wlaxphan20 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 4:36 pm
MDlaxfan76 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 4:13 pm
wlaxphan20 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 3:39 pm
MDlaxfan76 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 1:01 pm
Again, I'm less interested in negatively labelling programs, teams, or specific players, than in identifying what those seemingly magical components are that result in peak performance, and/or grit, under highest stress situations.
Suggestions?
Wasn't trying to label anyone or any program as negative, sorry if it came off that way. My point in highlighting UF was (1) because Trombetta was the one on the podcast and (2) they, in my own opinion, are a program that has at times seemingly had almost all of those magical components in place, but ended up performing inconsistently. Almost to your point - despite all the talent, facilities, coaching, etc. there's a lot more that goes into it.
To contribute to your question - I think team culture is enormously important. Discipline, humility, and competitive fire are paramount. Trust and faith in yourself, your coaches, your teammates, and
your preparation for the moment make all the difference. It sounds simple, but you have the most competitive women in the sport and channeling that competitive fire into a system designed for the betterment of the team can be challenging. Everyone has to "buy in", and even then, there's no guarantee an individual or team will
always perform to their maximum potential. If you ask coaches who have had success, they'd tell you a little bit of luck never hurts either.
Definitely an element of luck involved...ball goes off the cross bar, ticks off a stick...just a stone on the field can be the difference between winning and losing...
What I've seen happen, and it can happen at pretty much any level, is that some event occurs during the course of a season that catalyzes a coming together of the team that transforms them in a very positive way. Usually there are the prerequisite elements of sufficient talent at each position, sound coaching, and senior (or experienced) leadership. Often not just one special leader, but typically multiple such. That exists on most top teams. But something happens in which the team goes 'all-in' as a group, with each player valued and contributing to the whole, and a release from whatever natural barriers against risk-taking as may have been there before. Those barriers can be all sorts of things, from distraction by internal competitions to micro-management coaching to depth chart mismanagement to fear of failure. Trust in one another hampered. And when those barriers effectively disappear in the face of that catalytic event, the team catches fire, plays aggressively, with an attitude of seemingly nothing to lose, yet with this cresting confidence that even the impossible is actually going to happen.
Not that this sort of thing is essential for a team to succeed in post-season play, but more often than not, such appears to be happening. BTW, the very best team usually can't overcome that momentum when it happens in an opponent.
I agree, although I don't think the specific catalyst event is always necessary. Sometimes it just happens, and I think, catalyst event or no, it happens at somewhat of an unconscious level. I think anyone on these boards who has played team sports at any level can say the same. Whether it's rallying around a teammate or coach (catalyst event) or you just look up during a game and realize everything/everyone is clicking. Being a part of something like that is really special and is probably the reason we're active on this forum and enjoy watching and discussing sports in general.
I have more experience on the boy's and men's world, so my examples would tend to be from those, but it's obviously the same dynamic.
An example from my son's high school league, the MIAA, his team in 2011 was probably at best the fourth team in the league based on season play, struggling at times badly. A handful of extraordinary talents in the senior class. They'd upset the # 2 team early in the season in a crazy rainstorm day in which they decided to play on their grass field rather than moving to turf, with other games cancelled altogether...Boy's Latin players freaked out by the call, Gilman won in OT. They'd lost to the #1 team, Calvert Hall, twice, who had been unbeaten throughout the season. After a fairly late season, 2nd and ignominious beat down by the #3 team, Loyola, they had a practice in which the coaches scheduled a team scrimmage, first string against the second string. For 4 10 min quarters, the 2nd team, for which my son was the goalie, beat the first string, very physical, guys yelling at each other at quarter breaks, younger guys challenging the senior talents to step up...coaches totally hands off, let them go at it. My son and a couple of others came out for third stringers for a 5th Q and the first string eventually 'won' the scrimmage. But something clicked in that moment. A reckoning. They won their remaining games and made it to the semifinals of the MIAA tournament; down 6-3 with just 1:27 to play, a fight broke out and flags flew. 3 penalties against my son's team, including on the starting goalie, one for the opponent. Game over, right? But the last penalty was against the opponent, a dead ball foul, possession to Gilman. Ryan Tucker (UVA) went left, traffic and then wrapped across the top with players hanging off of him and fired...ball went in from 15..opposing goalie had made 9 prior saves, giving up only 3. Ensuing face-off, again down net two players, Tucker wins the ball and does it again, bulling his way to the net. Next face off he wins again, errant pass almost goes out of bounds, Conor Doyle (Notre Dame) scoops one handed under pressure and sprints to the net, two guys wrapped around him, dives and stuffs it past tender. 3 goals in one minute, down net two. Tie game, 27 seconds left, but still down net one. No TO's left for either team. Possession won by Boy's Latin, ball taken behind the goal by best midfielder; "smart" play is to hold for possession in OT and chance to set the man-up play... for some reason the LSM turned and left him a lane to the net, 1 v 1 save by son at the buzzer to save a tie. Ensuing FO won by Gilman, they await all-even, then Tucker does it again from outside. Two days later they're up against undefeated Calvert Hall, definitely the best team in league. But they could do absolutely no wrong and won handily.
Or the St. Mary's team that backed into the tourney a couple of weeks later on a coin toss, only to run the table behind a dominant FOGO and adrenaline, nothing to lose. Or Loyola, struggling, flips their midfield and attack (including Ryan Conrad to attack) and then runs the table for the sheer joy of playing free flowing ball (no one knew the assigned plays from the other positions, so they just made it up!)
Or, in college, UVA's late season run and NC after the very talented Bratton brothers were removed from the team, requiring Stanwick to take the reins and assert control of the offense. They'd struggled prior to the move, voted on by the team.
Or UNC's implausible late season run in 2016...sure, talented, but where did that come from? Or for that matter, UVA's two most recent, both unexpected, NC's...
Very hard to explain, much less manufacture.
I'm sure others can recount similar on the women's side.