The Rise and Falls of Culture- Installment II

The last couple of posts are from Coaches and Athletes on culture. The culture of their team that went from one direction to the other, and more importantly, why they thought it did.

We will keep the schools, coaches and players confidential. It is not the intent to embarrass or glorify, it is to see the different components of a culture and how they were perceived by these contributors.

A big thanks to those Coaches and Athletes that took some time out of their busy days to give us their insights.

A Player:

"Last season was to put it bluntly absolute trash. We didn't ever connect as a team and there was INTENSE cliques last year which were detrimental to our team. This year we kind of worked with them. Last year our captains were both seniors, which I am not saying is a bad thing. The only problem is that we had two other seniors who had played for my school longer and were not selected. This caused a power struggle for the entire season which led to our Libero, who wasn't a captain, screaming at my teammate and me to 'play harder, do you even want to win?' And we were not even on the court at the time. This was the last game of the season for us, and it was not a fun experience for anyone."

"This season was just different. Maybe it was the mental condition coach that was hired who was supposed to help us with breathing and serving routines, but ending up becoming our outlet for when we had problems with coach or each other. You can't tell coach I said this but making me a captain was a huge mistake. I am a junior, our best player is a senior. For most of the season it was our best player and I until he finally decided to fix the problem. I know what you're thinking 'where is the issue?' Our star, all-tournament,all-region, all star all around great person middle blocker who is a SENIOR, was NOT selected for captain which caused animosity between her and I. It was resolved after the first game, but not because of coach. The team was just a lot closer this year so we all worked together to overcome these coaching errors. I think if the team has a coach they can connect with then the team thrives." 

"It isn't like that with coach. Not because we didn't want to but because HE didn't want to. We could've made it to the third place match, but instead we crumbled in the quarter finals because honestly nobody cared anymore. We took a set off of the eventual Region Champions, but couldn't beat a team with literally ONE good player. We were all kind of done. Last season, I was excited to start fresh with a new season after such a terrible one. This year, I don't even know if I want to play volleyball anymore. To summarize, you need good captains and good coach/ player relationship to have good culture." 

A Player

"Well, number 1 is that this coach isn't always on her phone like the old coach. #2 we scout every team we play, and know where to hit, and who is getting the most sets on the others side, etc. #3 Our new coach has more spunk and excitement, and wants us to take risks where our old coach always wanted us to play it safe."

Our coach now is more personal and dedicated. She makes sure we get enough sleep, and always checks if we are eating healthy or not. The practices are more meaningful and we get pushed more. After matches at the next practice, we go over what we did well at, or what we need to work on using a stats system."

A Player:

"My first 2 years of high school volleyball wasn’t taken very seriously. Don’t get me wrong, we had tons of fun but that was just it. We had more fun messing around rather than thriving to get better at volleyball and wanting to become the best in the conference/state. We settled for the fact the our little high school volleyball team would never be district champs, win state or even make it to state. Volleyball at my school was the 'fun' sport that every girl in the school tried out for every year cause it was easy. No one ever came to volleyball games in the student section because we were boring to watch. But they aren’t wrong. It was easy and relaxed. Sure we did some summer workouts but we alternated between the same 2 workouts every other day; no weights, just running. My first two years were hard knowing that not everyone was there for the same reason I was. I wanted to be district champs. I wanted to make it to state and place. My sophomore year I was nominated captain because everyone could see the love and passion I had for this sport! I can remember playing my sophomore year and a girl on my team, who was super good at basketball, swung her arms and passed the ball completely into the stands. everybody laughed and thought it was the funniest thing ever. On the other hand I was furious. I’m a competitor! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like my first 2 years of high school volleyball was hell, it just wasn’t taken as serious as i wanted it to be."

"Priorities lacked and winning was just a plus. At he end of my sophomore year our coach called us all into her office and told us she was done coaching. The team was crying but not necessarily because we were losing a great coach but because we were losing one of our friends. That was another big issue. She became more of our friend than coach."

"Going into my junior year I was anxious to find out who the new coach would be. When I heard who it was, I was super excited yet really scared. The difference between these 2 coaches is HUGE. I knew our new coach was gonna make workouts that would make us throw up and push us to our limits. Yet I found a sense of excitement in that. I was excited to see how my teammates and I pushed each other and motivated each other to get through these trials. It was a different type of team bonding. My first year with her and her other coaching staff didn’t just change me as a player but also as an individual. Never would I have thought that I would have the potential to play college volleyball, nor did I even know who to contact or make how to make film. She gave me a sense of confidence I never had. She pushed all of us to be the best player and person we could be. From throwing up at summer workouts on the track to making memories that would last forever on our retreat, there was never a dull moment with her."

"Everything was sharp and crisp. If we were slacking, she could tell and would call us out. I love that competitiveness about her. We started running a faster offense. I started jump setting. Our team was doing things we never thought we were actually capable of. We became a competitive family that would give anything to win a state title. We loved each other like sisters. We made goals around a campfire at our retreat together. All this little team ever dreamed of was beating our cross town rivals and having a chance a districts, and making it to state if we were really lucky."

"My junior year we had ups and downs. Not the perfect season but ended up making it to districts and making it to state for the first time in years. It was an unforgettable feeling. We were this little school that had nothing to lose going into state. We were just glad to be there. We ended up peaking at the right time and defeated a very good team in the semis to make it the big championship game. The joy I had in my heart for my team and coaches was unreal. I had never felt anything like it. All of our summer workouts, 5 AM practices every Friday finally paid off. We played one of the biggest rivals in our conference in the big game. Our outcome wasn’t what we hoped for but we were all so thankful for the opportunity given to us. We never thought we would be in the state championship."

"After that season I started talking to her about possibly playing volleyball in college and with no doubt she was all for it. She helped me put a profile together to contact coaches, send my film out and was a stable resource for me. If it wasn’t for her I would not be going on to further my volleyball career. Getting second place my junior year made every single one of us players and coaches work extra hard to go back to State and take home that gold ball. We wanted to make school history and knew we could. She was a constant support system for each and every one of us through this journey. Senior year, winning the district championship and playing in the championship game again was an unforgettable season. It was the hard work, commitment, love, joy and perseverance she instilled in all of us that got us right where we wanted to be."

The Rise and Falls of Culture- Installment I

The next few posts will be from Coaches and Athletes on culture. The culture of their team that went from one direction to the other, and more importantly, why they thought it did.

We will keep the schools, coaches and players confidential. It is not the intent to embarrass or glorify, it is to see the different components of a culture and how they were perceived by these contributors.

A big thanks to those Coaches and Athletes that took some time out of their busy days to give us their insights.

A Coach

"I think the major difference from having an exceptionally successful year and a just a good year comes down to the players. The major components are player buy in, trust, accountability, and selflessness. When players buy in and trust the process and the program they will peak at the right time, work hard everyday, and truly love to be there."

"Accountability with themselves and their teammates is another big component. If it always comes from a coach there will never be any progress or desire to raise the level. The last and most important component is selflessness. When you have players that really want their teammates to be successful, even if it means they sit, then it is something special. Humans are selfish by nature so it takes special athletes to celebrate their teammates and truly want good things for them. A true team first mentality and that idea that they are contributing to something bigger than themselves."

"Talent is important but it is by no means everything. The intangibles often take a team to the next level and we are seeing more programs that are player centered and driven and that allows for success beyond what a coach can do."

 

A Player:

"Last season, teammates were saying that other teammates weren't good or messed up too much and things like that, and coach made a lot of people get in their heads about their play because of when he yelled at them and made people mad because he would keep saying 'that's what happens when you lose'."

"This season had less people thinking they should have other peoples spots, so it made it more fun to play with each other because we were all supporting each other and getting better together. Also Coach asked us about what we thought more so it made it seem like we were more involved in what was happening, not just do what you're told to do and don't ask questions like some other teams."

A Coach

"So this is going to go on a tangent a little bit from gym culture to leadership which I think is intertwined in a lot of ways. So I always knew that leadership on a team was important and there can be a lot of different kinds of leaders within a team. I've always pushed that every player on the team has the potential to be a leader in their own way and as much as I think that is true I think there are definite needs for a leader within your program in order for you to improve and get better."

"For five years I had the ultimate leader. I had the kid who was going to come in every day and work hard and be a leader by how she played on the court. I had the vocal leader the one who was on the court talking through every play encouraging her teammates to do better to get off of the next ball and I had the leader who's going to hold her teammates accountable when things got tough. I didn't realize how good I had it until you don't have that leadership..."

"Last year I had no leadership and therefore we were stagnant and probably actually went backwards a little bit. There was a definite divide throughout the team over a few different people who were trying to be leaders but really didn't know how and really hadn't earned the respect from their teammates. This year through the graduation of three teammates who did not allow their younger teammates to step up and lead, we had kids who were able to fill few of those rolls. I actually have two kids who step up and lead by how they play on the court with 100% effort day in and day out. I have two kids who stepped up and we're both the leaders, though very different vocal leaders. One was vocal in that she provided the energy and enthusiasm and constant positive support to her teammates and the other was vocal in the fact that she talked nonstop through every play every game. I believe that this team has not been able to reach their ultimate potential because we still are lacking that last leadership part... the leader that holds the team accountable when things get tough."

"I feel like last year the culture in our gym suffered because we had too many kids on our roster and each one did not have a definite role. We had kids fighting for positions every day, all year. So instead of supporting each other they were fighting against each other. This year the top 7 kids in my program emerged and we defined definite rules for those kids within the varsity team. We had to revisit those rolls with a few of the kids throughout the year as they tried to overstep or became unhappy with their role on the team, but ultimately each kid knew that role and they knew what they had to do for this team to be successful. I think this was important for a team this year as it allowed the girls to learn to compete together rather than against one another and push each other to be a little bit better every day."

"Next year I have 3 out of my four l back. I have my best two players who go out to compete a hundred percent every day and I have my vocal leader who provides energy and excitement and positivity to our team. But I am continuing to lack the person that will hold the team accountable when things get tough. They are friends and they don't want to hurt each other's feelings or make each other feel bad, so how do you overcome that and teach them that it's not personal when someone hold you accountable, it's pushing you to be your best. Also my current leaders feel that they're holding people accountable by being passive aggressive and making comments about their ability which really is just making that individual feel bad about themselves rather than pushing them to be better. We talked about leadership we talked about holding people accountable and appropriate ways to do it but how do you put that into action. Leadership starts at the top and maybe I need to find a way to hold the girls more accountable every single day."

Zen Murphy...

A former player described him saying, "With few exceptions, he never gets rattled." She has given him the nickname: Zen Murphy.

But Ken Murphy, wrapping up his sixth season at the helm of the Northern Arizona University volleyball program hasn't always been the cool and collected coach he displays on the Lumberjack sidelines match after match. He admits in the interview he still works hard at it and he has changed a lot since his early days as an assistant coach at Colorado State.

In this candid and engaging interview, Ken discusses how he has evolved and how his culture has helped change the direction of the NAU program. On the white board in his office, he has written the core of his program's culture and talks at great length about it in the interview.

NAU is the winningest Division I program in Arizona over the last 4+ years and Murphy is knocking on another Big Sky Division title the weekend this was recorded. 

After the interview, hours before a three set sweep of Idaho, the Lady Jacks bounded into their hour long pre-match serve and pass with smiles, energy and purpose. This late in a college season, the vibe in the gym was impressive and contagious. Ken strode around the court, pulling aside a player here and there, giving them some feedback, a chat, asking about their day. But make no mistake, this serve and pass was driven by the players. It's a tenet of Murphy's culture you'll hear about; autonomy.

Take a few minutes and enjoy Ken's views on culture, recruiting and advice for coaches interested in getting better.

A quick epilogue to this blog, days after NAU disposed of Idaho in their final home match of the season, Ken was named Coach of the Year by the Big Sky Conference.  His Lady Lumberjacks also took down all three teams in the Big Sky Conference tournament and won a ticket to the NCAA tournament. Congratulations to Ken, his staff and the NAU Lady Jacks!

Ken Murphy Interview

A short entry...

This is a short entry.

Close your eyes and see what we see. A cement court; cracked, uneven, unpainted and also unforgiving for those defenders that choose to sacrifice the skin of their knees, elbows and hips upon it to save a point.

A sweltering 95 degree day with humidity to match. T shirts soaked after just a few minutes, sweat the common currency of the moment. Mercifully, a corrugated tin roof sits atop the court allowing some relief during practices through the pressing heat or the sudden thunderstorms that are commonplace on the island.

Young men, loud and aggressive, playing a game that has captured them. And two young women, just wanting to play, competing, sweating, siding up with the fellas to show what they have in a sport that separates boys and girls too often like eggs in a cake recipe.

And it is on. Some skill work, some attacking lines, some 6 on 6 game play. A visiting coach giving the boy's team some ideas on new games, scoring, drills, etc. They are grateful for the time on court, for the chance to get better and compete, no matter the outside conditions. They want to play.

At Don Jose National High School in Santa Rosa City in the Laguna province of Manila in the Philippine Islands, these exceptional young men and women aren't concerned about something that weighs heavily in our country these days: what they don't have.

A coach.

The school cannot afford a coach. For the women's team either. School budgets are a yearly 'Jenga' game of putting funds where it will affect the most children. At the moment, volleyball is not one of those areas.

So the Don Jose High School boys and girls teams schedule practices around the times the school isn't using the 'court' for other sports, dances, entertainment and classwork. They figure out transportation to their games and with the help of a math teacher who is not a coach and they progress through a season.

For some of us, this might seem too hard. Too much effort, too much extra work just to play the game of volleyball. But for kids in poor areas of third world countries, with no idea oftentimes if they'll have something to eat later on in the day, this IS something that propels them.

The game.

This is a short entry because there is not much else to say when you see a group of young people so taken with our game that they figure out how to make a season work with all odds and circumstances against them. They do it for a school that can't reciprocate. They do it for each other.

They do it because it's the game. Their game. Our game.

Look at this link to see the Don Jose National High School boys (and a couple girls) team practice.