

She may be on to something.

Lisa is candid about the kind of athlete she is looking for these days. “We look for athleticism, speed, ball control, passion and competitiveness. We look for a positive attitude on the court, their reaction to mistakes and reaction to their teammate’s errors. We look for effort on every play. We want players who have a good attitude and are engaged when they are not in the game. A lot of the things we are looking at have nothing to do with passing, serving, hitting, etc. They are about personality.” 

She adds solemnly, “Those kids are hard to find.”

Stuck isn’t just a frustrated coach, she also teaches Psychology and Sports Psychology and has seen the tide turn over the last decade; these types of athletes who have become relics in a sea awash in Club politics and profits and overzealous Parents.

“The Club Machine has created a climate of individualism in the sport. By the time players reach 18, they are in my experience, tired and sick of the grind. They have endured up to 6 plus years of pressure to be on the ‘best team’, to be the ‘best player in their position’ and to get that college scholarship. They have lost their passion and love for the sport. They are not motivated and do not work hard.”

“Club has created a climate where parents are always searching for the best team, the best situation for their kid and guarantees. Learning to overcome adversity and working hard over time for what you want has been lost in the quest for instant success and guarantees without investment.”

“We want kids that are willing to be in the trenches and know how to persevere through rough times. A kid that has never had to do those things usually does not do well in our program. We sometimes look for kids that are young in the game and still have that passion, drive, and haven't been tainted by a climate that encourages a ‘minimum input, maximum reward’ mentality.”

So Stuck sidesteps the land mine players of entitlement and dysfunction and looks for the kids that may not fill the box score but can be a part of her culture. “I think it has to do with understanding the important characteristics your players must possess, really staying committed to recruiting those players and not getting caught up in the search for the 6'2 kid that only hits well, only blocks well, or only serves well. We want players who are ready and willing to work their butts off every day in the gym and 'live and breathe the game. That player may be 5'0 or 5'7" or 6'1". We aren't that concerned with the height factor.”

“The foundation of our program is a 'never quit' mentality and an inner strength that comes with overcoming adversity and being able to handle failure. In the search for the ‘easiest way’ to do things, kids are not very prepared or even know how to handle adversity or failure. We are looking for kids that do know those things. We have had numerous players who were not highly recruited, or were overlooked due to their size. They did however, have the qualities we wanted.”

Season 19 is upon her and Stuck is already looking toward the season. But she is now fully invested in this type of athlete and refuses to go back.

“Everyone has their own philosophy and I know there are many ways to coach this game. We just happen to have found a formula that works for us and has enabled us to have a huge amount of success. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.”