There have been quite a few comments over the last couple of games about Kate Paye. Most everyone is sympathetic to her but a lot of people seem to think the season would have been going better with a different coach.
I disagree.
I think that if TVD does not retire, our record would likely be the same as it is now. Tara would have fared no better with this team, given the talent, the travel, the defections, and all the rest. I think Tara was honest and accurate when she said at the time of her retirement "I asked myself if I could do a better job than Kate, and decided the answer was no." Kate has all the knowledge that TVD posseses, more experience than many head coaches (and a TON more experience than Tara had when she started), and probably relates better to our players and their Stanford environment than Tara did. What is it that Tara had that Kate did not? Brink, Iriafen, Jump, and Lepolo. I really think it is that simple.
Tara also had the benefit of planning schemes around the personnel she knew she was going to have. Because of the late departures and the Lepolo injury and the new conditions of transfer churn, Kate had to take an inherited offensive scheme and try to make it work with personnel for which it turned out to be ill suited. I doubt that Tara could have reacted any better to these changes given the time frame.
Now, if Kate is going to be a good or even a great coach, she is going to have to have a skill that Tara lacked or did not need--motivating players to stay. This year is less than a rebuilding year. Next year is the rebuilding year, with the long term nucleus of excellence arriving over the summer. Except if this year's most promising players leave, or if next year's recruits change their mind, then next year will turn into an extension of this year's disaster.
Probably the most important thing for Kate to do is to win at least a few of our remaining games while being upbeat, talking up the improvements on the team, and acting like the future is promising. Because if she convinces her players of that, it will turn out to be true. If everyone stays, we will become one of the most talented teams in the nation, and Kate's X's and O's are going to be first rate with all that talent.
The good news is that this is exactly what she seems to be doing. At least from the pressers and the interaction between her and players that I have witnessed, she is coming across with the right balance of concern, teaching, emotional support, and cheerleading. Frankly, I did not think I would see this out of her, based on the dozens of chalk talks I watched her host over the years. But Kate has grown as a coach and I have to believe she has the confidence of her team. The team seems positive, continues to play hard, and still has smiles. That is a very good thing in today's environment of program-shopping.
I, for one, am going to wait a good long while and absorb a lot more information before I pronounce judgment on Kate Paye. My gut tells me she will become a great coach. She is smarter, more energetic, and more Stanford-centric than even Tara was. At least, that is what Tara says! She needs the loyalty of her players and some time. And who knows, the support of fans in social media might turn out to be helpful too. There are times when appearances become reality.
I disagree.
I think that if TVD does not retire, our record would likely be the same as it is now. Tara would have fared no better with this team, given the talent, the travel, the defections, and all the rest. I think Tara was honest and accurate when she said at the time of her retirement "I asked myself if I could do a better job than Kate, and decided the answer was no." Kate has all the knowledge that TVD posseses, more experience than many head coaches (and a TON more experience than Tara had when she started), and probably relates better to our players and their Stanford environment than Tara did. What is it that Tara had that Kate did not? Brink, Iriafen, Jump, and Lepolo. I really think it is that simple.
Tara also had the benefit of planning schemes around the personnel she knew she was going to have. Because of the late departures and the Lepolo injury and the new conditions of transfer churn, Kate had to take an inherited offensive scheme and try to make it work with personnel for which it turned out to be ill suited. I doubt that Tara could have reacted any better to these changes given the time frame.
Now, if Kate is going to be a good or even a great coach, she is going to have to have a skill that Tara lacked or did not need--motivating players to stay. This year is less than a rebuilding year. Next year is the rebuilding year, with the long term nucleus of excellence arriving over the summer. Except if this year's most promising players leave, or if next year's recruits change their mind, then next year will turn into an extension of this year's disaster.
Probably the most important thing for Kate to do is to win at least a few of our remaining games while being upbeat, talking up the improvements on the team, and acting like the future is promising. Because if she convinces her players of that, it will turn out to be true. If everyone stays, we will become one of the most talented teams in the nation, and Kate's X's and O's are going to be first rate with all that talent.
The good news is that this is exactly what she seems to be doing. At least from the pressers and the interaction between her and players that I have witnessed, she is coming across with the right balance of concern, teaching, emotional support, and cheerleading. Frankly, I did not think I would see this out of her, based on the dozens of chalk talks I watched her host over the years. But Kate has grown as a coach and I have to believe she has the confidence of her team. The team seems positive, continues to play hard, and still has smiles. That is a very good thing in today's environment of program-shopping.
I, for one, am going to wait a good long while and absorb a lot more information before I pronounce judgment on Kate Paye. My gut tells me she will become a great coach. She is smarter, more energetic, and more Stanford-centric than even Tara was. At least, that is what Tara says! She needs the loyalty of her players and some time. And who knows, the support of fans in social media might turn out to be helpful too. There are times when appearances become reality.