We’ve all been there before, being in a competitive game, then being yelled at by your coach. As the coach is yelling, all you can think about is which non-existent hole in the ground you want to crawl into when he’s done.
In the world of athletics, yelling coaches is a norm. Assuming an athlete has the amazing opportunity to play for a good coach, yelling is secondary because a good player listens to the message, not the tone.
A good coach? Do such people exist? Isn’t that like seeing a pig fly these days?
If that’s the case, then I’ve seen a wild hog fly! His name is Remy McCarthy, head coach of the Raiders men’s basketball team at MC. In 13 seasons as Moorpark head coach, McCarthy has led the Raiders to five WSC Championships and the CCCAA playoffs eight times. He has led the Raiders to the Regional Finals four times, and the State Final Four twice. He also won California Coach of the Year in 2000, along with 3 Western State Conference Coach of the Year awards to boot.
His success as a coach on the court comes second to his strong belief in making sure his players have a great work ethic, always be great teammates to one another, and never lament on a bad play. Coach McCarthy believes that building these qualities in his players will translate into a winning formula; which is clearly a formula nobody can argue with after looking at his resume. He makes it a point to build a culture for his players, a culture that demands everyone to “go all in”. As Coach McCarthy preaches about the culture he wants to build, that, “going all in” mentality seems to be less and less of a gamble, and more and more of a sure thing.
“I do it because of the kids I work with,” McCarthy said. “My coaching staff and I have the privilege to select players we bring into this program, and the reason why it’s so easy for me to put character, determination, persistence, and hard work above winning is because those are the kind of guys we recruit.”
Getting players to “go all in” is half the battle for a coach, in any sport. Hypothetically, a coach’s job is to get his or her players to BELIEVE that the coach’s way is the best way. Everyone wants the best; nobody wants anything but the best. So, if all the players on that team BELIEVE that their coach’s way is the best way to win, half the battle is now won. If just one player has doubt, the uncertainty has potential to spread like a cancer throughout the rest of the team, resulting in catastrophe.
Coltrane Powdrill is a returning sophomore for the Moorpark Raiders. He was awarded 1st Team All-League honors last year with his 18 point per game average output as a freshman. Along with being the league’s top returning scorer, Powdrill is also the team captain.
“I have full belief in what Coach McCarthy is trying to implement here at Moorpark,” Powdrill said. “We have full faith in Coach’s philosophies and teachings. This in turn makes my job easy as a captain because I have to enforce the culture he has set here, which I support immensely.”
At the end of the day, I think most athletes wish they had coaches like Remy McCarthy. The teachings he instills within his players don’t just apply to them on the court; they also apply to the lives they will lead. Like being tough, because this world we live in it isn’t always teddy bears and hearts. To never sulk or dwell when there is a bad play, but to understand that bad things WILL happen in life, just as they do in basketball. He helps his players understand that it’s not the bad play that is going to hurt you, but how you react to the bad play that may be even more detrimental.
These lessons stick with players for a very long time, through the rest of their basketball career, and possibly carried on, as they become husbands and fathers one day. That is the ultimate goal, the ultimate achievement. The opportunity to give life lessons to kids, through the game of basketball. Sounds like a great triumph to me, and what’s the cost you ask?
That’s easy…just “go all in”.
