This piece originally appeared at Inside Lacrosse.com on 12/17/10 at the following URL: http://insidelacrosse.com/news/2010/12/17/beyond-xs-and-os-john-danowski-and-duke-blue-devils
John Danowski is the future of coaching. Fresh off winning the first NCAA Championship in Duke lacrosse history, his empowering and holistic approach to working with players puts him in an elite class of leaders who see a picture far bigger than groundballs, goals and wins.
Talking with him is both enlightening and entertaining. He’s incapable of containing his enthusiasm for his work, is bubbly about learning, and gushes over how inspiring it is to share conversation and company with Coach K and the many others who are unapologetic about their dedication and subsequent successes at Duke. For Danowski, coaching seems to be a vehicle to encourage and connect with the young men he works with, as a well as a vehicle to find the best in himself. He is genuinely interested in the development of his players, and has sold the farm on the Wooden-esque philosophy that success is simply a consequence of attending to details, rigorous effort, and doing your best to be your best.
When asked about his approach to developing his players and building team unity, Danowski started by saying, “We’re not experts in this field.” He then went on to explain his relationship with Lt. Col. Mark Tribus, the head of Duke’s ROTC Program. Though Mark, Danowski has learned a lot about communication, the importance of transparency, and the unifying value of overcoming hardships as a team. Given Danowski’s master’s degree in counseling and the hardships he’s worked with players to overcome, it’s hard to believe he has much to learn, but one gets the sense that Danowski will never stop learning.
Beyond his personal conversations with Tribus, Danowki and his staff work with the Lieutenant Colonel to develop monthly experiences that condition his team to believe in each other, give all of themselves and persist through adversity. In elaborating on the most recent challenge, the final event of the year, Danowski’s personality shines. Without any mention of what the team actually did, he explains that the day ended with the entire group (staff, players, everyone) gathered in a circle. Each individual held dog tags inscribed with a player’s name, Duke Lacrosse 2011, and the year’s motto, Looking for Work. Everyone held someone else’s tags, and one by one, they went to the center of the circle, exchanged tags and hugged. That’s right, they hugged. As a sign of appreciation for the effort everyone gave, as a sign of relief that the challenge was complete, as a sign of solidarity, a symbol of camaraderie, they shared a brotherly embrace.
Later that night the team reconvened to discuss the day, what they learned, who impressed, and who didn’t. As with all of the conversations that Danowski leads, honesty is paramount and confrontation in the name of team growth is essential. Danowski says that these days have “nothing to do with lacrosse but everything to do with team work”, and that’s OK.
In his time at Duke the team has gone to the final four every year, amassed a 66-13 overall record, won three ACC Championships, and nabbed the national title in 2010. With 25 All-Americans, two Tewaaraton Award Winners, and three positional players of the year to boot, who can argue with Danowski’s approach? Haters will say the players were there before him, but common sense will remind you that those players still needed a coach — a coach who could win on game day and care all the days between.
“We do a lot of team building,” Danowski assures. In addition to the military workouts, team circles and hugs, the squad gets together the night before every game and talks. Every game brings out a different focus, but prior to each contest Danowski asks players to talk with each other openly and candidly in the name of developing camaraderie. He recalls the night before last year’s championship game when C. J. Costabile shared his thoughts about who had to do something special for the team to be successful. Costabile stood up and called out Steve Schoeffel, explaining that Steve had to be selfish. Schoeffel scored two of the team’s six goals in the win, and if his selfishness had increased only a fraction, the comment served the team well.
Other efforts have focused on celebrating the second team or asking seniors to share what they’ll do to ensure victory. Regardless of the topics, all the conversations are intended to remind the group that they’re a family, bonded through their commitment to each other and stronger because of it. “My belief is it’s their team, not my team,” says Danowski, and encouraging players to deepen their relationships through conversation is just one of the many ways he emphasizes his commitment to this point.
The mission statement for the Duke coaching staff is "Provide an extraordinary experience for your team." It has nothing to do with championships or W’s, and there’s no mention of All American plaques or conference awards. Danowski and his staff simply want their players to value the time they spent together. In thinking about his approach, his philosophies, Danowski explains, “I wasn’t as good as I think I could have been. Here’s my chance to not let that happen to someone else.”
He talks about how one season builds on the last, and how this past year’s success is as much a win for previous players as it was for the current team. He then goes on to explain that after winning the championship, the program is only looking to get better. Expectations are higher for 2011 than in 2010, but there’s no talk of record or man down stops. Instead, Danowski rattles through his “Carpe Diem” culture, of doing the best you can in everything you do. In the weight room, in practice, in the classroom, and off the field, players have more expected of them than ever before, and if it results in more wins, great. If not, so be it. Regardless, Danowski’s goals don’t seem like they’re going to change.
And with all of his efforts, approaches that many would cast aside as quirky, maybe even weird, what’s Danowski’s ultimate goal? Put succinctly, he just wants to see his players cry. For the coach of the future, success is determined in the locker room after the last game of the season. If the players are crying when it’s all over, mourn the passing of an unforgettable experience, then the season was a success. So for all the team’s preparing for the Blue Devil’s, tell them jokes, keep them smiling, keep them happy because if they continue to shed tears at the season’s end, it’s probably safe to assume that they ripped through their schedule and beat nearly everyone on it. As odd as the formula may be, Danowski’s efforts are setting a precedent for new priorities, new approaches, and a new way to teach players. He’s the coach of the future, and more will follow, but for now, there seems to be only one John Danowski.
