Well I need to talk a little bit about Coach. I think it's important he gets his due, and that I say something reflecting back on what I have learned from him.
The amount I have learned about soccer is unbelieveable. I still don't know much, but I know so much more than when I first started. One of his first assignments for me was keeping track of passes completed at a game. I was so new to the game of soccer that I wasn't sure what he meant. Did it count if we touched the ball but lost it right away? Now I know better. I can watch games and know if we are playing well or not. I understand nuances better.
Through him and his program I learned a lot about soccer basics and fundamentals. I really get the game a lot better than before. I may not be able to explain it, but I have learned a lot.
Coach affected me in two ways more than anything else though. I learned the importance of balance and academics. Coach always did a great job of making sure that soccer didn't run the lives of his players or staff. There was a sense of balance and that other things are important in life besides just soccer. For me, I make sure I always find time to work out. As I left, that's what Coach was most happy with me for. He was happy that I got fit.
The thing that I think Lenny should get the most credit for is the culture that has been created around academics. I can tell academics is genuinely important to him. It's always comes up with recruits, especially early on in his conversations with them. It's also always the first question he asks in every meeting it seems. Coach understands that his players are student-athletes. I love that he allows players to miss practice if they have an exam that they need to get prepared for. Soccer is important to him, but the growth of his players academically and personally through college and beyond is very important to him. There is no coach that I have observed in college athletics yet that seems to genuinely care as much about academics as Lenny. I had a 4.0 my last two semesters of grad school, and I am not sure if I would have completed that if it wasn't for the culture of the team to do well in school. The fact that the team studied hard, and that coach expected everyone to actually trickled down to me. I felt pressure to do well and was motivated to do well.
Coach is also a great story teller. It's something that I think he hides a little too much from view. When he gets going and talking about soccer, or Greece, it's really fascinating. When players get to hear these stories they are lucky, and they often enjoy them.
I remember him describing fishing at home as a boy in Greece. He was talking about how the fisherman would row out to sea and fish. I think he mentioned putting a line with 50-100 hooks on it and catching all these fish. I was impressed, and didn't learn of his enjoyment of fishing until right before I left.
I also love that coach, at whatever age he is, still plays the game of soccer. That's a testament to his love of the game, and his ability to stay fit. I love the game of soccer because of his program and teams and I hope that I can still play and enjoy the game at his age.
500 wins is quite an accomplishment. Not that many basketball coaches have that many wins! In soccer it's even more impressive. I am happy for coach.
Everything I did in my time with the team was to geared toward helping the team succeed. That meant not only the players, but Lenny. I really wanted him to get the National Championship that he deserves. That motivated me then, and I hope he gets it now and in the future.
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