Under The Radar: A Redshirt Diary

A Hard Day's Night

Following some time spent together in the AVCA Career Center and Volleyball Marketplace with Ally, Marc and Sarah attended a session titled, "Maximizing Your Stars and Dealing with Your 'C' Performers". The presenters focused on the following concepts:

* Stars needing to be stretched to the point of failure, then given the tools to persevere once they reach it; and

* The cost of "C" performers (both staff and players) being higher than one thinks and their potential impact on a program.

While thinking back over the past season, both of them recalled instances where the "C" players let those at the upper branches of the team's food chain take on the responsibility for getting the team to its goals, while its potential stars stood back and chose to be solid support elements for Sophia and, to a lesser extent, Savannah rather than join them on the stage. When the floor was opened for questions, Sarah brought one up.

Sarah: This past season at James Madison, we had a near-schism in the locker room, with the A's and B+'s on one side and the C's on the other. Being a school in what would be considered a one-bid conference, those in the first category knew we would need to do more than just win the conference tournament to get to the NCAAs because the potential for JMU to be banned from it was a growing concern as the athletic department went about considering a move to the Sun Belt Conference. Our C players didn't seem to understand the gravity of the situation and we were forced to bring in a sports psychology trainee to intervene and get the sides talking. Ultimately, we were able to get everyone on the same page long enough to make it to the regional final last weekend, but we've lost two players to the Portal thus far with two others possibly going that way. How do the team's leaders and coaches get those at the bottom of the roster to buy into a higher standard of performance than was expected when they were first recruited?

Beth Launiere (University of Utah Head Coach): Seeing what your team was able to do while in the midst of directional chaos makes me wonder what is possible next year should you be able to get everyone pulling in the same direction. To answer your question, competition is always the great equalizer. Having newcomers pushing the coasters for spots in the starting lineup or standard player rotation will force them to either step up or get passed. How did your coach deal with the varying levels of commitment?

Lauren: If I may answer that question myself, Beth. The seniors put up HIGH expectations for the season when they met on Move-In Day. Sarah, whose reputation precedes her, came in and was immediately welcomed by them, which opened the door for her to be accepted by our other upperclassmen. Getting the passive-aggressive tug-of-war settled drew some of the fence-sitters toward that increased standard, which I believe reinforced the decisions made by our three academic seniors to return for their COVID years.

Other questions asked focused upon growing a program that currently had C-level talent into one that could attract A's, hiring decisions in line with potential growth, and preparing teams for increased expectations following a breakout season. After the session ended, Lauren looked back to find Sarah, seeing her talking with several people around her and Marc. She walked back and waited for her to become free, then corralled the two of them for lunch.

***

Wisconsin and Louisville were both on the floor for warm-ups as the stands started to fill in Nationwide Arena. Sarah and Marc made their way into the UW supporters' section located behind and across from the Badgers' bench area. A few minutes later, Caroline, Alden, and Miette came up behind Marc and tried to spook him, but he was having none of it.

Marc: You keep doing that and I might not be too willing to help you with your ladies.

Caroline: You love me, don't deny it!