One of the most annoying things about my job is “coachspeak.” Even if you’ve never talked to a coach in an interview-type setting, chances are pretty good you’ve heard this sort of vocabulary.
If not, it goes something like this:
Reporter: So you guys struggled out there today. What happened?
Coach: Oh, nothing really. The ball just didn’t go in the hoop, but we’ll be just fine.
Reporter: But you guys shot 30 percent, and many of your shots were contested. How come you weren’t able to run your offense effectively?
Coach: Everybody has a bad day on occasion, but we’ve just got to regroup. We’ll be just fine.
This goes on until both parties separate and breathe a sigh of relief that the interview is finally over.
Not all interviews are like this. In fact, by and large at the U, coaches give pretty honest answers about their team’s performance. If a coach’s squad just laid an egg one night, they’re pretty good about admitting it.
As I’ve talked to coaches frequently over the past few years here, I’ve noticed an interesting pattern. It seems there is often a direct correlation between honesty from coaches and increased success on the field or court.
Take men’s basketball head coach Larry Krystkowiak as an example. The guy will never win an award for being flashy, and sometimes it’s frustrating as a reporter to talk to him because he doesn’t often say the most interesting things. But he’s honest. If his team just lost by 30, he’ll readily acknowledge that his squad was outplayed.
Gymnastics co-head coach Greg Marsden is the same way. I covered the team in 2012, and I’ll never forget him saying after a meet in which his group didn’t perform too well that “we have to quit competing like frightened bunnies.”
How are these teams doing? Krystkowiak’s club is trending upward faster than just about any squad in the country after hitting rock bottom in 2012, and the Red Rocks have long been a perennial national powerhouse.
Contrast that with multiple coaches here on campus who shy away from acknowledging when their teams are struggling. It’s no use to call out individuals in this case because it’s not like they’re harming anyone by trying to put their team’s performance in the best possible light. But suffice it to say there’s a pretty interesting connection between those coaches and how much their teams are struggling.
This may very well be a complete coincidence, but it makes sense if you think about it. When people acknowledge they’re struggling, they’re more likely to make the changes necessary to get better. If they don’t acknowledge it, there’s often not an impetus for change.
As nice as it would be for reporting purposes, coaches are in no way required to say certain things to the media. Quite frankly, I don’t blame coaches if they don’t want to talk about their teams’ struggles. Tearing players down can harm a team’s psyche if a coach isn’t careful.
But acknowledging when their team is lacking in certain areas definitely seems it would help coaches right the ship.
[email protected]