In reply to: ND Volleyball Updates posted by MPG
There was a thread on the Bench as to why women’s basketball has returned to excellence while the men’s team has not. There was a lot of activity and the discussion didn’t need my input, but I’d like to hide away a few comments here where, hopefully, few will see them.
Despite some good comments (the travesty of one-and-done and the end of the college men’s basketball experience), there were also a lot who overlooked the obvious. It’s freaking hard! There are about 100 teams in any given sport that are fully committed, or mostly committed, to winning a national championship. To be consistently in the top 4, or so, is just not going to happen without an extraordinary, and I mean really extraordinary, coach, who can recruit and develop and inspire students.
Some say that other sports can’t compete at ND because it is, and will always be, known as a football school. I say hogwash! Out of 100 high school football players, I would be surprised if 1 had heard of Knute Rockne. I’m sorry, but recruits are 16, 17, or 18 — not 90!
Notre Dame is a women’s (and men’s) soccer school, a women’s basketball school, a fencing school, and, perhaps, to hear MPG talk about our recent recruiting and Salima Rockwell, a soon-to-be Volleyball school.
It’s the coaches!!! (I guess it’s also the person(s) who put those coaches in place, but I would never say that here.)
for ND I would think. I don't know what the rules are for reduced tuition wrt to athletes receiving an athletic scholarship.
with your "hogwash" comment. We're definitely the #1 fencing program in the country, won National Championships in WBB and MSOC not too long ago and been very close in numerous other sports. An outstanding coach is the key.
People look at programs like Alabama in football, Penn State in wrestling, or South Carolina in women's basketball and think winning is just a matter of plugging new gears into the machine.
All three of those programs has a couple of things in common. Excellent coaches who are not only great "Xs and Os" coaches, but also people who understand the value of relationships.
One thing I hear time and time again is that the single most valuable characteristic a modern coach can have is the ability to create and maintain relationships.
..it shows me that the coach is drawing the right players and coaching them up.
Also, Randy Waldrum -- remember him? -- has started building up the Pitt Women's program to be among the top third in the ACC.
But the Women's Hoops -- ahough they play hard -- languish near the cellar of the ACC. Vollyball great? Hoops, suck? Can't be the institution. Need to get a new coach.
Coach Jarrett and I'll bet that Coach Stiffler will maintain the positive momentum, though I don't expect a CWS appearance this year.
It is hard to believe that Kevin Corrigan has a built a lacrosse program in Indiana into a national power.
Coaching does matter and anything is possible, especially in this new world...
And his work with some NCAA champ in XC and Track and Olympic medalist named Seidel. Molly Seidel.