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May 3, 2005

I thought it might be helpful to you if I provided you with an idea of who I am and what I believe to be my "coaching philosophy" pertaining to the game of soccer and, in a way I suppose, life in general. I do not profess to be well versed in psychology, nor do I think that I know every aspect of coaching soccer. However, I do believe that the past twelve years of coaching has provided me with some insight into ideas that not only allow me to help create better soccer players, but also facilitate individual player's maturation.

To begin, academics are the most important aspect of your collegiate life. You may love soccer. You may plan on playing professionally. But you must prepare yourself for other aspects of life. Academic success - especially as it requires rigorous effort here at Purdue - will assist you by forcing you to learn to time-manage, study, problem solve, and prioritize. I am willing to provide my student-athletes with as much help as they need. I act as a career counselor, academic advisor, foster-parent, and friend. And as such, I require academic success as a prerequisite to athletic opportunity. You must pass to play. Our team goal is a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Carrying thirty student-athletes, a 3.0 is not the easiest goal to attain, but I believe that if I continue to make it a priority for my athletes, then they are more likely to be successful.

I believe that a player should be provided the opportunity to make decisions, both good and bad. It would be much easier to demand specific actions from players at specific times or situations, I know there would be fewer costly errors. But playing in that manner would also negate the opportunity for the spectacular or wisp of creative flair that makes the game of soccer so special. Therefore, I try to provide my players with situational recommendations, but insist that they make decisions. It is my job to analyze their results and provide feedback (both positive and negative) and try to assist them in learning from their past experiences so that in the future they might make the best decisions available to them. I believe that the best one can hope for in life is to be held accountable for the actions and decisions one makes - to reap the accolades or accept the criticisms.

Another principle I adhere to would be that you must deserve to win. When push comes to shove, when you are truly tested against someone who is either your equal or superior, you must honestly know that you deserve to win - know that you trained harder, longer, endured more hardship, risked more of your heart. I believe this approach will sustain you in your darkest moments. I believe this feeling will allow you to look at yourself in the mirror after a loss and say that there was nothing else that you could have done. And I believe this feeling also will help you avoid having to look in that mirror very often. The time and effort required to achieve such mental strength is immense. I will demand such time and effort from you. But, I believe that only you can provide yourself the motivation to travel such a path. As a coach, I can only help you with directions.

Competition must be the basis upon which the team's mental and physical training is based. As a team, we chart everything that we do. Every fitness activity and every small-sided match are charted, every goal noted, every win-loss-tie recorded. Such records are periodically posted outside my office so that anyone can stop by and view them. I want my players to train in an environment that is demanding - an environment that replicates the game. Games are competitive, practice must be as well. I ask my athletes to learn to solve problems that various situations pose so that their team can win. Players must always remember that practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.

A team is a collection of individuals, but for a team to be successful it must be much more than that. A successful team is a group of individuals driven by a common goal. Our ultimate goal as a program is to be the very best that we can be! I try not to compare myself with the accomplishments of others, and I attempt to take the same tack with my players. I evaluate them. I try to get to know them. I try to understand where they are and where they came from. I then try to put them in varying situations to get the most out of them. I ask not for them to be great at everything, I only ask that they try their best. I heard it once said that it is impossible to train a player beyond a point that she feels she is capable and it is impossible to train to a point beyond which she feels necessary. Players set their own goals. Players establish their own limits. I want players who always look to overachieve.

I never thought I was going to be a soccer coach, but somehow I found my way here and I really love what I do. When I get up in the morning it is not a task for me to go to work. I look forward to seeing my players, and I believe we have laid a solid foundation upon which we can continue to shape and mold our program to a level of national prominence. We are not yet there, but our ascendancy is certain, providing we maintain our focus on the things we can control:

An acceptance of the belief that only through competition will the individual and team maximize their potential

We will continue to be successful - both academically and athletically. We have an excellent university with a proud and storied past in both the classroom and on the athletic field. Purdue fans bleed black and gold. I really don't know of a better place from which to build a winning life. I invite you to take a closer look at Purdue University and what it might offer you.

Thanks!