Q&A w/ Talking Head: Teamwork, Tar Heels, Tall Trees, More
Sept 1, 2016 18:27:53 GMT -5
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Post by nyline on Sept 1, 2016 18:27:53 GMT -5
We spoke today with Talking Head, who played D1 volleyball and has coached for many years. Below is an excerpt from the interview, edited for length and clarity (for the complete interview, Click Here):
DigNittany: Last weekend didn’t quite go as planned, but with Colorado and Stanford coming up this weekend, there’s no time for the Nittany Lions to dwell on the North Carolina loss. Give us your take from 30,000 feet on the challenges Penn State faces this weekend.
Talking Head: I’m eager for this trip. I think it will be a good trip for the team. Getting away from home, after the way it ended against North Carolina, might be a very healthy thing for everybody involved, including the coaching staff. Coach Rose is always looking day-to-day, but he’s also looking down the road, and the way Penn State lost to the Tar Heels raised the question “do these kids have the grit, do they have what it takes to push it to the end and close-out sets and matches." I think it’s gut-check time. The kids are going to have to say “No, that’s not going to happen again.”
DigNittany: Coach Rose was openly frustrated by the loss and disappointed with his team’s performance, saying that the team had “quit.” Your thoughts?
Talking Head: North Carolina was absolutely hammered and befuddled after Set 1 on Saturday night. But they regrouped, and the Nittany Lions weren’t able to match them. When you look at how the team had played in the first seven sets this season (including that first set against the Tar Heels) — Penn State had been siding out at around 80% and hitting at or near .500 in every set until the second set against North Carolina. When Penn State lost that second set, it was a shock. By the fourth set against the Tar Heels, I thought the body language of a few people looked as though they had lost their confidence. I think Ali looked emotionally spent. The team seemed to be showing mental fatigue. All of which seemed to result in sub-par effort. For Coach Rose, that’s the worst failure. He wants his players to be so tough that no matter what the situation, no matter how stressful, they will be able to rise to the challenge and come up with their maximum effort. Whether they’re successful may be another matter, but he wants them to be in a position mentally and physically that they give everything they’ve got. That didn’t happen against North Carolina. Without making excuses, this team is still trying to find its identity. Once roles start to emerge, and players begin to feel a little more comfortable (though coaches generally don’t want players to get too comfortable), I think they’re going to be OK and I think they will be able to compete at a high level.
DigNittany: Last weekend didn’t quite go as planned, but with Colorado and Stanford coming up this weekend, there’s no time for the Nittany Lions to dwell on the North Carolina loss. Give us your take from 30,000 feet on the challenges Penn State faces this weekend.
Talking Head: I’m eager for this trip. I think it will be a good trip for the team. Getting away from home, after the way it ended against North Carolina, might be a very healthy thing for everybody involved, including the coaching staff. Coach Rose is always looking day-to-day, but he’s also looking down the road, and the way Penn State lost to the Tar Heels raised the question “do these kids have the grit, do they have what it takes to push it to the end and close-out sets and matches." I think it’s gut-check time. The kids are going to have to say “No, that’s not going to happen again.”
DigNittany: Coach Rose was openly frustrated by the loss and disappointed with his team’s performance, saying that the team had “quit.” Your thoughts?
Talking Head: North Carolina was absolutely hammered and befuddled after Set 1 on Saturday night. But they regrouped, and the Nittany Lions weren’t able to match them. When you look at how the team had played in the first seven sets this season (including that first set against the Tar Heels) — Penn State had been siding out at around 80% and hitting at or near .500 in every set until the second set against North Carolina. When Penn State lost that second set, it was a shock. By the fourth set against the Tar Heels, I thought the body language of a few people looked as though they had lost their confidence. I think Ali looked emotionally spent. The team seemed to be showing mental fatigue. All of which seemed to result in sub-par effort. For Coach Rose, that’s the worst failure. He wants his players to be so tough that no matter what the situation, no matter how stressful, they will be able to rise to the challenge and come up with their maximum effort. Whether they’re successful may be another matter, but he wants them to be in a position mentally and physically that they give everything they’ve got. That didn’t happen against North Carolina. Without making excuses, this team is still trying to find its identity. Once roles start to emerge, and players begin to feel a little more comfortable (though coaches generally don’t want players to get too comfortable), I think they’re going to be OK and I think they will be able to compete at a high level.
