Magic Beans and Fairy Dust...

Bill coaches a medium sized high school team in New Jersey. He did a 4-day camp the week before tryouts and two scrimmages to see his team together, experiment with some different line ups and situations, try to find leadership and help solidify some decisions going into week one with as much concrete information as possible.

Camp ended and he was ready. His outside hitter was a beast, and she was also a team leader. Although she had only been playing for just barely a year, she had blossomed as an athlete in volleyball and the team was better because of her.

Two days after camp and one day before tryouts, the outside hitter was playing football with her brothers. A hard pass, a late hand and she broke a finger on her attacking side. She was done for a good part of the season.

Bill was angry, then disappointed and then in reorganization mode. What to do now?

On February 4^th, the Phoenix Mercury became one of the betting favorites to win a WNBA title even though the season was still months away. They had acquired a seasoned post in Tina Charles to a one-year deal with the pure intent of this being an all-in go at the trophy. All Stars Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and Skyler Diggins-Smith were ready to lead this team to it’s fourth Championship with the deep and star studded talent fashioning the box score.

Two weeks later it all began to unravel.

Center piece Brittany Griner was arrested in Russia where she still sits today, at the writing of this blog, in a Russian prison, found guilty of drug charges. The team was distraught and played distracted and affected for their new coach. Charles asked out of her contract after just 17 games because she didn’t think she was getting the ball enough. Taurasi suffered an injury and despite, somehow, still making the playoffs, Diggins-Smith also left the team the last two weeks of the season. What had begun with such high hopes crashed into a 2-0 sweep in the playoffs.

 

As Coaches AND Parents, we have stories we tell ourselves. “This team is good enough to win it all.” “My daughter is the best player on this team!” Rarely do those stories flesh out into reality and yet we continue to tell ourselves these fairy tales over and over.

As coaches, we must prepare for the worst. In 1988, Paul Westphal was a 37-year-old ex player looking to get some experience and coached Grand Canyon College to an NAIA Championship. What is forgotten is that late in the season he suspended two of his best front court players and highest scorers for team violations. Despite being short AND shorthanded, Westphal used what he had and beat the favorite Auburn-Montgomery 88-86 for the Championship.

Did Westphal expect to lose two crucial players as the playoffs loomed? Probably not but he did what great coaches do: he prepared for the worst! He had plans ready just in case.

If your best player goes down tomorrow, do you raise the white flag and cry foul? Or do you have another option? Do you have back up plans after back up plans ready? Are your players ready to play one position or volleyball?

The chances your high school or club season will go exactly as planned is a winning Lotto ticket. Think, as coaches and Parents, all the things that could DERAIL your season, then work backwards to help stem those tides. Bad grades, family emergencies, injuries, burn out, Parent over involvement and disruption, coaching change, etc. And in all of these, you an still not account for everything and anything that might happen. Life is random.

Your expectations of the narrative we tell ourselves is just that, a narrative. Our lives are full of them, daily. When things don’t meet the expectations of our narrative, we become disappointed, even though often our expectations are rooted in magic beans and fairy dust.

Be realistic, see beyond the obvious and understand that which has become clear to every great coach and parent in the world. 

Life teaches us humility.