Beyond X’s and O’s: The Team’s the Thing - Shawn Nadelen

Here's the latest from our Beyond X's and O's series at Inside Lacrosse. Beyond X's and O's is a series focused on the efforts coaches make to develop successful teams and people. The series started several months ago, but we are now including it on My Generation Leader. Click on the link below to read the entire piece:

Shawn Nadelen draws from a well of understanding that few in lacrosse are afforded the opportunity to drink from. The 2001 Hopkins grad has taken the field with some the games most enduring figures. He’s coached with Bill Tierney and Tony Seaman, played for Pietramala and Seth Tierney, and has nearly a decade of pro experience under his belt – That’s in both leagues if you’re wondering. For the 2010 World Games, Nadelen was selected to represent the United States as one of their most experienced and steady players. The U. S. plans to draw on his patience, no-frills style of position defense, and broader understanding of what makes great teams great. Nadelen won’t disappoint with his delivery.

VARIED EXPERIENCES

“I’ve been able to do some different things with different teams”, is a bit of an understatement for Nadelen. He learned the game in up-state New York, played his college ball in Baltimore, immediately earned respect as a dependable defender in the indoor game, and has earned championships and All-Star honors as an outdoor pro. As the Associate Head Coach of the Towson Tigers, he emphasizes the importance of building a team off the lacrosse field. He’s quick to point out how vital it is to recruit players who fit in, and equally quick in suggesting how vital fall ball is to ensuring that the fit is a good one. He emphasizes his role as a mentor to his players as well as the responsibility each player has in supporting one another. He talks about getting involved with charitable causes so that “guys who feel like they have a rough time in practice can see what others are going through”, and also speaks of how he encourages his players to coach at youth clinics and camps so that they can feed off of the enthusiasm of the participants. He touches on the values that can be developed and introduced through off-field events, but gets detailed when bringing up his own experiences as a player.

THE BIGS

Professional sports are just that. They are jobs where individual players are paid to achieve a certain end, specifically, winning. However, at a certain level, the team is the thing. In leagues and games where every individual on the field is a gifted player, team chemistry may be the difference between holding a championship trophy or dropping your shoulders and going home. As one of the most consistent and hardnosed defenders in the MLL and NLL, Nadelen highlights two moments in his career where chemistry was brewing: 1) the therapeutic power of playing paintball with his fellow Philadelphia Wings; and, 2) being among the players trying out for the U. S. National Team this past summer.

Check out the full article here - The Team's the Thing