Week Two - To the Victor goes the Spoils…
April 15th, 2026
I remember hearing the line, “To the Victor goes the Spoils” in social studies in high school. American politics being what it’s always been…cantankerous…the line reverberated the tone that winning equals the collection of the narrative, if not the opportunity to run one’s agenda. That truth creates an even more sullen realization, and perhaps scarier perception, the victor actually writes the history.
What a tough possibility to consider, eh? Think back to all the history you’ve studied in school and consider that perhaps, as the That Mitchell and Webb Look show so eloquently put it…”Are we the Baddies?”…could be real. Why not, right? If the victor writes the history, it’s almost impossible to tell if the victor was right or wrong…we just know they won.
It is hoped that history is written by the competent with the goal of being accurate of the time, but we don’t know for sure, do we? All we can do is hope, and perhaps chronicle our own experiences, that the historians were aiming to show what happened, regardless of the fervor at the period.
Why write about this here? Well, I started thinking back to all the matches I’ve watched over the last ten years. There were many story lines and some controversies. Actually, plenty of controversies. No one, though, really remembers, or cares, about them. It’s ancient history, as they say. Time blurs the mind and the history books only show who won…in list fashion. So, all the weird stuff that occurred…it all faded away.
Be historians of the time you live, and because of the technology we all have, there is a unique opportunity to showcase reality for future generations. Or not, but regardless, play as if you’re leaving a legacy behind, because not matter what happens, the spoils will go to those who leave it all on the floor consistently…winners regardless of score.
AND, don’t let anyone fool you, winning absolutely helps the path of historical data. There is no question of this. This does not mean that the losers of any contest are irrelevant. To the contrary, losing is personal, because it teaches what each particular person has to do to get better in hopes of winning the next time they play. Winning is group wide…the team celebrates the win, the coaches celebrate the win, the fans celebrate the win. We did it, they all exclaim…
In conclusion, winning matters. To the victor goes the spoils is fact. Losing is personal…use to to learn, train, and get better at whatever it is your working toward. Above all else…play. Throw your hat in the ring again and again. Do not be the sideline creature. Be the person who risks it every day. Respect is earned and jumping in the ring consistently will get you there.
Today’s ramblings are brought to you by Lack of Sleep, and the deep thinking of a man with only one eye for two days.
Note: Apologies on the late release. Headaches have gotten the better of me the last three days...
Big Stat Games of the Week…
Donny Park - Barrington - Pin - 12 kills, 3 aces, 6 digs, 3 blocks at Bishop Hendricken : 16 kills, 18 digs, 3 aces at East Providence : 14 kills, 5 aces, 3 blocks, 6 digs against Lincoln
Cal Oberacker - Barrington - Pin - 9 kills, 5 digs at Bishop Hendricken : 11 kills, 15 digs at East Providence : 9 kills, 4 aces, 5 digs against Lincoln
Logan Lane - Barrington - Setter - 30 assists at Bishop Hendricken : 38 assists at East Providence
Mario Brooks - Pawtucket - Middle - 4 kills, 10 blocks against St. Raphael’s
Milo Sy - East Greenwich - Pin - 11 kills, 16 digs at Cranston East
Cam Gates - East Greenwich - Pin - 22 kills, 4 aces, 11 digs and Cranston East : 15 kills, 8 digs, 2 aces vs. Bishop Hendricken
Zach Lapierre - East Greenwich - Pin - 10 kills, 3 blocks at Cranston East
Rainen Paquet - East Greenwich - Setter - 45 assists, 4 digs at Cranston East : 39 assists vs. Bishop Hendricken
Matt Rosemark - East Greenwich - Middle - 11 kills, 4 blocks vs. Bishop Hendricken
Dominic Correia - Cranston West - Pin - 16 kills, 17 digs at North Smithfield
Luke Brock - South Kingstown - Pin - 10 kills, 6 digs against Pawtucket
Myles Carter - Pawtucket - Setter - 33 assists, 4 digs against South Kingstown
Bryan Leon - Pawtucket - Pin - 12 kills, 17 digs against South Kingstown
Jack Casey - Portsmouth - Middle - 13 kills, 5 aces, 2 blocks vs. Woonsocket
Ziyue Wang - Cranston West - Pin - 18 kills, 2 aces, 2 blocks vs. Chariho : 15 kills, 2 blocks, 9 digs against East Providence
Ashton Mak - Cranston West - Setter - 35 assists, 3 kills, 2 blocks, 6 digs vs. Chariho : 38 assists, 19 digs, 2 blocks, 2 aces against East Providence
Reid McCann - Chariho - Pin - 11 kills, 11 digs at Cranston West
Ethan Pereira - East Providence - Pin - 12 kills, 13 digs vs. Barrington : 15 kills, 10 digs vs. Cranston West
Alex Robinson - East Providence - Setter - 30 assists vs. Barrington : 35 assists vs. Cranston West
Ean Williamson - East Providence - Libero - 20 digs, 2 aces vs. Cranston West
Flavio Tavares - La Salle Academy - Pin - 13 kills, 12 digs vs. North Kingstown
Robbie Daniels - Cranston East - Setter - 34 assists, 2 kills at Classical
Aggerson Vetiaque - Cranston East - Pin - 14 kills, 2 aces at Classical
Jordan Frisone - Cranston East - Middle - 15 kills at Classical
Henry Kenyon - Westerly - Middle - 20 kills, 8 blocks vs. Chariho
Grady Auth - Westerly - Setter - 29 assists, 7 kills, vs. Chariho : 22 assists, 8 kills, 5 block, 8 digs, 2 aces at Lincoln
Ederson Almeida - Central Falls - 8 blocks against North Providence
Eli Lopez - Cranston West - Pin - 18 kills, 15 digs against East Providence
Zoltan Libertini - Exeter/West Greenwich - Middle - 20 kills, 6 digs against Achievement First
Will Edwards - Exeter/West Greenwich - Setter - 31 assists, 2 kills against Achievement First
ResV Team of the Week…
Week Two!
Pin- Donny Park - Sr. - Barrington - Has been one of the top lefts in the state to start. Hasn’t been under 12 kills in a while…
Pin - Cam Gates - Jr. - East Greenwich - Put up 22 kills on Cranston East and 15 kills against Hendricken.
Middle - Henry Kenyon - Sr. - Westerly - 20 kills against Chariho and above 15 kills for most of the season to date.
Middle - Zoltan Libertini - Jr. - Exeter/West Greenwich - 20 big ones against Achievement First in a huge outing.
Pin - Ziyue Wang - Sr. - Cranston West - Has been solid throughout the week as the top weapon for the CW.
Setter - Ashton Mak - Sr. - Cranston West - Was gigantic in the upset win over Charhio and played well against EP!
Libero - Ean Williamson - Sr. - East Providence - Steadily putting up dig numbers and holding down the fort in passing.
Utility - Grady Auth - So. - Westerly - Huge numbers on the week and does a little bit of everything for his side.
ResV Top 15…
(5 - 0) La Salle Academy - The Rams kept their number one ranking and kept the skirts clean with wins over Classical and North Kingstown. I didn’t get to see the NK match, but I did watch the Classical ordeal. It wasn’t the cleanest of victories one could have. One could also argue that high school boys volleyball is rarely the cleanest of games. Still, Classical was able to challenge La Salle a bit. Nothing too concerning though. Flavio Tavares continues to be the weapon of choice for the Rams, while Jayden Simao is already off to a brilliant campaign. La Salle leans on Simao hard, so they are often going to go how Jayden goes. Simao is up to it though. He’s a hard nosed, talented, Libero who can clean up a lot of things. We’ll see how much they need him in week three when the Rams see Coventry and Taunton.
(3 - 0) Bishop Hendricken - The idea that it’s surprising that the Hawks are playing this well out the gate is humorous to me. People forget so easily that Hendricken, as well as Coventry and North Kingstown, are some of the true kings of boys volleyball in the state. Unlike Coventry and NK, however, the same guy has been at the helm since the glory days at Hendricken…and it’s only been a matter of time since the Hawks returned. Not that they’ve been too far away. They were a final four team last year…a playoff team the time before. It has been 14 years since they’ve won it though, and in that time Coventry won it three times (13, 15, and 19) and North Kingstown won it three times as well (14, 21, 22). Overall, to finish the thought, Coventry and Hendricken have eight state championships…tied for the most. NK has seven. Back to the point. Hendricken is right back in the mix. The hopes rest on senior pin, Andrew Ramos, who is not fun to try to stop. Ryan Yin setting looks good and Zach Roebuck in the middle is a piece missing from the past. Plus, they’re getting battle tested early, with a five-set win over EG on the road! It’s early in the season, but I bet all of Hawk nation will agree that 14 years has been too long.
Update - Hawks hang out against the Skippers in five!
(4 - 1) East Greenwich +1 - The Mid-State Knights! Gosh, I love that nick-name. Since we’re on history lessons, let’s start with no EG boys volleyball team has ever made it to a D1 state final. Zip, zero, nada. Some D2 championships were won, sure, but the finals in D1 have been a big no no for a bit…well, forever. Finals fours in D1 have been made…Danny Greene, Brian Hesford, and myself have gotten to the final four with the Avengers…but never the finals. This EG team could change that. Cam Gates is for real the pin. He’s averaging nearly 15 kills a match. I like Matt Rosemark in the middle and Zion Sun is a solid Libero. Rainen Paquet makes the offense go, Milo Sy can do a little bit of everything, and don’t sleep on Zach Lapierre. Moreso, this teams does the right things well. They serve tough, pass well, and block at the net…all the things you need to make a go at it. Avengers have the CW next, who they already have a win over followed by North Smithfield.
Update - Avengers hand the CW their second loss of their pairing in four.
(2 - 2) Cranston East —1 - I don’t know if the defending champs figured they’d be at .500 with two weeks in the books. They’ve dropped matches to East Greenwich and La Salle respectively. The La Salle lost hurt as it was a sweep and it felt like CE wasn’t really in it. EG beat them in five, so perhaps that hurt more. Hard to tell. The Bolts are interesting this year, however, as they’re trying to run everything through the middle position…ie. Jordan Frisone and Sean Dolan. In theory, this frees up Aggerson Vetiaque to be a menace on the pins and not have to worry about passing the ball. It’s been somewhat successful, but does put a lot of pressure on serve receive formations. Robbie Daniels is off to a good start in his junior year campaign and Aggerson has proven to be a premier weapon in the league. Still, there is worry about errors, especially against the top competitors in the state. To be fair, that’s everyone’s concern as well. If the Bolts can clean up their act, there is a good bet they’ll be in the final four at a minimum. They see a tough EP side next along with NK at home.
Update - Bolts falter in straight sets to East Providence
(3 - 2) Barrington - Eagles feel like they’ve turned a corner. So let’s recap the week…you’re getting everything you want, and more, from Donny Park on the left. Cal Oberacker is settling in and become the major headache for opponents we knew he could be. Logan Lane is running the offense well and keeping Park and Oberacker fed early and often. Add that in your last three you’re two up and one down, with an upset of East Providence at EP…there is a lot to like. I will reiterate that this team can absolutely live with get the ball to Park and Oberacker twenty five times a night and win a lot of games. The other pieces to the puzzle are coming along now and I just have this feel that the EP win turns the boat into the wind and takes the whole thing to another level. I could be wrong, but often times, I get my strategic feel rockin and I end up being more right then most believe. The Eagles host Chariho, Central Falls, and North Smithfield next.
Update - Eagles hand Chariho another loss in 3.
(4 - 1) East Providence +2 - Good news and bad news situation for the Townies early here. First, the good news. They are 4-1, took out a game Cranston West side, and handled their business against Classical and Coventry. Bad news…they’re going to want that Barrington loss back. Losing to Barrington in five in their own barn is a tough loss. It may have playoff implications…even this early. Naturally, all they can do is move on and keep improving, but the difference between 5-0 and 4-1 are huge, especially going into the week where they see Cranston East. Ethan Pereira continues to be the hammer on the pin while Alex Robinson is feeding the ball and Ean Williamson is keeping it from hitting the floor. In my estimation, the Townies are a playoff team…and not a fun one you want to see in the “win or go home” rounds. The only real question now I have is what is their seed going to be. Their match this week with CE is going to be a good one and may tell a bigger story.
Update - Townies handle Cranston East in three.
(1 - 2) North Kingstown +2 - The stinky part about being late to publish this article is that stuff is happening before I get it out…which would effectively change the rankings. I must stay strong though. This is week two, not week three information. North Kingstown is off to an uncharacteristic rocky start, at least for this modern era of Skipper volleyball. It’s to be expected though as graduation took a lot of starters off the board. Starters who had been starters for three years. When you have a class like that, and they leave, it’s going to take the next crew some time to get their footing. They will get their footing, though. Already, they are starting to turn the corner. With loses to EG and La Salle, they got their first win against Chariho…and looked a lot more comfortable in doing so. Sean Peters is tough in the middle. I like Jayden Yang running the offense and I like Mark Sardelli on the right. The Skippers just need a big win under their belt and things will turn around.
Update - Skippers lose a tough one to Hendricken in five sets, rally to take Classical in five.
(4 - 1) Westerly —1 - Bulldogs may have their Achilles heel in Lincoln. Besides the Lions, Westerly has looked pretty good. Best yet, they’re a mix of volleyball vets and volleyball newcomers making it work and pushing discomfort on their opponents. The Lincoln match pushed the Bulldogs into a spot they were hoping to avoid…frustration. Any team, and Westerly is no different, needs to stay away from frustration if it can be helped. The almost mythical “mental toughness” all coaches talk about really comes down to handling frustration, embarrassment, and emotions with suppression to maintain focus on the role, job, or play. Easier phrase…you will feel those emotions, but must ignore them, and just play. Really hard to do! There is a whole sports performance industry that is based on that sentence. It’s also why trash talking exists. If I can say something to you that breaks your confidence, your belief, or focus…the advantage becomes mine. You may ask, “Coach Reslow, if trash talking has that goal and it works a lot, why not do it yourself?” Couple of reasons. First, it can not be the morally right thing to do. Good trash talkers are funny and it almost feels like it’s in good nature. However, there are so many who are just down right vile. Secondly, if you talk, it’s coming back to you at some point. You’ll find that trash talkers often have a real hard time when it comes back to them…like only they can have that opportunity. Lastly, I really believe in letting sleeping dogs lie. I know we talk volleyball here, but I grew up in the prime level of the NBA. Stories exist all over the place of guys talking trash to Michael, Larry, Magic, Isiah, Charles, David, Hakeem, Patrick, etc. and the result was a career night by said player and a loss. Now, those dudes also were premier trash talkers in their own right, but I will add that if you are the best at something in the world…you can talk. This blurb has gone of the rails about Westerly, but I’ll end with this story. My JWU team was playing Stevens. Stevens had an All-American middle. Dude hit a ball out of bounds and our bench start chanting at him. He glared at us. The man went on to put 25 kills on us, almost all of them were bounces with ill intent. After every one of them, he stared at our bench. The guy made his point. That’s why I don’t believe in trash talking. Lastly, regardless of what I believe, talking trash will never leave, so all players must be ready for it. Generally, if trash is being said to you, it’s because they are afraid. They know the only way to stop you if for you to stop you. My advice is to smile, never acknowledge, and just keep wrecking shop.
(1 - 4) Chariho —3 - Trouble has come to Charger land. It is a little surprising as I thought this Chariho side had a lot of the pieces needed to be a real pain in the league. Jaxson Vachon is a defensive wizard and passes nails. Landon Marland is tough nosed pin who can chop down blocks and score bunches of points. Kody Poplaski is a steady force at the setter position and generally runs the offense well. Plus that have one of the toughest gyms to play in. What is going on here? I think some of it has to do with being shocked by East Greenwich out the jump. The mind is a complex thing and dropping the first match at home to EG, of whom many felt was going to be in the same level of Chariho, sort of stunned the Chargers. From there, losses to the CW, NK, and Westerly have really created an uphill climb. I think the best advice for this team is to get into this mode that rallies are going to be long and we have to outlast our opponent. The Michael Chang tennis approach. Chang couldn’t hang and bang with Sampras, Aggassi, Borg, etc. What he could do is be a back stop and just keep rallies going over and over till the opponent dropped from exhaustion. I think this is the play and if Chariho buys into it, they could be the most unfun team to play.
Update - Chargers get stung in three by Barrington.
(4 - 0) West Warwick +4 - The text message was brief but firm. “Wizards are real good. May be the class of D2. Figure it out.” My friends can be so delightful. I got the Wizards on the board pretty quickly (last week) and it only took a little bit of time to jog my memory of their accomplishments the year before. The trio of Colin Kelley, Ethan Pereia, and Alex Osmena were all back after causing plenty of discomfort the previous campaign. I remember when they beat Cranston West last year and when I got a chance to see the match…I was kind of stunned how they did. There was a lot of strange volleyball coming out of West Warwick that night, but also armed with real tough serving and a strong desire not to let the balloon touch the floor. Now, that crew are all seniors and they’re not messing around. They’ve seen four opponents, including Lincoln, and all four have fallen…with only Juanita Sanchez being able to steal a set. The win over the Lions does announce they’re hear to play for all the marbles. What they do against Westerly and Pawtucket will tell the story, though.
Update - Wizards get another one…this time in four over South Kingstown.
(2 - 2) Classical - The Purple are two up and two down. Loses to East Providence and La Salle are not bad outings, though. Both teams are strong and are playoff bound…just like Classical will be. The trick for the Purple will be trying to figure out a way to nip a top five team. They were able to take a set from La Salle, which is a good thing to build on. Ian Nascimento is a handful on the pin, and probably needs to take ten more swings then he does. Caden Pina has pop and can cause plenty of discomfort, giving Classical a nice dynamic duo in matches. Errors are up though, like with a lot of teams. From the match I watched with La Salle, it felt like too many service errors plagued the Purple along with a lot of errant attacks. Granted, the Rams are a better blocking team then a lot of other squads in the league…but the serving miscues have nothing to do with that. At the end of the day, Classical is formidable and will not be a fun adventure (especially in their awesome barn), but the Purple have to play cleaner volleyball and put more pressure on their opponents from the service line.
Update - Classical drops a heartbreaker to NK in five.
(6 - 2) Pawtucket - Volume is never a problem for this Pawtucket side. Who needs practice when you just keep playing games? I’m joking, of course, but there is something to be said for taking on all opponents in prep for the end of the season. The late, great, John Chaney (basketball coach of Temple) used to preach the idea that his teams would play anyone and everyone. More often then not, Chaney’s Temple squad would have the toughest strength of schedule in the country. They’d crawl into their playoffs around .500 and then go on a crazy run and make the tournament. This idea of you have to play the best to know how to become the best, and you learn more from actual games then most anything you get in practice, were his vibe. I tried to adopt that feel when I was at JWU. Playing a cupcake schedule and then trying to beat nationally ranked teams in your conference seemed ridiculous to me. Also, some coaches are just afraid of losing…which I can understand in this cut throat world of sports we live in now. Regardless, Pawtucket is aggressive, and there is nothing wrong with that. They’ve been in the final four for many years in a row now and have won it all in this time period. It’s working for them and every match they play, they learn more.
(1 - 4) Lincoln - Oh boy, Lincoln. Well, let’s start with the win over Westerly at home. That was a big one and kept them on the board. They appear to have the Bulldogs number, to date, so that’s something to carry in your pocket. From there, though, there are a lot of setbacks. Couple of five set losses (Coventry and Pawtucket), a four set drop to Barrington (granted another D1 team), and then getting swept by West Warwick. None of those matches were going to be easy lifts for a club that is radically different from years past. Tyler Biddle is a baller who can do a little bit of everything for this club. I also like Jacob Lizotte in the middle who is often counted on to neutralize the opponents’ main attackers at the net. From there, this Lincoln club feels a little like the North Kingstown team who have plenty of new cast members, but still need to find their footing. If they can, the Lions do have a solid playoff run in them…
Update - Lincoln drops a five setter to Central.
(1 - 4) Coventry - Oh boy, Coventry. What concerns me with the Oakers is the lack of set accumulation. The year began with a five-set war with Lincoln that falls the Oakers’ way. Good start. From there, however, four losses, four losses getting swept. Now, to be fair, they’ve faced four of the top five teams in the state (currently)…La Salle, Hendricken, East Providence, and Cranston East. Kind of a tough run there. Who does the scheduling? I kid, as I’ve done some tough scheduling in the past as well and as it unfolds, I squawk, “Who is the idiot that does the scheduling?” Yes, I’m the idiot. Conference scheduling could be done by formula here, so I don’t know. Just a tough run, to be sure. Still, Coventry’s Cam Marcotte is playing good ball and the crew is learning and coming a long. They just need a solid win to kick things back into gear. The schedule does eventually even out…but not for a while yet. Thus, Coventry will need to upset somebody… They play East Providence again next.
(3 - 0) Portsmouth - The Patriots are undefeated to date, however, the feel is shaky from where I’m sitting. Portsmouth was the runner up last year in D3. They were favored in the match, by ResV, against Mt. Hope in the finals last year and were upset. Interestingly, Portsmouth moved up to D2 while Mt. Hope stayed at D3 to defend their title. Ok, that’s ancient history, Reslow, what’s going on now with Portsmouth? Well, they opened up with SK and won, but dropped a set. They then took down Woonsocket and Toll Gate in straight frames…but neither of those teams were going to press Portsmouth…not this year, I don’t think. So, we wait to see what happens when they play the cream of the D2 crop. We’ll know soon enough, as they have to deal with Pawtucket next and West Warwick is scheduled for the 20th. Jack Casey is the hammer for this side and he’s doing the job to date. I am excited to see him perform against the top seeds of the landscape, though. As my grandfather used to say, “We shall see, what we shall see…” I miss him.
Update - Portsmouth takes first loss in four sets to Pawtucket.
Receiving Votes: Mt. Hope, Exeter/West Greenwich, Central Falls, Cranston West, Central, Burrillville
ResV Player of the Week…
Week One - Aggerson Vetiaque - Cranston East - Jr. - Pin
Week Two - Cam Gates - East Greenwich - Jr. - Pin - Gates continues to deliver for the Mid-State Knights night in and night out. Three nights there! His 22 kills effort alone against CE is a reason for having him here.
ResV Honorable Baller of the Week…
Week One - Ziyue Wang - Cranston West - Sr. - Pin
Week Two - Luke Brock - South Kingstown - Sr. - Pin - Mr. Brock is battling this season! He’s put up 10 kills in his last effort against West Warwick and continues to be one of the go to guys for his squad.
Playoff Races Through Week Two…
D1:
La Salle Academy - Hold the tough spot, even with a shaky performance at Classical.
Bishop Hendricken - Survived East Greenwich and haven’t dropped a match yet.
East Greenwich - Dispatched last year’s finalists, but the Hawks nipped them at home.
Cranston East - Another tough week on the horizon for the Bolts who sit at 2-2.
Barrington - The Eagles have apparently turned a corner and pressing into action.
D2:
Westerly - Despite a loss to the Lions, Bulldogs still hold the top spot for now. Pawtucket and West Warwick are in position though.
Pawtucket - Six wins through eight matches, and three more coming…big one at Lincoln at the end of the week.
West Warwick - Wizards are coming for the league I’ve been told. Two sources say they’re the top dog and no knows it yet.
Lincoln - Huge win over Westerly, but still have some trouble stringing wins together.
Central Falls - Take them for granted at your own peril…
D3:
Mt. Hope - Have hit some bumps in the road, but still the team to beat…for now.
Burrillville - Are taking care of business but wonder what it’ll look like when they see the top end of the pack.
Exeter/West Greenwich - Early surprise squad who have some nice pelts to their name.
Mt. Pleasant - The win over Mt. Hope is huge! The questions becomes can they keep the level consistent.
Davies - Only loss is to Burrillville, but right now their on a heater!
ResV Coaching Tip of the Week:
Three strikes and you’re out…
Unfortunately, we live in a fragile and easily offended world…at least comparably to when I played in high school and college. Fascinating that it’s been thirty years since I was a high school / college student. Back then, we had to be emotionally and mentally tough, because the stuff you’d hear from opponents, fans, coaches, and teammates were, well, very tough.
Listen, I was not emotionally and mentally tough during this early time period. I was a mess. So, I’m not saying this to call out anyone with the idea that I could do it. I will say, that once I graduated college, and threw away my opportunity to play professional basketball, my mental toughness finally emerged. My understanding of what it meant to be a good teammate finally evolved to the correct side of the fence and from there I made the most of my opportunity to play basketball and volleyball throughout New England. Moreso, as my body began to betray me, my mental toughness, emotional control, and dedication to be a good teammate, paid off with the communities that had accepted me into their folds.
Back to the point… Your players are on that journey, hopefully, of learning how to be mentally tough, emotionally under control, and what it means to be a good teammate. Still, if you care, the coach has to protect the image of the program and the players need to understand you are not deviating from respect and reputation the program is to be… but, at what point are you doing too much and how do you get your point across.
I use the standard three strikes and you’re out method. Granted, if something is way beyond the pale, the coach absolutely needs to remove the player from the game or practice…but things that you just don’t like to see? Glare, say, “No, we don’t say or do those things here.” and from there back to business. You get three of those before I remove you. Once I remove you, we get to have a chat after the event and figure out why we’re not on the same wavelength on the behavior. I do this without emotion, just with genuine attempt at understanding and getting the root of the problem to find a solution. Now, sometimes there is no solution…this is rare. I’ve dismissed players from my program for these items in the past…but nine times out of ten, we get to an understanding and we move on with the goal posts again being the focus of working hard, executing the game plan, and being a good teammate…all while having a bit of fun as well.
ResV Player Tip of the Week:
Emotion is the poison to focus and performance. This sentence is often shrugged off in the sports world. Football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, the list goes on… all have that feel that whomever is more fired up generally has the advantage. Talking trash…also considered fundamental in suppressing the opposition and showcasing confidence…sometimes fake confidence… Another part of emotion… For some, it can help…for some, it sustains. I’ve found that rare.
The problem with all of that is that a game, or match, is a roller coaster ride. Heights and drops, ebbs and flows, excitement and struggles… It takes discipline and desire to keep your head on straight when things are spiraling and the opposition is talking trash. However, if you can, you will play better…
When I was at my best as a player, I learned that sounds, other then my teammates and coaches communicating with me, just didn’t exist. Kind of like Charlie Brown’s teacher. My eyes were the key. I tried to have complete focus on all the tells of the play while adding a little bit of anticipation to my actions. If I saw what was happening quickly, I could factor out the other variables that couldn’t be used, leaving me with the two main options…then, I would read the body language of the opposing player and that would, hopefully, give me the hint as to what was to happen next. I got good at it, so rarely was my next move wrong.
Meanwhile, no matter what was said to me by the opposition, the fans, maybe the opposition’s coach…it didn’t register. All that mattered to me was what my teammates said and what my coaches said. This focus kept me in emotional check as no one could alter my sense of mood on the game…unless my coach was really unhappy with me. Even then, I would quickly address what coach was upset with, fix as best I could, and come out the other end.
When it was all said and done…I won more than I lost, but even better, I was mentally and physically exhausted. That good exhaustion became the goal. If I felt that, it meant I had a great game…and from there it almost didn’t matter if we won or lost. Remember, emotion is the poison to performance…Sure, there is the rush of something happening so you have to react now and it’s genuinely positive, but the longer it’s in you, the more it takes effect, and you slowly drop off the cliff. Emotional control is the key, to a lot of things, and if you can master that…well, accomplishments will follow.
NOTE- Thank you to everyone sending me information! This year it’s harder then ever to find stats from matches and obtain relative information. I may not respond to your email, but I am grateful for the data.
To send updates, stories, and players college decisions…or inquire about coffee beans that Coach roasts himself, to Coach Reslow - Scott.Reslow@protonmail.com
Coaches! Please feel free to reach out if interested in scheduling some time to talk shop! I’d love to help your program out!
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