Latest / I Hate Soccer with Jason Collinsworth / I Hate Soccer #95 - Dave DiIanni, University of Michigan Women's Head Soccer Coach

Transcript

I Hate Soccer #95 - Dave DiIanni, University of Michigan Women's Head Soccer Coach · I Hate Soccer with Jason Collinsworth

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: Dave De Hani is currently 19th amongst women's soccer head coaches with like 346 total wins uh with stints at Grand Valley as a head coach with Iowa Hawkeyes as a head coach, and now his first year uh got headed into the fall with the University of Michigan.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_02: We talk about his career, kind of his coaching philosophy.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_02: We don't get into like the weeds about like tactics and stuff like that, but we do talk about the type of players he's looking for, uh and a little bit of how to build a roster, and and you know, he he built Iowa pre-transfer portal, pre-the-transfer portal era era.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_02: So it's a great conversation.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_02: It was so nice to meet him.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_02: Uh he's building something.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_02: Uh they're all hands on deck right now at the University of Michigan.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm excited, um I'm excited to see him build this program over the next decade or so, and and just to see uh where it takes to build the rivalry back up of Michigan and Michigan State, and just to see where this goes.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um, as always, please like, subscribe, leave a review if you're interested, or a comment.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_02: We hit 50,000 downloads.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_02: I'm trying to get to 100,000 downloads by Christmas.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_02: That's for audio, that's for Spotify, Apple, wherever you listen to your podcast.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_02: Uh on YouTube, I'm trying to get to 5,000 subscribers by Christmas as well.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_02: So please hit the subscribe button.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_02: Share this with everybody you know that will get something out of it and get to know David.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_02: I hate soccer.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: But it's just a conversation.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_02: Imagine us getting in just a beer, yeah, you know, a brown jug or something.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, but uh I uh we talked a little bit about like when you went to Iowa and everything, but I want to start uh at the very beginning because so I just had uh Steve Schaltman from University of Detroit, yeah, and then I'd had Cliff uh Brainmeyer from Toledo.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you guys all started in high school soccer.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_02: And then I mean, where where were you?
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: Not so uh I was at Jackson Luma Christie.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_02: Jackson Luma Christie.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: I was um yeah, I I went to school at Spring Arbor University, I guess it was Spring Arbor College at the time.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um didn't know really anything about what the school systems look like in college, as you know, in terms of scholarship and things like that, being Canadian and um I knew about University of Michigan and the big brands, but I didn't I didn't know about the small ones.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um so I uh had a friend who was coming for a golf scholarship at Spring Arbor, and he I said, Yeah, I'll come by, I'll come with you.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so I reached out to the to the program uh at Spring Harbor.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: I was um on a little bit of a hiatus.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: I had toiled toiled a little bit with the uh well, I was in the uh provincial team for most of my my my youth days and had some opportunities with a little bit of the Canadian youth uh ages up until uh U20.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and got caught and right at the end.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, how people handle adversity and and failure is uh uh you know it it varies between people and individuals, and I didn't handle it well.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: I was frustrated, I was angry, I was so I stopped playing soccer for quite some time, um, for two years.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and just went to school in Toronto and he uh Mark Ward was his name, I remember vividly, and he's like, Yeah, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go hit the golf ball at Spring Harbor, and and they're giving me a good package.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm like, yeah, maybe that's that's something I need to do.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: I I I played hockey at a high level as well, and that was that kind of reached its its peak, because you know, you're five five, and you know, you you know, I got you know drafted by OHL but got cut, and and yeah, then you're done, right?
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Like, because it continues, those that are gonna continue are gonna be in the OHL or in the NHL.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: And so I had nothing really going on.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: I I got an associate's degree, and I'm like, I need to get back into soccer.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so uh I went, played, they offered me a good, a good package, didn't know anything about the level uh NAI, but I knew that they used to win um at Spring Harbor, and they win a lot now with the women.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um Jason Chris built a really great program there, and I think the men actually do pretty well now.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, signed off on it, got an education degree, but it was such a great opportunity for me to um start coaching.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like I knew I said this all the time, I knew I was a good player, but I knew I also knew I wasn't a great player.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: And so uh after the first fall, I didn't love the school.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: It was Free Methodist, I'm Catholic, it was small, I wanted bigger.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I almost went to Western Michigan.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and they were pretty good at the time.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, at the time, Jeff Hodson, who's who's down there with uh Nationals and one of the owners and um with Jeremy Harkins and that group, uh, he was playing there.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: Almost went there, and then uh because of all the classes Spring Arbor gave me, uh I Christian classes and things like that.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: I couldn't transfer almost anything, I would have to start from scratch.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I just said I'm just gonna fast track my degree, and so I I stayed for three years, three years of eligibility.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: The great part about it is there's not really an off-season uh in terms of training, and so we I started a friend of mine, Jeff Cooks, was the varsity coach at J Jackson Limit Christie uh for the women.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: He needed a JV coach, so I went out there for one one season, had a great time, loved it, and I was the head coach of the JV program, and then um yeah, he decided he was done, and so I took over the varsity program right away.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: I was probably 22, 23, coaching 17-year-old girls, you know, 15, 16, 17-year-old girls, and just trying to figure it out.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, so I was the head coach there for about five years.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and when I graduated, they didn't have a job, teaching job.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: I had to um I met my wife, I started dating my wife, we decided we were gonna get married, um, get a visa, stay in the country.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, not not because getting married because of the visa, but I got a visa off of the She's from Michigan, right?
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: She's always holding that over my head that uh, you know, they got married because of it.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: But uh yeah, and so they didn't have a job at the time, so I ended up taking an athletic director's job.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: She was a year behind me in school.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: I took an athletic director's job down here in Dearborn, uh, Fairlane Christian, which doesn't exist anymore.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: I was there for uh about five months, and then Luma Christie opened up a job.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: I got a teaching job there in the social science, social studies department, and then continued with uh uh the varsity program.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: And then I think I had just a bit of like just an itch to try to grow and try to do something different.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I became the I also was uh the part-time assistant coach for Hillsdale College for Men and Women, the D2 program at the time.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: They don't exist anymore either.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um Hillsdale College in in the GLIAC, they had men's and women's soccer, they're quite good.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: They don't have soccer anymore?
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: Not anymore.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's uh I didn't even know that.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: They still have football.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: They have football, they have bath baseball, basketball, all of that.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: But they they actually started the program and then ended it, I believe, in six years.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: And weirdly, um the with low budget and whatnot, but I would drive out in the morning uh for preseason, then I'd go out after teaching and in the fall and uh be there for three hours with the men and women's practices and then come back.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: And um I did go out, didn't go out much in the spring, but uh but that year, so it would have been 2013, no, sorry, 2003.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: 2003, uh Hillsdale ended.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: They're canceled the the program.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: And ironically, the women's uh recruiting class was like really, really good.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so Grand Valley State opened up and they were interviewing.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: I asked the head coach, you want the job?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: You know, are you gonna go for it?
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: Or me, you know, because if not, I'm gonna I'm gonna apply and see if I can just make this thing a you know, this coaching gig a thing full time.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he said he didn't want to, so I applied.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: I knew one person in the athletic department, uh, Kate Harmon was her name.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um she worked in the rec center, and I um said, Hey, I'm gonna apply.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: Can you just help me get my pat, you know, my resume from you know from the stack to not going in the garbage?
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: And then I'll like that's it.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: I just need you like somebody to say, hey, Dave, no, Dave's a good coach, and maybe have a conversation with him.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um that she helped me with that.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Tim Selga was the athletic director.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I I interviewed um, I think two two times, and and then yeah, they like they liked me, and and I I remember the final finalist was either myself and then uh a legend uh who's been around for a long time as well, Rick Larson.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: And he and I were and so I've known Rick a long time.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, a long time.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: And uh he has I think his wife works before it or something, and it was a just a difficult, you know, he's still a school craft, right?
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: He's still a school craft.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: So um, so I've known him a long time.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like all these names are from you know 30-year relationships.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I got the job, and yeah, they they over 11-year period, they they reminded me many times that I shouldn't have got the job as a high school teacher coach, uh, in a joking lay way.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: Of course.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um and uh yeah, they had never made the N Sole tournament before.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we did that right away, and and it took a couple years to be able to win the Gleak, but uh, I think it may be on third year, uh, but yeah, and then the rest is kind of history.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_02: And then when was your first national title?
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_02: Seven years?
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so we lost in the finals uh in overtime uh in 2006 or seven, one of those two to Metro State, uh Danny Sanchez, who's at Colorado right now.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: Okay and I, he was at Metro State and then went to Wyoming.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: So it's funny how saw the small circle, but we lost in the finals in overtime that year.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Probably shouldn't have been in the finals.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: We just kind of overachieved, had a good freshman class, and then uh yeah, we won.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: I believe I won the first one in 08.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then uh yeah, three we we I think the last my last seven years at Grand Valley, we were in the final four or six of those seven years and won three of those years.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um Steve Shelton at U of D brought it up that like oh uh we actually talked about you a little off air, and uh he's kind of he basically said if you want a job in Michigan, you kind of need to be a Michigan man.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, you're from Canada, but you've been here the entire time.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, all but twelve of my years, yeah.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_02: So you've been here the entire time.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_02: Do you think that's real?
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_02: Do you think that uh to be at Michigan, Michigan State, well Western?
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it it it's posing to be that way.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think uh, you know, Caitlin was my seven-year assistant, she's at Grand Valley, but I I I was you know, I was the one who opened the door for her to get there.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: And so Michigan person, Nate Norman, who's at Nordame, was at Western Michigan, he's a Michigan Rochester guy, right?
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, legend.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um at Nordame.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I I I think so.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: Jeff Jeff Hoster's in an incredible fit for East Lansing.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I was in, they called me for that job as well, as he and I and Lawrence Sinicola, Michigan person for those final three, and and um, but yeah, I think you know, his family's from East Lansing, his wife's family's from East Lansing.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, there might there might be some truth to that.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I think um just not only just the roots, but understanding the youth soccer game uh in in the state of Michigan, um knowing that everyone that was here in 2014 is still here, pretty much Doug Lanefeld and Adil Simone and Dernar, yeah, everybody.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Kinger, like all of like Tinian, like they're all here.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: So still here, Damir.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, there might be some truth to that.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: That's a that's an interesting observation, but seems to be right.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_02: And it's just all relationship building.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_02: We were talking about with your staff, and what does your coaching tree look like?
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_02: Have you ever done that?
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_02: Have you ever just like okay, he's here?
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, a couple times.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: I think I I that's a huge part of who I bel who I believe I am.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think I I want to develop people, I want to build relationships.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that can be the staff, that can be players.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I think that uh when you look at it uh at Grand Valley, it was um, you know, Shannon Neely, who was uh my second assistant.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: She went to Northwestern, she's at Queens, you know, Queens uh in North Carolina.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: She's the head coach there now.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Erica DeMers was with me for 11 years, both at Grand Valley and at Iowa.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: She went to UAB and now she's at Cincinnati.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I've known her a long time.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so those those two um in particular um at uh Grand Valley State.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: And then at Iowa, Julie Hanley went to was the head coach at Indiana State.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: She was with me.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you have uh Eric, you know, um again, uh Drago Serenich, who's at Auburn as the associate head coach, Molly Rouse, who was the head coach at Ole Miss.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I think like Lee Hughes was at Texas, and now he's uh now he's a D2 coach at Lee University, ironically.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I I think um Roddy Tanaskovich is at Georgia, but he for five years he was at Chicago Red Stars after me.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: So uh Blair Quinn is was at Texas Tex.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I I I think I there's a number and I'm gonna miss somebody, so when they listen to this, they're gonna be like, you forgot about me.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: But uh just all good people who uh for me it's all about um honestly, it's all about everyone knows how to coach.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's at this level, everyone's a pretty good coach.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like some people are specialty, like JP's a great goalkeeper coach, is the way he does what the way he delivers his message and allows goalkeepers to become be who they are, and then in the framework of what he wants to be done, I think that's important.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Blair Quinn was the opposite.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: He thought it was he's very meticulous, he wanted it to be a certain way, but they're both excellent at what they do.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um Kyle played in the MLS, so his brain is so sharp and so so he's so cerebral.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: So everyone's good at what they do.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: For me, it's more about like loyalty, work ethic, and relationship building.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and because if you if you're build if you're good at relationship building, it's gonna be it's gonna matriculate down to the players, but it's also gonna be amongst the staff, right?
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: Our jobs are hard.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: You want to get along very well with each other.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um but I also want growth-minded people.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I mean by work ethic.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: I like growth-minded people who are okay, because okay saying, Hey, I got it wrong, I'm gonna get it right, and I'm okay with like you know, improving in on who I am as a person and as a coach.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I've always surrounded myself with those people.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_02: This episode is brought to you by the North American Soccer Expo.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_02: If you remember last year when I had Alexi Lawless on, so many of you were blown away and kept on messaging me, how did you get Alexi Lawless to talk to you?
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_02: And to be honest with you, it was the North American Soccer Expo.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_02: The Expo has workshops and seminars and field presentations from top coaches and industry experts.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_02: I will be there this year 100%.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_02: I'll be set up on podcast row.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: In addition to the podcasts that I'm going to be filming there, I'm also going to have an open hour where any coach at the expo or anybody at the expo can come sit down at the chair and have a one-on-one 15-minute chat with me, and you guys can just come and chat and talk about whatever you want.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_02: North American Soccer Expo, July 30th to August 1st, Novi, Michigan.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_02: I'll see you there.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_02: And I believe that we we as coaches can make even a larger impact helping develop coaches.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: And because they might go on to another program or another club or whatever, and they can coach so many more kids than we can just ourselves.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_02: And if we can help mentor, and I think, did you have mentors growing up?
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_02: Coming up through the process, the the uh the person that health.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, weirdly, I had my my one mentor in Canada was uh I had two, I had one for soccer, uh Jeff Painter was his name.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: He you know, for youth soccer playing in London.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: It was like that was back when there was only you know seven clubs in Canada, now there's way like a lot more.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um his son is is uh around my age, and so he that was one person.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: I just really liked how he could could can um could connect with people.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: And he was tough, and we knew his expectations and his standards, but it he also knew how to joke and laugh and and build relationships.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: And my dad was probably similar to that.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, I I don't have a great relationship right now, but like he was always he was a coach as well, and he played at a high level, and he was all he was funny, and people kind of you know migrated towards him.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: And um and yeah, I think yeah, and the other one was Dick Howard in hockey, same same concept, like just he was tough and firm and you knew where he stood, but also was vulnerable and open.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I for uh for me, those were the two in Canada.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think in in in um the US, I think it was more non-soccer people.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: I I I have a lot of respect for how Tim Saugo, the athletic director at um Grand Valley State during most of my time there, how he led, how he led leads people, um, how he pours into them, how he how he um how he l he helps people understand that he cares and that he's you know he's gonna do the best he can to get you whatever you want.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um but but also you know, educating people on being better humans and being better better, you know, investing in the process and all of those things I got from him.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he was a big John Wooden fan.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so we he would quote a lot of stuff from John Wooden and um and I think the other mentor from afar, which I always really respected, and I've had conversations with him, but don't know him, you know, incredibly well, is his Sanson Dorrance.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: At the time he was dominant in his profession and the profession I chose, and I really respected his competitive cauldron and specifically with women and helping them grow beyond their comfort level um to to push one another and um and you know get better every day and within a competitive environment.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_02: Did you bring that into your teams, the competitive cauldron?
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_02: I did.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_02: How so I was obsessed with Anton when I was starting out as a as in his competitive cauldron and measuring technique, right?
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_02: Like his figure eights, and like okay, how many can you do in a minute?
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, or how hard can you sh strike a ball with your right and your left?
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_02: He wants 120 miles per hour with both feet combined, right?
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I find that there is a lot of coaches that copy it, but you have to have the right culture underneath it.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_02: Otherwise, especially if you do it with like youth teams, yeah, it can cause kind of friction.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_02: It becomes toxic.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_02: So how do you make sure it's just the relationship building and just being honest and being I think so?
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: I think I did it a lot at uh as a high school coach and a lot at Grand Valley.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: And there's there's things that we still do here today.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: I did it, I believe, I respected the process.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: I respected what he was trying to get out of it.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: I I actually respected a lot of what he was trying to measure, right?
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: Like measure technically, tactically, you know, fitness-wise.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think though, if you are only on one side of the of the spectrum where it's you're you're it's just competitiveness and ruthlessness and gauging metrics and all of that, then specifically with women, you're you're missing a whole aspect of how they why they even do what they do.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like they want to have fun, they want to know you care, they want to know, you know, they want to know the why behind it all.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: And so to me, you have it is a healthy balance to be able to create um, you know, relationships and the why behind it.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: This generation, they're all in.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: People, people knock them all the time.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: They're not, they're fantastic.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: They just want to know the why.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: Then they want to know that you care about them as humans, and then they're in, they're in like every other generation.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_02: Do you feel like this generation of players, of youth players that are coming in, they have a better self-awareness than maybe that we did and growing up?
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: I I think naively sometimes.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like they do, but like I think it's naively, right?
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because they, you know, I in a I don't know.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a parent of two daughters, like I think, you know, I I I think there's a lot of, you know, you could use whatever analogy, like snowplow and helicopter, and all of these, these different um, you know, types of parents.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so because of that, and because of um the the detail and and and the smothering, but also like um the involvement, maybe is a better word, that parents have with kids, that they do have a a better self awareness.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: But there's also an element of like social media brings that to them too, right?
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: And the the comparisons and the the insecurity.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: And all those things.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: And so there's a naiveness.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I mean by that.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: Is like, yeah, I think they have a pretty good handle on who they are and what they look like and what they're motivated to do.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: But I also wish sometimes that they wouldn't be so aware of who they are and hyper focused on comparing themselves to others.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_00: And that's ultimately a small factor of why I love coaching women to empower them, to to lift them up, to tell them it's okay to be vulnerable and to be different, uh, whether that be j you know gender, like you know, sexual preference, what personality, it doesn't matter.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: We're all valuable, you know, and helping those those girls appreciate that.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_02: Why so you've only been on the girls' side uh since Hillsdale?
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: Other than Hillsdale for three years, yeah.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_01: Not even at high school.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_01: You did you coach the boys'?
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: I coached uh I I coached JV boys one year as well, and then that's it.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: That's everything's been on the girl.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: Is that your personality or is that just like what you were just saying?
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: Just about lifting a little bit a little bit of my personality and what I'm able to um how I'm able to impact you know on the women's side.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think part of it's just the track that I, you know, it's it was easier at the time when I got into college to get in on the women's side.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot less men's programs.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: There's that means there's a lot less jobs.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I I I enjoyed the men's side, quite honestly.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: It was it was refreshing.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: I enjoyed Hillsdale.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I was the assistant, so I wasn't the head.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm I'm the fun guy.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'm out in training.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: I was still training a lot with them.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: And but I do think, you know, we talk a lot about, you know, um, we're doing film with women, and you know, you're doing film going through clips, and women are thinking, those clips are about me.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like it's gonna be me up on the video, like you know, it's oh I should have been better.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: And the men are like, yeah, Billy who's sitting beside me, he's the one who stinks, you know, and you have to kind of win over in a depth.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, Billy stinks.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, no, I was talking about you, you know, Dave.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and so but I employ I enjoyed it.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_00: I enjoyed them both.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: And actually, that's a lie.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: I coached a really high-level Grand Rapids uh club team for three years that was filled with so many incredible boys that were diverse.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh is that with the crew?
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: With the crew, yeah.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: I was I I remember them all, and they all came, almost all of them came from a lot of them came from John Collins East Kentwood uh high school.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_02: Was that like Sean Conerty and stuff?
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_00: They were right after me.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_02: Or Jason Stacy?
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: They were right after me.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I was the group right before them, like uh uh Taro Kambloa.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um it was um it was uh Mirza Mirza, who's the the goalkeeper coach for Salt Lake.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, and the MLS uh that all that yeah all of that age, that age.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: And we we I think we lost in the state finals one year and lost in the semis two years in a row.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: We're we're pretty good.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_02: I had uh back when ODP was really taken off.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, um I had all those boys.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_02: Well, the you're younger, uh, the Sean Connery, the Chase Raoult, they were right, they were right, they followed this.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: That roster that called was unbelievable.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_00: Remember the talent was unbelievable.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Brentko Berg's a good friend of mine.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: He was um he yeah, so it was uh Josh Sheldon was was was the DOC at the time uh for there.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um uh they had uh George Money was was was still in the club, yep, and um gosh, brand rapids or whatever the baroney boys.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um they were still baby, they were babies back then, but Joey Joey was Joey coached my daughter, and he still is a great human being.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: And uh so that that whole group was when I was at Grand Valley, that's the one thing.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: And then I then I just poured into my daughters.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_00: So then I then I poured in West It was um West Michigan fire at the time.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's now the Rangers.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh or maybe it was the Rangers then fire, then Rangers again, but um but I uh I poured into them.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: I coached Chris on my oldest for five years.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: That team got really good.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um a lot of kids went on and played college and just was down the street.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I got to like spend dad-daughter time, and I remember we'd moped down there, you know, she would sit on the back and we'd just moped down and train I'd train these eight-year-old girls that it was just the best part of my day.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and then um Kelsey, my youngest, I coached for a year, and that was a very good team, and then then I got the job at Iowa, but um yeah, it was it was uh just a different different world that it allowed me to have a bit of balance, you know, and all my other coaching.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_02: Thinking about like different worlds, going from assistant at Hellsdale to Grand Valley, what was that transition like?
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_02: Because and was it equal to Grand Valley to Iowa?
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_00: They were um, you know, I think Grand Valley's job was a little, you know, was it they're all pretty similar.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: The second year at all of the jobs was my toughest, uh because you know, they all had senior, like even like I at Grand Valley, they had a great group of seniors um that I all speak to still that were just dying to win and just wanted structure.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: And we we we had a great year.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: We went made the NCLA tournament, we finished second in GLIAC.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: We lost, we got upset actually.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: We were top 25.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_00: We all got upset by uh Northern Kentucky, who uh at the time was awesome with Bob Sheehan in the second round, but we hosted, that's how high a seed we were.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it was um they're both the same.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: The first years in both both at Iowa and Grand Valley State were very successful, and then you know there's a reason why you get the job, right?
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: That maybe it's maybe the roster isn't as balanced as it needs to be, or there's the you know, the talent maybe has been missed in recruiting, or the the infrastructure wasn't great.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: And so um I think that in that regard, Grand Valley and Iowa were very similar uh in that regard.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we had great I have great leadership at both.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Tim Selga was fantastic.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: Lisa Sweeney, the associate AD at Iowa, Gary Barta um hired me, and I've had some great sportive men's over there as well.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: So it was very similar.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then I left with Beth Getz, who uh is the AD at Iowa, and I've known Beth for over 20 years, and when she was the D2 coach at Umsel, Missouri St.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: Louis.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and then she played at Clemson.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: So she's the only sitting Power 4 AD athletic director that played in the as a power four soccer player, women's soccer player.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_00: So I've had a lot of like really good leadership.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: Lisa Sau uh Lisa here, my sport of men, played at BYU and coached at Michigan.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I've had I I love having student athletes who are former coaches who are your your administration because they and Tim Selgo played at Toledo.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, they understand.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: They understand what you're going through.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's not just about money and budget and accounting.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_00: They're they're they're coaches, they're people, they understand relationships and tough decisions.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: So in that regard, all of the jobs have been very similar.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_02: And how much does that how much should that go into a young coach that wants to chase the college coaching path?
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, look into the administration, look into their history.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think it matters, I think, um, because it's a hard job and you're not always gonna be successful, and there's gonna be some ups and downs.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: And how's how are you supported when you're when things aren't aren't aren't necessarily successful?
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um and there you have adversity in your program, and do do they trust you when things get hard?
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, do they have your back and support you?
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_00: Are they there to mentor you?
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: All of the same things that I hope to do and I think I do with my staff.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I want to be a mentor for them, I want to be somebody that they can come to when it's hard, you know, and and understand that um, you know, the path to to growth is gonna have some bumps.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think that's a big deal.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: And it's hard because nowadays in the power four, there you have less people who are student athletes or and coaches, because we're talking about budgets that are 200, 250, 300 million dollars.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_00: And so not everyone is that way.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_00: Ward manual here and Lisa and Law they they were student athletes and they were coaches, and so uh at Iowa had the same thing, and at Grand Valley had the same thing.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_00: So it's important, I think, in my my opinion.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_00: Not not everyone gets that that opportunity to be that picky, um but I think it's I think it's really important to to to to choose a school that uh you feel like you can be mentored as well.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_02: How how many how many jobs have you had to turn down or how many calls have you had to turn down over the years, if you can say Yeah, no, I I it was interesting.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: The transition at Grand Valley State was unique because when I was first there, I would say I was there 11 years.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I would say half of the time, maybe maybe two-thirds of the time, they were calling me.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um a lot of Mac schools, a lot of mid D1 schools, I you know, no, no Big Ten, no Power Fours at the time, even though we were playing them in the spring.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_00: And and then the last third of my career at Grand Valley State, they started calling Erica.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: And because we were having so much success, and yeah, that just wasn't to me a job that was a jump up, in my opinion.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like I thought I got paid really well, we were winning national championships, we were succeeding.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I I always craved if I was leaving Grand Valley State, I was gonna go to a power and a power four school.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so I just held off on that.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_00: So it's funny how it was um yeah, that uh those schools were all calling me early on.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_00: I almost left for SLU, um at near the you know, maybe maybe the last couple years at at uh at Grand Valley State Um when they when they and then they hired Katie Shields.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_00: And so um, so yeah, they were calling me and then they decided they were calling Erica and that which made total sense to you know.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_00: And then at Iowa, it's been small, to be honest.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_00: I was pretty loyal.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: We needed to we needed to do a lot of work to get that program where it needed to be.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: And then obviously the last eight years have been have been great, uh, the last five in particular.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_00: So um, you know, like I said, I already said earlier, but like, you know, Michigan State was one of them um that called, and that would have brought us home too.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh just didn't feel like the right time.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um you know, I think they would have probably hired Jeff anyways, but I I pulled out near the end and just felt like I had more work to do at Iowa, and Iowa City was was becoming a second home for us, and we really enjoyed it, and we had a good recruiting class coming in.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and there were a couple others there, but uh it was more so at Grand Valley.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: And then I think as you get higher up, there's it kind of gets a little more streamlined.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: The jobs that are better than what you have are are not as big.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_02: How how have you dealt with the heartbreak of some of the players that you had to leave behind at Grand Valley and now Iowa?
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it it it was hard.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_00: It it you know I know that when you tell a team that you're choosing somebody else, it's it doesn't sound right um that it comes out of your mouth, it doesn't sound right when it's received.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um and it's hard.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's it's hard.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_00: I've really enjoyed um everywhere I've gone, and I don't believe I've ever made a mistake in those jobs.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like it was time for me to professionally grow to go to Iowa, and I I learned some tough lessons early on, first couple years tactically and and roster management and subbing within the game, and because there were really good coaches that I was coaching against.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_00: And but that's why I took the job.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_00: And but I left, um Jeff and I, Jeff Hosso and I joke about this all the time.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: I left arguably the best team I've ever had at Grand Valley to him.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_00: And those were kids that I had relationships with.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_00: We had just won a national championship, and to his credit, and uh, I knew he'd do it, but he won two of the next three national championships as well with that group.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's hard when you're you're in a rebuild and you look back and and you're losing a lot, and you look back, and you know, your former players are being coached by somebody else, as much as I was proud for the proud of them, obviously.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_00: But that human nature is you start regretting, you start regretting whether you you made the right move, and then and it was very simple.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_00: It was just like time to grow up, you know, like you made the right move for the right reasons, you're happy for them, and and so that was hard just but because you connect with people and you and you build relationships.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think that was probably harder uh to leave Iowa to come here because it was an equal program.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um and to be honest, at the time we're you know, Iowa, it was and still it is um a top 20 program in the country, and we've had a lot of success.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I left a lot of players there, all the whole team.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_00: I loved, loved that group.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_00: And they um we brought in five transfers that I only got to coach for two weeks, and so I think that was unique because like Grand Valley was different because school was out, and so I a lot of it I called every kid by uh by phone, I sent out a uh an email, but I didn't get to tell them in person, which is a pro-con, right?
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I had I did tell the Iowa kids in person, and you know, you always wondered, is it did you did you did you stay too long and explain too much?
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_00: Did you go too fast?
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_00: But like it in the heat of the conversation or me speaking, you're not gonna no one's gonna feel good about it.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: No one, not me, not the players, yeah.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: No one's gonna feel good about it.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_00: No, no one.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they're in shock.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm in tears.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_00: I got in the car and I was uh I was sad for uh very sad for a full week.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: And um, and then by doing it right, you really can't communicate with them, so you can't even explain yourself to it to another degree because of the portal.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so you you just rip off the band-aid, and I mean over half the team I haven't even spoke to.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um I didn't even think I didn't even think about that.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_00: So just be just the nature of the rules, and you know, like it, you know, whether it be somebody who I've known since she was 12 and and text her happy birthday or whatever it is, somebody you know, you know, got injured, just the nature of the rules, and so that can be really challenging because it's cold turkey.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I I also think if you care about people, it's always gonna wear on you.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: And we left, I I yes, I brought my whole staff here, but I left a strength coach who I really liked, uh an athletic trainer who was very close to my best friend, and you just you just leave people.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, as much as this is I've never regretted the move, uh, my family is ecstatic, my extended family is ecstatic, you know, my my Canadian family, I've already seen them more than, you know, twice more than I ever had.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like so I have a 102-year-old grandmother who if I see her five more times before, you know, she unfes, it was worth it.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_00: So, but it doesn't take away the emotion of of leaving people that you cared about.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_02: And but what you've done is you've you might correct me if I'm wrong.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_02: You leave places in better condition than when you first got it, for the most part.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_00: I would like to feel like I yeah, I mean I haven't moved a ton, but uh the two yeah, I mean this is not just yeah, I left Jeff a good opportunity with a good roster, and he did what he does is win.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so I thought felt like I left it in a great spot.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_00: I think I uh absolutely left Iowa in a better spot than what I than what I found it.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_00: And and again, um not just sustainable, just sustainable success, sustainable, you know, talent on the roster.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_00: Not nothing about the people that were there before me.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um I have a lot of respect for Ron Rainier who was at Iowa.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um and they had made the NCLA tournament in 2044, 2014, so um 20, sorry, 2013.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_00: But um, yeah, I think I think oh it would be hard to argue that I that I left it worse than I got it.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_02: Does the Big Ten I mean that transition from Grand Valley to to Iowa, did that take you a while to realize like the just the jump?
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_02: What was the jump?
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_02: Was it the athl the all the above athletes, the the technical ability, the uh like you said, the game management?
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think I think um maybe player investment was the first one.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_00: I know I had uh that it's you know, we're in a big ten school and that's great, but it takes a level of fitness, it takes a level of preparation, you know, an investment in the summer, like all of that.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think that was a big one that we had to change.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh oh, you know, raise the culture and raise the standard of the culture and accountability and things like that.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so, but that was just for them, and and we needed to recruit players that could play in the Big Ten, that are athletic enough, that were skilled enough, those kind of things.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_00: But we also had a lot of a lot of a lot of young ladies that were that matched what we asked them and and did a great job that were already at Iowa.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_00: So, or uh yeah, at Iowa in Grand Valley.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_00: So there's that, but I think I would put it more on myself.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like I needed to grow and become um confident in who I was and get better at yeah, game management, get better at subbing, have better conversations with players that are hard, um, because that's challenging.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_00: And so I I those are areas that I think as a person I've really grown a lot in the last um 10, 12 years is that the ability to like you can have hard conversations and difficult conversations, but as long as you're human and you have a relationship with these young ladies or staff, uh they'll understand.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_00: That's what they do understand.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_00: They want, they respect honesty and transparency.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so that's probably the biggest area that I grew, to be honest.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I always had an idea how I wanted to coach and how I envisioned the game and things like that, but it was people and player management and development is where I think I grew the most at Iowa.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I think um I think I'm really starting to do really fear find out who I am and and and being really comfortable in my own skin here at Michigan and at the last couple years at Iowa.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_02: Do you I mean do you have a set like system now in terms of like what kind of player you're looking for after being in what what Grand Valley for 11 years and then you were at 12 for Grand Valley?
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_00: No, eleven at Grand Valley, 12 at Iowa.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_02: You were at Iowa longer than you were at Grand Valley?
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's actually surprised me when then somebody said that.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't realize that.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, 12 years it went so fast and it was great.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_00: But um, yeah, I think I think everyone knows can recognize a good player.
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's I think figuring out um players that fit you and fit your style and what you ask of them and positions um with within the game, I think is probably more important.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 41:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I to me when you miss, you miss on you miss on growth, like growth-mindedness, or you miss on the ability to handle hard, you miss on character, you miss on um, you know, how driven is that person?
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_00: And but like I I just explained characteristics, but those characteristics still fit for them as a human, just as much as it is them as a soccer player, just as as much as it is as them as a student.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_00: So, like for our goals, very simple.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's like seems almost ridiculously simple.
• 42:09
  SPEAKER_00: Be a better person, be a better student, be a better soccer player in your four years with us, and we're gonna push and challenge you and uh make you feel uncomfortable, but we're gonna love on you and and support you in that process.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_00: And so rarely do we miss on talent, we miss on people's ability to handle hard, and how driven are they to compete with others who look like them?
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_00: Because, you know, whether you're at Grand Valley or Iowa or Michigan, everyone who came in some way, shape, and form was their best version of themselves and the best person on the team that they played on.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so what do you do when there's 20 of you now?
• 42:49
  SPEAKER_00: And um, how invested are you to block out distractions at at uh at a two big 10 schools and that there's a lot of fun and there's other sports and those kind of things.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_00: So um you I I I really I really miss, or you know, I think anybody across the country will say the same thing.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_00: You really miss on talent, you miss on the other factors that influence uh success.
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_02: How okay, we talked a little bit off air.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_02: You go to Iowa 2013.
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_02: 2014.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_02: 2013, 2013.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh 2014 was my first year.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_02: 2014.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_02: The transfer portal isn't what it is now.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_02: 2026, it the transfer portal is.
• 43:35
  SPEAKER_02: How much different is year one at Michigan versus year one and just how long did it take you in Iowa?
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_02: Because you were mostly re relying on your recruiting classes to build your program.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_02: Now, you look at what Dusty's doing, yeah, it can happen pretty quickly.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_02: It can happen a lot quicker.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's a lot of things that go into it, right?
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I think at Iowa, our First recruiting class was my third year.
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_00: So 2016.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_00: Oh.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_00: So Natalie Winters, Leah Moss, Hannah Drakulick, all a lot of Michigan kids, actually, five, five Michigan kids.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_00: And that class ended up being the foundation of um Isabella Blackman.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, just such good players.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that they're the foundation of that program.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I think Chloe LaCosse and Melanie Pickard, the group that graduated in 2014, certainly they took it to a pinnacle that they are at now.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_00: But the the the the 2016 class really did all the hard work.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_00: They uh they they with peaking and getting making the N Soblight tournament in 2019, we we probably fell short in 17 and 18.
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_00: We lost too many one-goal games.
• 44:51
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we were just not on the right side of things.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_00: But to your point about the portal, we didn't have the portal.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_00: But whatever roster I got, that's yours.
• 44:58
  SPEAKER_00: That was mine.
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_00: And it was mine until they graduated or they chose to leave.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that was the beginning of four-year scholarships, too.
• 45:05
  SPEAKER_00: That so everyone was on four-year scholarships, the Big Ten drove it.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_00: And so, yeah, it is a lot harder now.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know what it was, six, seven years ago, you have at least a a new coaches rule where you can evaluate.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_00: You have a year to evaluate your team and decide, you know, is it a good fit?
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they have a year to evaluate you and they can decide if it's a good fit.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_00: And if they don't, they decide, you know, they have the choice to be able to go in the portal and look at something else.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_00: So it's not the same at all.
• 45:34
  SPEAKER_00: And and then back then you had everyone had 14 scholarships.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now in the Big Ten, you have somebody who has 26 and you have people who have 14 in one conference.
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's a wild conference.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's why so it's it's just different.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think that um with the availability of the portal and new opportunities, people people can find a second home that they're really happy with.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_00: And some of the greatest kids that I greatest, greatest relationships I have are with players that that I had to have a hard conversation with, and we came to a conversation that maybe or to an agreement that maybe it's best to find somewhere else that's a better place for you.
• 46:15
  SPEAKER_00: They've gone there and done great and had awesome experiences.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_00: We have two girls from Iowa that were just won a national championship for Wash U.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_00: And they're having a great time.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_02: When that happens, do coaches reach out to you and just get your opinion on those players?
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, they do.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_00: And and I think when you have, and and you're it's your job to be honest, you know, and and be honest with them as to why maybe didn't fit.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_00: Could be playing style, could be, you know, could be the game model, could be strengths and weaknesses that the player has that you need to be different.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, could be academics, could be lots of things, could be persons, you know, missing home.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_00: So being honest with them about that, I think, is really important because you want to have relationships with your peers that is that is honest and and built off trust.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I we we have we'll have six uh from Michigan that are in um that are all have found or finding great homes that fit them.
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_00: Most most of my teams don't have anyone go in the portal.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_00: But I think when you're talking about a transition that is different coaches, different expectations, different standards, that's probably the one time.
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um but I would guess in general, we through the years at Iowa we didn't have a lot of people who wanted to leave our program that we missed on.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_00: That um I think it was just the COVID part.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like I think we've had two parts.
• 47:38
  SPEAKER_00: One when I came here with sort of transition from job to job, and the other was COVID when everyone no one even played soccer outside, you know, you're recruiting through a Zoom, and uh, you know, and they're taking classes through computers.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_00: So like you everyone took a little bit more, you know, in terms of that.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_00: And uh those are the only times that we've even had players who really wanted to to find a new home.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_02: So you didn't really have to, I guess in today's age, not only are you recruiting next year's class or uh maybe the transfer portal, sometimes in some sports and some programs, you have to recruit re-recruit your own players.
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_02: Did you feel like you had to do that?
• 48:19
  SPEAKER_02: Or were the people that stayed, they were locked in and they wanted to stay.
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_02: Why would you leave Iowa?
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I think at um at Iowa they stayed, you know.
• 48:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I um I think you know, you know, I the portal's not done, but I think, you know, I I would guess that most of the kids have really are have fallen in love with Iowa and want to stay and enjoy each other.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_00: They've got a really good team that should be coming back.
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like Dean's a great coach, like I think that makes a lot of sense.
• 48:49
  SPEAKER_00: But I think when when I when I think about that, it's about re-recruiting kids within your own program to stay not only with coaching transitions, but also in the world of NIL and revenue share.
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_00: And um, yeah, I mean, not everyone's ethical, so you know that people are getting to your players at times, you know, with communication and offering them things behind the scenes, and so re-recruiting your own players so that they know that they're valued and that they and sometimes it's about money, sometimes it's about playing time, but most of the time it's about relationships.
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_00: Go back to that word again.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but you have to re-recruit, you know.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_00: I I didn't want to lose anyone from the University of Michigan when I came here.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_00: I just wanted to make sure that there was a good fit based on what the expectations and the standards and accountability would be of what we're asking.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_00: To we feel like we can win at a really good level, at a high level at the University of Michigan.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_00: And that's gonna that's there's a price that you have to pay for that.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, you can get a a number one degree in the country, but you can also be successful.
• 49:53
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes people don't want to pay that price, and that's okay, so let's find you a place that fits you.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but there's others that I think are we have a great foundation here, and I yeah, absolutely wanted them to enjoy the experience this spring and wanted them to stay and play for us and and um and get the opportunity to coach them in the fall.
• 50:12
  SPEAKER_02: Mm-hmm.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, do you think that the academic standards kind of uh can hold I guess they used to say this about the football program here.
• 50:22
  SPEAKER_02: They're like, you can't win there because this is like the Harbaugh days.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_02: They're like, well, they can you can't win there because the the academics are so stringent and stuff like that.
• 50:30
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, well, that's not true.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you can win here.
• 50:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, Dusty just proved it.
• 50:36
  SPEAKER_02: Jim Harbaugh proved it, all the other sports.
• 50:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, and it can happen.
• 50:41
  SPEAKER_02: Notre Dame get kind of gets that saying, Yeah, Notre Dame is doing just fine.
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I think it's just just means that you there's just just different ways that you um there's different nuances that you have to maybe deal with.
• 50:54
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and they're not bad, they're just are like it takes a little longer to get into school here.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but when you're in school, you've got the resources, and that you know, when you graduate, you've got a hundred thousand dollar job sitting there anywhere in the country.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think it's a life is about balance.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so I don't believe it's a I don't believe it's a you can't win here.
• 51:14
  SPEAKER_00: I think you it's it is a little harder to, you know, academically here.
• 51:19
  SPEAKER_00: And so you uh have to understand what you're willing to sacrifice again, you know, is is it social life, is it uh is it Netflix, you know, video, you know, movies, is it whatever it is, but it can happen.
• 51:32
  SPEAKER_00: I think when you're looking at recruiting student athletes at a high school or the transfer portal, you do have a certain um profile that that matters uh when you when you're doing that because they've got to get into the school.
• 51:46
  SPEAKER_00: Of course.
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh on the same token.
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um you know, like any school, student athletes have a bit of a leeway, you know.
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_00: So you can't you can't get anyone below a 3.0 into school here.
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 51:58
  SPEAKER_00: But that's a B average.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_00: That's still pretty good.
• 52:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 52:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, so there's still a little bit of room and flexibility there.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I I don't believe in that at all.
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_00: I I you know, I say that to our kids.
• 52:08
  SPEAKER_00: I said that to our kids, uh, our women all spring.
• 52:11
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody wins here, it can be done.
• 52:13
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 52:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I just naming off of the and and you don't have to be an elitist who doesn't want to grind and be gritty and work like Dusty May's team was gritty.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, yeah.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_00: And we use that many times.
• 52:26
  SPEAKER_00: I think Kim's team was was gritty, the women.
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the hockey team's gritty.
• 52:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 52:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so you don't have to just fit into a box that people put in for you.
• 52:37
  SPEAKER_00: You're not an elitist, you're not a snob, you know, you're not, you know, you you can get a great education, be a good human being.
• 52:44
  SPEAKER_00: And Michigan, the University of Michigan's filled with that, but be a good human being and and roll up your sleeves and want to get better every day.
• 52:53
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's important to know.
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_02: You brought up in another podcast about wanting pros or wanting or trying to recruit players that want to be pros.
• 53:02
  SPEAKER_02: Have aspirations.
• 53:03
  SPEAKER_02: Have aspirations.
• 53:04
  SPEAKER_02: Do you ever do that with like does coaching come into that too?
• 53:08
  SPEAKER_02: Whereas, oh, this player wants to be a coach.
• 53:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 53:11
  SPEAKER_02: That no that tells me that this girl loves the game.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_02: And she's gonna be a junkie, and maybe she studies the game a little bit more.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_02: So if you want to be a pro, if you want to be a coach and you're an elite-level player, I'm more drawn towards you than a player that maybe is academic first.
• 53:31
  SPEAKER_02: I guess that's the wrong way to put it, but like No, but I think it's true.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_00: I think I think when you when when we recruit high school student athletes in particular, we cover all of the basis in the presentation.
• 53:43
  SPEAKER_00: You know, pro model, this is our game model, this is how we play, this is how we think you fit in our system.
• 53:48
  SPEAKER_00: What are your aspirations?
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I want to be a pro.
• 53:50
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, saying you want to be a pro and the investment that's needed um in the pathway of during your four years here and then beyond.
• 53:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because all pros are gonna get cut at some point.
• 54:01
  SPEAKER_00: How do you handle adversity?
• 54:02
  SPEAKER_00: How do you go to Kyle?
• 54:04
  SPEAKER_00: Kyle speaks about that a lot.
• 54:06
  SPEAKER_00: Kyle was in some version of nine different clubs in in eight years, seven years, and moving, packing up, moving, driving to the new city, yeah, meeting a new coach.
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's not a sexy lifestyle.
• 54:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so you gotta want it more than everyone else.
• 54:23
  SPEAKER_00: And you gotta be you you gotta want to have a pat you have to have a passion for the game.
• 54:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so, and the only thing that really stopped him was his body, you know, just broke down.
• 54:34
  SPEAKER_00: So, but I think that matters.
• 54:36
  SPEAKER_00: I think I I think that it matters both in your time at your institution, uh, because when things are hard, other aspects have to have to motivate you, have to drive you on.
• 54:50
  SPEAKER_00: And the aspect of being a pro, being a coach, uh, modeling what your coach is doing, you know, I think, you know, you don't have to look any further than the two two women that are on my staff.
• 55:02
  SPEAKER_00: Both played for me.
• 55:03
  SPEAKER_00: Macy Anakin played for me, came out of O OP, Ohio Premier, uh played for me, um, did five years, had went through a lot of adversity, but was ultimately always our number one starter, but you know, when she was healthy and then had a pro career.
• 55:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then you know, her her body shut her down.
• 55:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Adie Bundy was came out of Rail, Colorado, another elite club um with Lauren and April Cater out there, and and her body shut her down during care, but she was a youth national team player um throughout her time before she came to Iowa and was always a cerebral soccer IQ, both of them are.
• 55:43
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you know, Macy right now is our director of operations, but she's gonna be one of the best goalkeeper coaches, uh, men or fee or male men or female um woman uh out there when she gets older as she continues to invest and might mentor under JP.
• 55:58
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah.
• 55:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Addy's already on her way, and she they're both 25.
• 56:01
  SPEAKER_00: So I think to your to your point, um, that does matter.
• 56:05
  SPEAKER_00: And it matters both during their time at your institution, but also carries them on as they graduate um as pros or future future coaches at club or in college.
• 56:18
  SPEAKER_02: How I I mean this building is obviously pretty new.
• 56:24
  SPEAKER_02: Is everything in place in here?
• 56:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, in terms of where the girls meet, where they train.
• 56:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I think you know, we're on obviously us and and seven other sports are on the uh north side of camp, or sorry, south side of campus.
• 56:39
  SPEAKER_00: And so yeah, everything is here except for the academic center, is right you know down the street, really.
• 56:46
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 56:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um right outside of uh Yost Arena and um and uh the s you know the administration buildings and and field hockey and all those other sports there, basketball and football.
• 56:57
  SPEAKER_00: So that you know, academics is there, and then right now, currently, where we train in them in indoor is in in that same location as well.
• 57:05
  SPEAKER_00: But other than that, everything for their athletic part of their experience is out here in the same space and uh on this campus.
• 57:13
  SPEAKER_00: So it makes it pretty easy.
• 57:14
  SPEAKER_00: This is where they left, this is where they get food, you know, they can eat, this is where they have the the labs for force plates and body composition stuff, and everything's out here, and then obviously our stadium is out here as well with two Paxfields.
• 57:29
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 57:29
  SPEAKER_02: How how did that transition go?
• 57:32
  SPEAKER_02: Like when you get here, how quickly did you want to meet with every single player?
• 57:37
  SPEAKER_00: I met with everyone by myself because I was I was here for 10 days without my staff.
• 57:42
  SPEAKER_00: I met with the entire team individually for 20-minute meetings uh the first week.
• 57:48
  SPEAKER_00: So it was what do I have to do?
• 57:51
  SPEAKER_00: I have no one here, my family's not here.
• 57:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I I just set it up that we were five or six times uh uh five or six kids a day.
• 57:58
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, I asked them um, you know, three questions.
• 58:02
  SPEAKER_00: I said, what has exceeded your expectations being uh being a student athlete at the University of Michigan?
• 58:08
  SPEAKER_00: What has met your your expectations and what has not?
• 58:13
  SPEAKER_00: And to it to a T, they were pretty much the same.
• 58:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, all of the answers were pretty much the same uh when it came to the soccer program.
• 58:24
  SPEAKER_00: And everything else was probably the same as well when it came to the academic pedigree, the resources that were available to them, the diversity and eclecticness of Ann Arbor.
• 58:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it was just an opportunity.
• 58:40
  SPEAKER_00: And and then I the last part was what was your why?
• 58:43
  SPEAKER_00: I asked all the committed kids here too that were not here, the 26th class, 27th class, what's your why?
• 58:49
  SPEAKER_00: Why did you choose the University of Michigan to play to be a student athlete?
• 58:54
  SPEAKER_00: And that was a little different, um, but everything else was pretty similar.
• 58:58
  SPEAKER_00: And it just gave me a chance to learn about their families on week one.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_02: Do you do that with recruits too?
• 59:04
  SPEAKER_02: Like those types of questions.
• 59:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and and I think for us, like our staff, I I do, but most of our staff, I FaceTime all of our are recruits.
• 59:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I face, they love it.
• 59:14
  SPEAKER_00: And you people are always, you know, my maybe my generation are like, really?
• 59:19
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, they love it.
• 59:20
  SPEAKER_00: They love the technology, they like to see your face.
• 59:22
  SPEAKER_00: They, you know, it allows me to see how they're answering questions and and how engaged are they, see their facial expressions, just more personal.
• 59:31
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so we we FaceTime and Zoom all of our kids.
• 59:35
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, and then we have to zoom when we get on, bring mom and dad in.
• 59:39
  SPEAKER_00: We usually zoom, so you know, wider, wider camera and all of those things.
• 59:43
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it's important.
• 59:45
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to hide behind anything.
• 59:46
  SPEAKER_00: I want them to see me and I want to see them, and I want to build a connection right from the beginning.
• 59:51
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 59:52
  SPEAKER_02: How you've talked about balance and you talked about balance roster.
• 59:55
  SPEAKER_02: Are you talking about like classes in terms of like the senior class, the junior class, or are you talking about you know, just how your makeup is and positioning?
• 1:00:04
  SPEAKER_00: I think a little bit of both is for me.
• 1:00:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think you know, finding balance within the classes, you know, now you have roster caps, right?
• 1:00:11
  SPEAKER_00: And so you can't get it wrong.
• 1:00:13
  SPEAKER_00: And if you get it wrong, then you know, you you either, you know, you you just lose a spot that maybe you thought was going to be valuable for both ways, both for them and for you.
• 1:00:23
  SPEAKER_00: So there's a balance to that.
• 1:00:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um you have a five and five now.
• 1:00:28
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, it's not a done deal, not done deal, but it sounds like it's pretty, it's coming.
• 1:00:33
  SPEAKER_00: So now and you got the portal.
• 1:00:34
  SPEAKER_00: So you've got a lot of things where you you can't go backwards.
• 1:00:38
  SPEAKER_00: And and you know, multi-year scholarships, most most of these, these young ladies are on.
• 1:00:42
  SPEAKER_00: So having balance in terms of numbers that fit and making sure that you a get, you know, you really vet, you know, the your student athletes, and they vet you for the so that fits.
• 1:00:53
  SPEAKER_00: But also having balance that classes are a little smaller now, right?
• 1:00:57
  SPEAKER_00: And so you're maybe now you have to be careful.
• 1:00:59
  SPEAKER_00: You you don't can't, you know, you have to be disciplined and you know, five kids a class, maybe maybe six, but five kids a class, and then you have to leave room for portal and uh five years and five, you know, five years and five five.
• 1:01:13
  SPEAKER_00: So um that there's that.
• 1:01:15
  SPEAKER_00: And then there's the balance of for me, it's just all soccer part, like the balance in the soccer uh aspect of it.
• 1:01:22
  SPEAKER_00: You have to uh we do the enneagram test, and so we send the personality test to our kids, and I I I don't want all threes, I don't want all ones, I don't want all eights, because then you don't have balance within your leadership and your personality and characteristics of uh, you know, per human characteristics of within your program.
• 1:01:45
  SPEAKER_00: So we send that out to them and we do it, it's more fun, uh, and and it teaches them at the age of 17, 18 years old who they are, how they're wired.
• 1:01:54
  SPEAKER_00: This is why you think the way you think.
• 1:01:56
  SPEAKER_00: And then when and then when we're all together, we discuss it as a team.
• 1:02:00
  SPEAKER_00: Really do, you know.
• 1:02:01
  SPEAKER_02: How how many how many coaches do you think have have all the same type of personality, or they seek the same type of personality in their players versus having that balance?
• 1:02:13
  SPEAKER_00: Probably more more than you think.
• 1:02:15
  SPEAKER_00: Probably more than you think.
• 1:02:16
  SPEAKER_02: I think your way is is a little bit more balanced.
• 1:02:19
  SPEAKER_00: I I I think if you have you you need competitive kids, right?
• 1:02:23
  SPEAKER_00: You need people that want to grow and get better, but you have too many ones or nines or eights, you you you arguably might have a toxic environment.
• 1:02:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's in it's important that you have somebody that thinks outside the box, somebody that sees a different perspective.
• 1:02:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so we talk about it as a team.
• 1:02:44
  SPEAKER_00: We we value that, yeah.
• 1:02:46
  SPEAKER_00: Different is not bad, different is unique and brings value to our program.
• 1:02:52
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, we do that.
• 1:02:54
  SPEAKER_00: We have all different numbers on our staff.
• 1:02:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that's not how I hire, but I find it to be helpful, you know.
• 1:03:01
  SPEAKER_02: Because then you can relate to something that maybe I maybe I don't relate to you.
• 1:03:06
  SPEAKER_00: So JP go and there's five of us on our staff.
• 1:03:09
  SPEAKER_00: JP and I are the closest, we're both threes.
• 1:03:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but we also have a wing where I'm different than his, right?
• 1:03:15
  SPEAKER_00: So three is our number, and I have a different wing on one direction, he has a different wing on the other.
• 1:03:20
  SPEAKER_00: So, like that, you know, and and some of your personality is also unique to the environment you're in, right?
• 1:03:25
  SPEAKER_00: And the that old adage, like you are the characteristics of the five people that you hang out with, right?
• 1:03:31
  SPEAKER_00: You have five really good people who are good human beings and are meticulous, you know, in all of their way of life.
• 1:03:38
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna be that way because then you'll stand out for you know for you know the wrong things.
• 1:03:44
  SPEAKER_00: Kyle and Addy are very close, very intentional and detailed and thought-provoking, and um don't love when things are go awry.
• 1:03:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they want to be organized and prepared.
• 1:03:57
  SPEAKER_00: Macy is completely on a different spectrum.
• 1:04:00
  SPEAKER_00: Macy is creative and thoughtful and unique, and it's just special how she thinks.
• 1:04:06
  SPEAKER_00: So it's we're all different in our in our program and uh uh within our coaching stuff.
• 1:04:11
  SPEAKER_02: How long have you been doing that?
• 1:04:14
  SPEAKER_00: Probably eight, nine years.
• 1:04:17
  SPEAKER_00: Probably eight, nine years.
• 1:04:18
  SPEAKER_02: What made you do that?
• 1:04:19
  SPEAKER_00: Caitlin Longino, like uh Longino.
• 1:04:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um Caitlin was a huge personality.
• 1:04:26
  SPEAKER_00: She she she was a master's in leadership and a little bit of sports psych and a little bit of sports science, and we just talked about trying to and and it was Caitlin and I and Blair Quinn at the time, and we were just trying to find ways to get it right more often in recruiting, and then get it right more often with forming your team.
• 1:04:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so that was one of the things we talked about, and we just we use it and we discuss it and that and around the same time we started using uh Aubrey Kidney, our sports psych, who was um meeting with the team and and sometimes the coaches uh at the same time uh once a week and to help managing the emotions and the process that goes into being a student athlete, the stressors, all of that, and we uh we went uh all in on that uh yeah, probably about eight years ago.
• 1:05:18
  SPEAKER_02: How long was Caitlyn with you at Iowa?
• 1:05:20
  SPEAKER_02: Just one, two, seven years.
• 1:05:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:05:23
  SPEAKER_02: Did she was she with you at Grand Valley and came with you or no?
• 1:05:26
  SPEAKER_02: No, she was a little bit of a couple of years.
• 1:05:27
  SPEAKER_02: Just all Iowa.
• 1:05:28
  SPEAKER_00: She it was uh myself, uh Roddy Tanaskovich, uh, and um Caitlin that were together, and then Drago Serenich was the volunteer coach, the fourth coach.
• 1:05:37
  SPEAKER_00: It was awesome staff.
• 1:05:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's I knew Roddy from Columbus State, which is a Division II school.
• 1:05:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we played them.
• 1:05:43
  SPEAKER_00: Jay Anleck is also has a lot of a lot of big coaching tree as well.
• 1:05:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um but Roddy and Caitlin came from from Jay.
• 1:05:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Roddy was a coach and Caitlin played for Jay.
• 1:05:56
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's how I knew Caitlin when she was at Vanderbilt.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_00: Caitlin went to Xavier and then or sorry uh Valparaiso.
• 1:06:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so we brought Caitlin on.
• 1:06:07
  SPEAKER_00: She was young, and Roddy and I and Drago were what the older ones and she very quickly contributed with lots of other areas that um that were are really were really important to our program.
• 1:06:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then as she was getting older and Roddy left and Drago left, she kind of grew as a coach and and kind of learned that part of uh who she was.
• 1:06:28
  SPEAKER_02: Does she still do that at Grand Valley?
• 1:06:30
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure.
• 1:06:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm pretty sure.
• 1:06:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty sure.
• 1:06:33
  SPEAKER_00: She's uh I think a lot of what we did at Iowa specifically the last four or five years, six years maybe, I think a lot of us uh do.
• 1:06:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I think Drago has the game model.
• 1:06:43
  SPEAKER_00: He does stuff there down at Auburn.
• 1:06:45
  SPEAKER_00: He took that with him.
• 1:06:46
  SPEAKER_00: I think, you know, I know Caitlin does almost everything that we did at Iowa.
• 1:06:50
  SPEAKER_00: We do a very similar here at Michigan.
• 1:06:52
  SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't Iowa per se, it was the people that put it together and and saw that it was something that worked and um we felt confident in, and certainly we make adjustments as I bring in other staff.
• 1:07:06
  SPEAKER_00: Kyle's had some tweaks on some things, and JP's had some tweaks on some things, and um Addie and Macy have.
• 1:07:13
  SPEAKER_00: So you don't you don't want to scrap the whole thing, but you always want to continue to try to polish uh those areas, but I think she absolutely does that.
• 1:07:21
  SPEAKER_02: How often, how often do you along with those tests, how often do you want to see your the kids that you're really after, how often do you want to see them play in person?
• 1:07:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think I had a uh uh uh he's one of my best friends, but he's a mentor, right?
• 1:07:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Tom and Agnos.
• 1:07:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he was at Flint Power, he was at Flint Powers when I was at Jackson and McChristie, and um we played against each other in the state finals a couple times.
• 1:07:48
  SPEAKER_02: And then he went to Central, right?
• 1:07:50
  SPEAKER_00: He went to Central, then he went to Miami?
• 1:07:52
  SPEAKER_00: Then he went to Miami, and then he was here as a volunteer uh for two years with Greg Ryan.
• 1:07:57
  SPEAKER_02: Greg Ryan, okay.
• 1:07:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but he used to always say, I want to see them in the rain, I want to see them in the heat, I want to see them in the in the snow, I want to see them up five, I want to see them down five, I want to see, you know, I just want to see if they they're consistent with who they who they are.
• 1:08:13
  SPEAKER_00: And um I think I don't know if I want to see them in all those aspects, but I do want to see them enough to know are they are they consistent with how they approach the game?
• 1:08:29
  SPEAKER_00: Are they consistent with how they perform?
• 1:08:31
  SPEAKER_00: What happens to them and how do they handle adversity when they lose?
• 1:08:36
  SPEAKER_00: Do they shake their coach's hand when they leave?
• 1:08:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, how they how do they get to the game?
• 1:08:41
  SPEAKER_00: Are they carrying a Celsius and an energy drink so they can get pumped up or they they hydrate enough and have a good you know, good breakfast beforehand?
• 1:08:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I think all those things are are important aspects um to to to learn about these student athletes or or or future student athletes.
• 1:08:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and yeah, how do they handle their family, you know, the parents?
• 1:09:03
  SPEAKER_00: What's their relationship with mom and dad?
• 1:09:05
  SPEAKER_00: You know, do they talk over them?
• 1:09:07
  SPEAKER_00: Are they respectful for to them?
• 1:09:09
  SPEAKER_00: So those things all all matter because ultimately I will see all of my players more than their parents.
• 1:09:16
  SPEAKER_00: And and so it's important how they how they handle things away from home.
• 1:09:22
  SPEAKER_00: And uh so it's not just all on the field, there's other aspects that go into it for us.
• 1:09:26
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like that's one of the biggest adjustments for college players is that they realize that I live with this person, I eat with this person, I travel with this person, I'm in hotels, uh, you're on a bus, like you're around them all the time, and you want to make sure that you want to be around this.
• 1:09:47
  SPEAKER_00: You play well with others, you know, and I I think you know how you how you handle being a roommate, are you a good roommate?
• 1:09:54
  SPEAKER_00: Do you pick up after yourself?
• 1:09:55
  SPEAKER_00: Do you do your dishes?
• 1:09:56
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if if it's not you, do you communicate it well with the that person?
• 1:10:00
  SPEAKER_00: Are you or do you, you know, you're passive aggressive and you you let upon, you know, you know, build up and then you blow up.
• 1:10:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um so it yeah, there's there's being a good teammate, there's being a good friend, there's being a good roommate, all of those things.
• 1:10:14
  SPEAKER_00: And what are the life skills that you're coming to us with?
• 1:10:16
  SPEAKER_00: You know, what life skills do mom and dad give you other than boiling water?
• 1:10:20
  SPEAKER_00: You know, do you do you you know, do you do you have are you able to fend for yourself?
• 1:10:24
  SPEAKER_00: Can you can you cook your own food?
• 1:10:26
  SPEAKER_00: Do you do you pick up after yourself?
• 1:10:28
  SPEAKER_00: All of the aspects that um you know make for a good experience.
• 1:10:33
  SPEAKER_00: People say, Well, what what do you do for team culture?
• 1:10:37
  SPEAKER_00: All of that.
• 1:10:38
  SPEAKER_00: All of what we've been discussing is team culture.
• 1:10:40
  SPEAKER_00: We don't go and you know, we went and did axe throwing this spring, and and that wasn't a fun like that was just more us having fun, but that wasn't how we built culture.
• 1:10:49
  SPEAKER_00: That was just us enjoying each other in a different environment than soccer.
• 1:10:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but that's that was just more just enjoying the the the time together versus building culture through hard and difficult conversations and and those kind of things.
• 1:11:05
  SPEAKER_02: It's funny, it's funny that you say it like that because what do we think of like building culture like okay, we're gonna go to the ropes course, and we're gonna problem solve.
• 1:11:15
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, no, that's not necessarily how you naturally build culture.
• 1:11:19
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's it's relationships, that word again, and communication, and knowing that I'm no matter how hard a conversation is going to be, I have your best interest.
• 1:11:32
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes it could be a great conversation.
• 1:11:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 1:11:35
  SPEAKER_02: And it's just knowing that you're there.
• 1:11:37
  SPEAKER_02: I think Anson says it all the time, or it was one of his quotes in The Man Watching, it talks about like you don't know how much basically you don't know how much you care, or you don't know how much you mean to somebody until they show you how much they care about you.
• 1:11:54
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes those hard conversations is showing how much you care.
• 1:11:58
  SPEAKER_02: And it's saying, you know what, you may need to look elsewhere for to continue your career.
• 1:12:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, or you're or you're not investing as much as you need to for being a a better teammate and your process, you know.
• 1:12:11
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, you've been you've been, you know, you've been cheating it a little bit.
• 1:12:14
  SPEAKER_00: I need you know, you're I and your team and you need more from you.
• 1:12:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I those aren't easy things, and or hey, I think you can focus a little bit more on academics, you know.
• 1:12:24
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's important, you know, respect the the the you know the opportunity at the University of Michigan or University of Iowa or Grand Valley State.
• 1:12:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I think to your point, I think when you go to a ropes course, you certainly there's an element of or you go through something challenging, right?
• 1:12:39
  SPEAKER_00: There's an element of growth as a human and as a team.
• 1:12:42
  SPEAKER_00: And for us, it's you know, we we've been very clear with our group, like you know what, you want to be a team, you wanna you want to come together and be be a family?
• 1:12:51
  SPEAKER_00: It happens in the summer when you're working out and it's hard and you're doing it together without the coaches.
• 1:12:58
  SPEAKER_00: And that's when you spend time together, that's when you you become a family and a team through hard and challenging things, and then you celebrate it at night, you know, over dinner, and then you do it again.
• 1:13:09
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that that to me is culture.
• 1:13:11
  SPEAKER_02: I'll start to wrap this up, but uh that's one thing I wanted to bring up.
• 1:13:15
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, one of my top players that I've worked with over the last 11 years, she's actually at Nebraska.
• 1:13:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah at L Rudney, number 25.
• 1:13:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:13:23
  SPEAKER_02: Leading goal scorer this year, and she's been great.
• 1:13:25
  SPEAKER_02: I've trained her since she was nine.
• 1:13:28
  SPEAKER_02: And she basically doesn't come home during the summer.
• 1:13:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:13:32
  SPEAKER_02: She's there, she's at Nebraska the entire time.
• 1:13:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and now with the July 13th start?
• 1:13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, 14th, yeah.
• 1:13:39
  SPEAKER_02: July 14th start?
• 1:13:41
  SPEAKER_02: I've had everybody tells me something different.
• 1:13:43
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, July 14th.
• 1:13:44
  SPEAKER_02: Are your girls here?
• 1:13:45
  SPEAKER_02: Are your girls here when I'm here?
• 1:13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I think that's that's again, I I think there has been uh a culture the last three, four years here where they just they came back late and they plopped out and said, I'm ready, and pre-season and didn't spend any time together and they didn't they were gone for three months.
• 1:14:03
  SPEAKER_00: And for us, it's like no, the Anub is pretty nice.
• 1:14:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so Michigan might be the best place in the country in the summer.
• 1:14:08
  SPEAKER_00: In the summer.
• 1:14:09
  SPEAKER_00: And so you need to spend time with each other, you need to be fit, you need to work on, you know, they all of it, right?
• 1:14:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so um most of our women will be back um in June, beginning of June.
• 1:14:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:14:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then mandatory, you know, check in July 14th, and we start training on the 15th.
• 1:14:25
  SPEAKER_03: So perfect.
• 1:14:26
  SPEAKER_00: That that was long time waiting.
• 1:14:28
  SPEAKER_00: Laurie Walker, G down at Texas AM, they've dumb stone, they've done some really, really big work for us for promoting women's soccer, and uh they created a new organization that will take over from the United Soccer Association in the in in terms of being in the ambassador of college soccer for women.
• 1:14:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we'll still have a relationship with United Soccer, but like they've done the yeoman's work to be able to get the basketball programs at Iowa would always laugh at me.
• 1:14:59
  SPEAKER_00: Do you still only have 17 days to be able to build a team and and win and keep keep your job?
• 1:15:05
  SPEAKER_00: You know, with preseason was so short, and you have to take a couple days off.
• 1:15:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so now extending the season on the back end two weeks, extending the the preseason on the front end not only allows you to develop and spend more time with your team, it was also geared towards lessening injuries.
• 1:15:21
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of injuries were happening in August when you were trying to ramp them up too fast and they were not prepared physically.
• 1:15:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so all of it was is a is a benefit of uh women's soccer.
• 1:15:33
  SPEAKER_00: Our student athletes are gonna get more time with their coaches, more development with their coaches, and and quite honestly, like everybody else was coming in the summer anyway.
• 1:15:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's like basketball gets they get one month off pretty much for the whole year, right?
• 1:15:48
  SPEAKER_00: They're going in eight hours all summer long.
• 1:15:50
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 1:15:51
  SPEAKER_02: They get there in June.
• 1:15:52
  SPEAKER_02: And they've always been that way.
• 1:15:53
  SPEAKER_00: So it's and it's so it was gonna be it was meant to be voluntary, um, but but now it's mandatory.
• 1:15:59
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to come in, but we've chosen to.
• 1:16:01
  SPEAKER_00: I think I would imagine most power force will come in July 14th.
• 1:16:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 1:16:04
  SPEAKER_00: So it's two more weeks, two more, you know, credit to uh I really appreciate that the University of Michigan is funding us to do that.
• 1:16:11
  SPEAKER_00: But um, yeah, it it's it's just it's just about the benefit of the student athlete's um experience.
• 1:16:21
  SPEAKER_00: And because it is unfair to only have two weeks of preseason, play a couple exhibition games, one being on like three days into your preseason, right?
• 1:16:28
  SPEAKER_00: And then saying, hey, good luck, go you go down and play Georgia and see if you can win, you know, see if you're ready.
• 1:16:34
  SPEAKER_00: They're not ready, of course they're not, physically and technically.
• 1:16:37
  SPEAKER_02: So Ella would bring it up that she would come home.
• 1:16:41
  SPEAKER_02: Uh what what would her two options be?
• 1:16:44
  SPEAKER_02: Come home, play in the UWS with FC Buffalo, and maybe play with two other Power Four type players.
• 1:16:51
  SPEAKER_02: Or stay at Nebraska all summer and train with twenty twenty-five.
• 1:16:56
  SPEAKER_00: Train with your teammates.
• 1:16:57
  SPEAKER_02: Uh regarding the July 14th date, uh Steve Shanton brought this up.
• 1:17:03
  SPEAKER_02: Do you have any internationals?
• 1:17:05
  SPEAKER_00: We do, which is yes, we do.
• 1:17:08
  SPEAKER_02: Can you go into that problem in terms of where they can only get a student visa a certain amount of 30 days?
• 1:17:14
  SPEAKER_02: 30 days before school starts.
• 1:17:16
  SPEAKER_00: They can have the visa, they can't enter the country um until 30 days beforehand.
• 1:17:21
  SPEAKER_00: So everyone across the country has this problem, um, unless it's read differently by somebody's department, but international department.
• 1:17:29
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, we have two national team girls that are freshmen, and that's only a problem as fresh for freshmen.
• 1:17:34
  SPEAKER_00: So, because after that you have the visa in hand and now you're just renewing it.
• 1:17:39
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 1:17:39
  SPEAKER_00: The school renews it.
• 1:17:41
  SPEAKER_00: So it's just a problem for freshmen.
• 1:17:43
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, they'll we start school late.
• 1:17:46
  SPEAKER_00: We start school at the end of August.
• 1:17:48
  SPEAKER_00: Michigan University of Michigan does.
• 1:17:50
  SPEAKER_00: So both of our internationals, one from Ontario, one from uh uh uh Alberta will not be here till August 1st, I think is what the last, the latest date uh I've heard.
• 1:18:02
  SPEAKER_00: So they'll miss two weeks of preseason.
• 1:18:04
  SPEAKER_02: Do you think Canadians should count as internationals?
• 1:18:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'm being Canadian?
• 1:18:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh no, you know, yeah, no, no, I I think they should have a different I think they and they do, quite honestly, and this is where you know you gotta bring this up to the government, but we don't they don't have to go to the ambassador, um, um ambassador uh uh department of your of the country to get the visa.
• 1:18:28
  SPEAKER_00: It just gets sent across in mail, in email and then they bring it to the border and the border.
• 1:18:33
  SPEAKER_00: Now it's a you know, so it doesn't matter if it's Vancouver, in uh Edmonton or Quebec, doesn't matter.
• 1:18:39
  SPEAKER_00: It they do not have to go to the embassy.
• 1:18:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry, not ambassador, the embassy of the country.
• 1:18:45
  SPEAKER_00: But you do if you're nether, you know, from the Netherlands or from Germany or so it it is different already, so it should be different with the visas, in my opinion.
• 1:18:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um and maybe we'll we'll get there at that time, but I mean that's probably a different rabbit hole to go under with regards to politics and all of that.
• 1:19:04
  SPEAKER_00: But so yeah, but they unfortunately I feel for them because they're they're they're very they're both very good players, but they're also incredibly sad that they're gonna they're gonna miss this a little bit.
• 1:19:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um two well, two weeks of mandatory practice, but also they probably both would have came in June as well and came and spent time with the team.
• 1:19:21
  SPEAKER_00: So it's unfortunate, but we'll we'll work around it.
• 1:19:24
  SPEAKER_02: Could they work around it by going to summer classes?
• 1:19:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yeah, I think I think in some schools, yes.
• 1:19:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh at the University of Michigan, it's a little bit it's a little bit more difficult, but uh, I think they do, I think they're doing that at Northwestern because they're on quarters.
• 1:19:40
  SPEAKER_00: So uh their theirs would actually be later.
• 1:19:42
  SPEAKER_00: They would have to not be able to come until like sometime in October, because that's when school starts uh for quarters at Northwestern.
• 1:19:49
  SPEAKER_00: So they're still dealing with that problem.
• 1:19:51
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone in the country is dealing with some version of this.
• 1:19:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, we're we're still working on it, see if we can find a loophole.
• 1:19:57
  SPEAKER_02: At Iowa, do you have a lot of early uh enrollees?
• 1:20:01
  SPEAKER_00: At Iowa, it became where we probably the last five years we would have at least one come in.
• 1:20:07
  SPEAKER_00: We'd love we'd love when they come in as pairs because they can do it together.
• 1:20:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we will have we had one here at Michigan that was she, uh Annabelle Englin, who actually tells the story.
• 1:20:17
  SPEAKER_00: Her first time meeting Jen was the the the meeting that Jen resigned.
• 1:20:23
  SPEAKER_00: So she's like, well, and she does she actually is a had has a had a great you know frame of mind uh from that meeting.
• 1:20:31
  SPEAKER_00: She says, Well, I guess I'm I'm at the same place as everyone else then.
• 1:20:35
  SPEAKER_00: You know, everyone else is gonna have a new coach.
• 1:20:37
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, before I was like the new kid, and so now we're all the new kids.
• 1:20:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, what a great way to think about that.
• 1:20:43
  SPEAKER_02: What personality number would that be?
• 1:20:45
  SPEAKER_00: She is a I think she might be a one, actually.
• 1:20:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but what a great way to think about that.
• 1:20:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, I didn't think I didn't even think that.
• 1:20:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:20:54
  SPEAKER_00: So um here we had one, Annabelle was one.
• 1:20:58
  SPEAKER_00: The 27th class will have five or six.
• 1:21:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we'll have so we have you know what the the the downside to that is you've got to find the money.
• 1:21:07
  SPEAKER_00: You've got to find you got it, the roster spots have to be available because you only can free up a spot in the roster if somebody exhausts their eligibility or graduates.
• 1:21:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 1:21:17
  SPEAKER_00: So we we actually did that yesterday.
• 1:21:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like, okay, it's great that's you know, arguably a top 20, it is a top 20 recruiting class.
• 1:21:25
  SPEAKER_00: Six of the eight want to come in early.
• 1:21:27
  SPEAKER_00: Do we have the spots?
• 1:21:28
  SPEAKER_00: Do we have the money?
• 1:21:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so we're we actually went through that um uh yesterday as as a staff.
• 1:21:34
  SPEAKER_00: But the benefit, forget about the five and five, but the benefit is you get four springs and you get four falls that you get to develop and become a better player.
• 1:21:43
  SPEAKER_00: And for those who want to be a pro, that matters.
• 1:21:46
  SPEAKER_00: And and I think high school has gotten to the place where yeah, kids are like, wow, I'm missing prom.
• 1:21:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I'm missing, right?
• 1:21:53
  SPEAKER_00: These kids are all have AP classes, they're all graduating with 20, 30 class, you know, credits coming out of high school, anyways.
• 1:21:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 1:22:00
  SPEAKER_00: So there wasn't a ton left.
• 1:22:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the uh last part of it is unless you're at a really high-level club, usually, and it's unfortunate, but usually that senior, like that that last year at a club is like people start dropping off, you know, and that's unfortunate because that's when you should be ramping up right when you commit.
• 1:22:20
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think about that?
• 1:22:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like uh, how do you combat it?
• 1:22:23
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we we personally are just have to keep a really very uh solid uh line of communication with our players.
• 1:22:31
  SPEAKER_00: But for us, we we can only control our players that are committed to the University of Michigan.
• 1:22:36
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 1:22:36
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, I saw you yesterday, you're not looking great.
• 1:22:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like I, you know, your fitness level level needs to get up maybe a little bit, or coach said you've been you've been missing practice, you know, you should be coming to practice more, like because in the spring, what happens?
• 1:22:50
  SPEAKER_00: Prom.
• 1:22:51
  SPEAKER_00: You don't hold it, yeah.
• 1:22:53
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 1:22:55
  SPEAKER_00: So for we can only control our kids.
• 1:22:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and and you know, obviously all of these club coaches are, you know, it's it's pay for play, right?
• 1:23:02
  SPEAKER_00: So you want to help them and you want to be there for them, but it's also a difficult situation to be in.
• 1:23:08
  SPEAKER_00: So um, yeah, I think some of the kids just say, Well, yeah, this is what's happened to my team.
• 1:23:13
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna come in early and I want to get a jump on it.
• 1:23:16
  SPEAKER_00: I want to get a jump on the people I'm competing with.
• 1:23:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so I think that's it used in the right way.
• 1:23:23
  SPEAKER_00: We ask one question.
• 1:23:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's just are are they emotionally mature enough to handle being away from home?
• 1:23:29
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 1:23:30
  SPEAKER_00: Other than that, it's the spots and the money.
• 1:23:33
  SPEAKER_00: But uh are they emotionally immature enough to be able to handle being away from home, having freedom, distractions, handling the schoolwork, all of that.
• 1:23:43
  SPEAKER_00: If they are, sure, let's talk about it.
• 1:23:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um but i I want them to drive it.
• 1:23:49
  SPEAKER_00: I don't drive it.
• 1:23:50
  SPEAKER_00: I want it to be their decision that they come up with.
• 1:23:53
  SPEAKER_00: Because if not, if it's mine and it goes bad or it's not successful, well, you you made me come in.
• 1:24:00
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want that to be the driving force.
• 1:24:02
  SPEAKER_00: I want them to want to come in for all of the reasons we've just spoken about um on the you know on the podcast.
• 1:24:08
  SPEAKER_02: How's the roster coming along?
• 1:24:10
  SPEAKER_02: Uh where what numbers are you at right now?
• 1:24:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we are in the process of using the portal to backfill the roster.
• 1:24:18
  SPEAKER_00: So um I I think that we will I I love our additions.
• 1:24:23
  SPEAKER_00: I think we'll know more a lot more about the final portal haul, I guess we could say it, uh, the end of this week, uh beginning of next week.
• 1:24:31
  SPEAKER_00: But we we have uh we have three commitments from the portal already.
• 1:24:36
  SPEAKER_00: We added uh Luciana Latino uh from Tennessee earlier in the portal.
• 1:24:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um she's she's loves Michigan, but she spends all the summers at Michigan because she works with Aaron Bird.
• 1:24:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um so she knew a lot about the kids on our team already, and she played a lot at Tennessee.
• 1:24:55
  SPEAKER_00: So but we'll we'll look to add probably three more and then stop.
• 1:24:59
  SPEAKER_00: I think we'll we'll be a little bit under the roster number, I would guess, in the fall.
• 1:25:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um just because we want to we we like what we have in the future and we don't want to add players that maybe maybe are gonna get out recruited in one year.
• 1:25:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:25:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um because the 27th class is so so talented and and players within the program.
• 1:25:18
  SPEAKER_00: So we feel comfortable with, especially with the addition of the two weeks in the July to be able to get our kids fit, have them ready, and if we're you know maybe missing by a roster spot or two, that's okay.
• 1:25:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 1:25:30
  SPEAKER_02: Uh last question.
• 1:25:32
  SPEAKER_02: So you said at Iowa, you didn't really have your first full uh recruitment class until year three.
• 1:25:39
  SPEAKER_00: Correct.
• 1:25:40
  SPEAKER_02: Are you gonna have your full is it gonna be a f your full in 2027 or 2028?
• 1:25:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so uh we kept uh two individuals in 26 that that Jen and and the staff had recruited.
• 1:25:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh then we brought two as well.
• 1:25:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um sorry, misspoke three.
• 1:26:00
  SPEAKER_00: We kept three and we brought two, so that was a small class.
• 1:26:04
  SPEAKER_00: Then we kept three that Jen and the staff had for 27.
• 1:26:09
  SPEAKER_00: For 27, and then we brought four uh uh along.
• 1:26:12
  SPEAKER_00: And so but I would we were recruiting the 27 girls a little bit at Iowa as well, so there was a familiarity.
• 1:26:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um two of which were uh from Michigan or are from Michigan, and then one that was from Illinois, is from Illinois, so we were familiar with them already, and then 28 will be yeah, start to finish ours.
• 1:26:34
  SPEAKER_02: Perfect.
• 1:26:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yep, awesome.
• 1:26:36
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 1:26:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it was awesome.
• 1:26:38
  SPEAKER_00: I mean it was a great time appreciate it.
• 1:26:39
  SPEAKER_00: You're right, it was just about just hanging out and having a conversation.
• 1:26:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, just a conversation.
• 1:26:43
  SPEAKER_00: It was cool.
• 1:26:44
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 1:26:45
  SPEAKER_00: You're welcome.
• 1:26:45
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks.
• 1:26:46
  SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
• 1:26:47
  SPEAKER_02: I hate soccer.