Leadership void from the players the past 2 seasons?

Take from CougarBoard: Zach Wilson just said on Hans and Scotty that when he first got here the only ones putting in EXTRA work beyond what the team was doing were guys like Sione and Corbin. He said now he's pushing the whole team to get to that point.



I've complained that there didn't seem to be any serious leaders on the 2017 and 2018 teams--especially from QB, RB, or other key positions where this had been the case before. I'm hoping the new guard like Wilson, Romney, Hoge, and several of these other young guys rebuild the effort so it isn't the coaches pushing the players all the time--but the captains knowing what is expected and driving for that from the players' side too. If the players aren't bought in and are not already working hard at what they can do the results will be mediocre. This is true with any team. The players who do the work get the opportunities. And look how many underclassmen claimed those opportunities this season.

A leadership void from the players is usually indicative of a leadership void from the coaches.



#culture

snoscythe wrote:

A leadership void from the players is usually indicative of a leadership void from the coaches.



#culture

Agreed. In fact while players can and do motivate and lead their fellow players, the buck stops with the coaches. They after all are the ones paid a lot of money to lead, coach, teach, and improve their athletes.

Maybe they need to revisit how they choose their team captains.

Here were the 2018 captains:

Offense

Tanner Mangum

Brayden El-Bakri

Austin Hoyt

Micah Simon



Defense

Butch Pau’u

Zayne Anderson

Sione Takitaki

Corbin Kaufusi



On defense, I think Takitaki and Corbin were good choices. Both were out front among their position groups. Zayne's injury kept him on the sideline much of the year and its hard to lead from there. On the offensive side of the ball none of those guys really strike me as a vocal leader.



Simon and Anderson are the only ones who will be back on the team in 2019.

snoscythe wrote:

A leadership void from the players is usually indicative of a leadership void from the coaches.



#culture

This.



Tells me there is a lack of leadership and players were trying to fill a void.

So which players did you see trying to fill a void?

The El-Bakri brothers are probably among the most vocal leaders on the team -- on offense and defense.

The coaches are, or were, the problem. One former player told me that the coaches prevented players from leading. I don't know how or why, but when a coach limits leadership from players, then the coach id limiting the team's chances to succeed.

mtnradio wrote:

The coaches are, or were, the problem. One former player told me that the coaches prevented players from leading. I don't know how or why, but when a coach limits leadership from players, then the coach id limiting the team's chances to succeed.

When coaches don't know what they're doing, the players don't know what to focus on or what to work on. With good coaches, players can have a focus and lead others towards that.