Wednesday, January 6, 2010

and that’s a tattoo that stays with you forever




17 point road dogs to Big 5 and A-10 rival the Temple Owls. I hope Phil has something up his sleeve for tonight. Our Lady of Victory...



Martelli makes great points -- again Flyer Connection: University of Dayton sports

By Doug Harris Wednesday, January 6, 2010

One of the treats of having the Dayton Flyers beat is that I get to have some interaction with Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli on the Atlantic 10 teleconference each week during during league play. And while he didn’t crack any jokes Monday as he normally does — when your team is 4-8, there really isn’t too much to joke about — he was as candid and interesting as usual.

I just love listening to people who are highly articulate. Former UD athletic director Ted Kissell is that way. So is former Ohio State AD Andy Geiger.

Martelli was flabbergasted over trailing from start to finish in losing to visiting Princeton recently. That’s Ivy League non-scholarship Princeton.

“Never having a lead in home games … is basically unforgivable in some ways,” he said.

And a lot of coaches would say Amen to this:

“I’ve always leaned on the seniors. In my 15 years, I’ve always said to the seniors, ‘This is your team. It’s my program, but this is your team.’ The way I describe it to the players is, ‘You get a tattoo. You might not want a tattoo, but you get a tattoo. At the end of your senior year, that (won-loss) record is listed. When people talk retrospectively about the program, they’re going to say, ‘Who were the seniors that year?’ They don’t necessarily say, ‘Who were the all-league players? What did the freshmen give us that year.’ You’re remembered for your senior year, and that’s a tattoo that stays with you forever.

“All 15 years, I’ve told our seniors they have the obligation and responsibility to get this going in right direction. This is a long season, and if it’s only the voice of the head coach or the assistant coaches, what will happen is guys will end up hearing you but never listening to you. They’ll watch and emulate your oldest guys.”

1 comment:

  1. did this guy call phil martelli articulate?

    ReplyDelete