Beyond X's and O's: Stevens' Gene Peluso

This article was originally published at Inside Lacrosse, and the original piece can be found here.


In only his second season as the skipper of the Stevens Tech Ducks, Gene Peluso guided the squad to its highest USILA Division III Coaches Poll ranking (as high as No. 5). Peluso has long been considered an elite Div. III coach, but with Stevens things seem to be coming together.

A physically imposing figure with matching personality, Peluso has taken to Hoboken and Stevens like pasta to clam sauce. There may not be another coach in Division III who’s better type-caste for their institution, as few would be better suited to stalk the sidelines in this historic city that boasts The Largest Slice (of pizza for those who call to mind other sliced items). He is both intense and funny, and has a gifted ability to weave between the two effortlessly. In catching up with him midseason, his passion for lacrosse and zeal for life is quickly apparent. He was both introspective and generous with time, and even suggested that the call had somehow done something for him, ending the conversation by saying thank you, and then adding, “this was a valuable exercise.”

Given his investment in our hour interview, it’s of little surprise that Peluso seems fully invested in his Ducks. He talks about his players and coaching philosophy in fluid detail, but starts with the cornerstone of his ideals, stating, “honesty goes a long way with players.” This year in particular he’s paid special attention to being candid about the obstacles that lie in the way of team goals. “I’m not tippy-toeing around what’s in front of us and where we want to go,” he says. “I put in front of them obstacles, or things that lie in our way,” he continues, “I do that to remind them what we need to do to work through and to get them fired up.” For Peluso, “Opponents are just steps for us. They’re steps for us to be successful,” and in order to succeed you need to have a clear blueprint of the steps you’re working to climb and where they’re going to take you.

In building the blueprint, communication is paramount. Peluso communicates his message by writing out challenges on the positional goal sheets that players fill out before every game. He includes carefully selected quotes on practice plans and pre-game materials to emphasize exactly what the squad needs to focus on. And perhaps most importantly, “We kind of talk it out.” As a team they sit down after practice and games and discuss what’s coming up, where the group is going, and where they’re all at. Ironically, all the talking doesn’t take away from the doing. In fact, it seems to inspire it. In noting that the team needed to be more conditioned, the staff and players talked about fitness differently: “We needed to look at conditioning in practice as opposite of punishment.” “Our guys have really bought into that,” Peluso continues, and the result is “just a real positive approach to our conditioning.” In summing up his belief in the value of communicating, being honest, and finding different ways to make a point, Peluso states, “Sometimes words, quotes, poems, stories can be really, really helpful . . .They’re motivating, I think they’re inspiring, and they can really put things in perspective.”

For Peluso, obstacles and goals and messages and the words that comprise them are simply pieces of a larger puzzle. In his words, “At the end of the day we want our guys to be happy and excited about what we’re doing.” He includes player input in decisions ranging from where the team is going out to eat to how they want to travel. Although he is explicit in stating that “the winning is important.” He also says, “We want to focus on enjoying what we’re doing.” This isn’t a contradiction for Stevens, as success and enjoyment go hand in hand. Of course there are sacrifices, but with a phrase he may have borrowed from Buddha, Peluso says, “Enjoy what you’re doing, enjoy the process, and everything else will fall into place.”

With Peluso pushing the squad to identify challenges while striving to enjoy the experience, they’re likely to stay a contender for years to come. When you ask Peluso about coaching, and his role in making a small team from Hoboken a mainstay in DIII lacrosse, he becomes philosophical in a way you might not expect from a coach. He says of coaching, “It is what I am. It is what I do, and what I enjoy doing.” He says of life, “Sometimes you have to follow your heart and I feel like I’ve done that.” In talking with him, Peluso made a point to thank us for giving him the time, and so it seems appropriate that we thank him for giving us the insights.

Joe Frontiera, PhD and Dan Leidl, PhD are the Managing Partners of Meno Consulting, a firm specializing in leadership development, organizational culture, team building and motivation. To learn more about Dan and Joe visit www.menoconsulting.com, they're blog at www.mygenerationleader.com or contact them via email at jfrontiera@menoconsulting.com and dleidl@menoconsulting.com.