For All the Marbles…and a Chance to Grab a Universal Truth…
6/9/23
Moments.
In this life, we have moments where all the work, dedication, and passion, culminate into a zenith opportunity. It’s what championships are. As a former college coach, former college player, I still believe competition is the rightful soul of the human condition and it’s why, quite frankly, I do what I do. When I was a player, I saw it differently. I saw play as a way to prove myself to the world. As a coach early in my career, I saw play as a way to advance my career and a journey that could lead me to excellence. Those views weren’t necessarily wrong, especially at the time, but I see it differently now. I see what it truly is…a moment to feel connected…I’ll explain in the last paragraph of this story.
D2 championships are about to start. Moved a day early due to graduation schedules. The Lincoln Lions will be attempting to upset the heavily favored Cranston West Falcons. Falcons certainly earned that reputation. They have the horses with Christian Mak on the right, Chris Harvey in the middle, and solid players surrounding them. To me, Aidan Hay could be the difference in this one. My predictions haven’t been the best this time around (see D1), but if Hay can block well enough to slow down Wayne McNamara, the Falcons will be victorious. However, I like McNamara a lot. He can ball and Tyler Dickinson is a problem in the middle. He’s arguably the only other middle in the D2 world that can slow down Harvey. I’m sticking with my Lincoln pick to shock the D2 world. Lincoln in 5, but it’s going to be a fun ride…wish I was there (Currently, I’m in Spokane, WA)
D1 championship is not how I saw it. It’s interesting to see how many players contacted me after Chariho upset, and the La Salle victory, about how it played out differently then I thought. It’s great to see! In my head, and I know this from experiences, predictions by a pundit benefit both teams really…one team is confident, the other team has chalkboard material for “us against the world” vibes (does anyone use chalkboards anymore). This one, Chargers and Rams, will come down to the Surgeon vs. the Monster. Matt Tiernan surgically takes apart teams through his skill and volume. He can score any way he wants and he gets set 70% of the time so he gets plenty of chances to do it. If he goes for 30, Chariho has a great chance. The Monster is Ephraim Abhulime. Ephraim blocks like no other in the league. His physicality is unmatched at the net and he can alter an opposing team’s night without scoring a point. If the big guy is on, he will disrupt what Tiernan is trying to accomplish. Add that should Ephraim score early and often, and the connections are solid, it’s going to open up room for Jack Johnson and Nick Lisi to score in bunches. Both teams are fun to watch for different reasons. Both teams make some errors that will make a coach’s hair turn gray. At the end of the day, I’m going to pick the Monster, which will absolutely motivate the Surgeon. La Salle in four. See, I just gave ya’ll a great match!
D3 championship is a story that I’ve seen happen a lot in my career. When I first started at Johnson & Wales in 2009, Rivier University was a team no one could touch. It would be four years before anyone gave them a blemish in the GNAC. Teams would celebrate if they won a set…winning a match was unheard of against the powerful Raiders. That’s how Johnston feels this season. Too much for everyone. Then, in 2015, a group of dudes, who were kind of good, went to Rivier U. for the final and shocked the GNAC, and at the time the men’s volleyball world of DIII, by upsetting the Raiders in their own barn in five sets. That Lasell team was something else. Full of characters, full of swagger, and just balled. Tolman / Shea, the boys from Pawtucket, need to bring that Lasell vibe to the table tomorrow. Yeah, Johnston has weapons and they’ve only lost a set…but we are Pawtucket volleyball…we’re tough, there is no quit, and we dish out as well as we take it. On a neutral court, on a college campus, in the afternoon with the lights are brightest; let’s see what happens when we dance there… Johnston has the gun in Yandel Gonzalez and he’s been lights out all year. Tolman has the trio of Dembo Konte and Helmer Ramos (the arms) with Dom Carpentieri running the offense and serving bullets. My mind tells me Johnston in four. My heart tells me Tolman in five. Either could happen.
I’m 46 years old and I’ve seen a lot of volleyball moments and been a part of a lot of games. Let me tell you what I’m chasing. I’m chasing the one moment. The zenith. The time when everyone recognizes and slows down a second. It’s the recognition of “hey, this is big” and it should come with a smile that follows. You see, that moment is everywhere in every match and every game you play. It’s the first serve of a brand new season. It’s the final point of the championship. It’s when you upset a giant you were never supposed to. It’s the time you stole a set from a monster team that never considered you’d be a problem. It’s the time you blocked the top player in the gym and your team’s getting beat by 15. It’s the moment everyone in the gym knows the ball is coming to you and you take all of your years of training, see then strike. The moment when you and your teammates come for a huddle and you look into everyone’s eyes and realize that we’re all working together in unison for the same goal…because it’s hard to get human beings to agree on anything, let alone working together (that’s how complex and wonderful beings we all are).
So, to all the players in these matches, take the time somewhere in the match to look into the eyes of your friends, teammates, and smile and love the fact you’re working together to accomplish something bigger than anything you could do by yourself. These moment are your gifts for all of your hard work and sacrifice. You are getting stories that will last your life and can be shared with those that come after you. Whether you play a major role or a minor one, you were there. You saw and did. You played and played well. Chase the moment. It’s the truest form of sport we have left.
Cheers to the winners, respect to those defeated, love the stories we created…
Coach Reslow