Head coach Mark Pryor shares his perspectives of fall practices leading up to the season opener Aug. 26 vs. Omaha. Here is the second installment:
We are now into day eight of preseason practice. The newness has lost its shine and luster. This is the time of the preseason that many coaches consider 'the valley'. The emotional high of beginning the season is gone, and the end of preseason isn't far away, but you just can't see it yet. If you have never coached or been involved in a preseason where you practice twice a day for an extended period with no days off, I may have an analogy for you that will help you understand. Go watch Bill Murray in the movie "Groundhog Day". Bill Murray would wake up and relive the same day over and over again. No matter what he did, no matter how outlandish the act, the consequence was the same. He would wake up to the same song playing on his alarm clock radio (when an alarm clock radio was still a thing). I think what made it worse was that the song he woke up to every day was “I Got You, Babe” by Sonny and Cher. There is no doubt that will start your day on an awful note.
That is exactly what we, as a staff and a team, are going through right now. No matter how great the practice the day before, we are back here in the gym the next day. No matter how slow or how long the practice was the day before, we are back here in the gym the next day. It is definitely a monotonous experience for everyone involved, but it is a very necessary and crucial experience that the team and staff must go through. We have to be able to embrace that monotony, and learn to thrive in it. A lot of student-athletes today call this 'the grind.' Anyone over 40 will just call this blue-collar work ethic. It is exactly the same thing. If each athlete can learn to respect the value of consistent effort and hard work, that to me is more important than anything else. That value translates into life.
I'm noticing that our kids are physically tired, but they are not mentally weary. There is a huge difference. This team is beginning to understand that part of the process of team growth is to actually embrace this time. Since we have not started class, they can focus solely on what we are doing, and connecting with each other. Every student knows that it will only get harder to do those things once school starts, so this time is important for on-court learning and for off-court team health.
One of the things that I have noticed with this team is that this is a group that seems very comfortable with who they are as people. When we are grabbing water in-between practice segments, I see smiles and hear laughter between players that I never thought would connect. That does not translate into automatically winning, but it does translate into a team that is becoming cohesive, and cohesion as a unit goes a long way to aid in on-court success.
Like I stated before, they are physically tired as a group, but one thing that the staff has noticed is that there has been zero let down in our work ethic and competitiveness. These 17 young women are really showing that if the mind makes the decision, the body will follow. That is a great sign for this fall. I really believe that we have a very mentally tough group of players, and that always helps. I use "the Wizard of Oz" analogy a bunch.It's not a question of if, but a question of when. The monkeys will come, they always do… are you going to be tough enough to handle it? So far, the signs are really encouraging.
OK, I have waxed philosophic enough for one day. Here are two things that I am seeing on the court.
Can't Keep a Good Kid Down
From an on-court perspective, we had a player last year who was having a break out year, until she went down with an injury. Julia Kaczorowska was well on her way to a record breaking year for us as a left side hitter. I can still remember this spring watching her jump in rehab for the first time since her surgery. (Actually the whole team saw it, and there was immediate yelling and cheering from them. As a coach, I don't know what I was more proud of, Julia's accomplishment, or the team's joy they showed in support of a teammate.) Well, Julia is back and she may be stronger than ever. She has been a model for this team of how you deal with adversity through class, perseverance and grace. Just her daily presence back in the gym has been a big positive for everyone.
Blue Collar on a Green and White Uniform
Another player that has been slowly but surely working her way into a role is Alivia Fraase. Alivia, a product of Fargo Shanley, red-shirted for us last year, and she has worked consistently to earn a chance to play. If there is one word that would describe her, it has been relentless. She brings great energy to the gym every day, and she does her job to the best of her ability. Being that example is great for players young and old. We talk about getting a little better every day, and Alivia has been doing that for months, and it is exciting to see. She just reminds me of that construction worker who shows up in the morning, punches her time clock, works tirelessly, doesn't complain, punches out and goes home. Every team and every organization needs people like that to be successful.
There is not enough time to go over how every player is doing, but I can tell you that each player on our roster this year can add value to this program. As we finish up these last few days of practices before school starts, I am confident that this group will continue to battle for greatness. They simply cannot stand doing something half way, which is so refreshing. The next few days we will have to start looking at starters and non-starters, and while that is never easy, I do know that each player has brought a great mentality, attitude, and tireless work ethic to the group that makes this time of year for us as coaches enjoyable, not just tolerable.
Coach will check in again in the coming days to provide more behind-the-scenes perspectives.
