Eagles Loss to Saint Louis Shows the Building Process
The movie Sybil and her thirteen personalities come to mind from the almost flawless, knock 'em-around performance against Notre Dame followed by Paradise Lost against the Billiken's of Saint Louis.
A watchful eye on Coach Earl Grant during the first half of the game against Saint. Louis gives us a view into his mindset. He looked in control during the first half rendition of Paul Simon's Slip Sliding Away, unlike his Boston College Eagles squad. He seemed downright quiet, not pulled by officiating calls that would put many a coach's emotion on their sleeve. His team must have noted that and showed a second-half never quit attitude.
To build mental toughness requires repetition, over and over and over. In different situations with different outcomes, the job remains the same; hard work makes the mental aspects, the execution more automatic.
Consistency is a second tenet to build something lasting as it brings resilience. You don't simply wish a new culture upon a program. Good coaches instill it with relentless determination, an attitude that every day is work. That makes for better outcomes only if you have the mental part of the game down. BC lost its metal edge in the first half and showed resilience in the second. That positive effort reveals that hard work and consistency can reduce mental mistakes and overly emotional play.
His approach beckons the belief that mental mistakes lose more games than physical ones. He wants a squad that is first and foremost hard-nosed and mentally resilient. His team got taken out of their offense early; different players tried to make positive things happen, all by themselves. The constant movement devolved into hoisted three-pointers. It resembled a remake of former Coach Donahue's team trait to play outside.
Beyond hard work and consistency is execution to reinforce new norms over old habits and ways. The mental part of the game is that proper performance instills confidence, a cornerstone of positive attitude and culture. The enthusiasm showed itself as work to get the ball inside and run the offense. That lesson, as learned, is invaluable to the team as, over time, the confidence turns into trust and deepens their belief in the system and approach.
The second-half performance did not win the game nor get it close. But it did show the ability to regroup after the team had lost its gritty, which was not pretty. Resilience is not pretty, nor is consistency in the usual sense. Saturday, he showed a coaching style that lined up with that belief. His manner was consistent.
Grant seems measured and in control as he coaches the Eagles. Looking back at the team's first ten games shows the coaching staff's approach and intent. At this early juncture, the focus on hard work combines with attention to the game's mental aspects. But there are no participation awards, the work continues, you never say good is good enough. Practice makes permanent, not perfect.
Does that make Eagle faithful satisfied? Perhaps not. Patience is a virtue only if habits become automatic with confidence in the system, trust in each other, and belief in the coaches.
In the near term, what will make you happy is a DVR replay of the victory over Notre Dame. Just like Gordon's kick against Holtz's squad in South Bend, some things never grow old.
