At the core of good coaching is good mentoring. For coaches to get the best performances from their athletes, they have to delve into hearts and minds, learning how their athletes think and feel. This philosophy is wholeheartedly endorsed by Aaron Levine, the Q13 Fox News Sports Director, and neighbor of many Bellarmine students.

“We have two of the best coaches in terms of their relationships with their players on the team, when it comes to Pete Carroll and the Seahawks, and Brian Schmetzer and the Sounders,” Levine said.

He praised the two coaches for being player-friendly while also maintaining their teams’ respect. He likewise had suggested that the departures of Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett were for the benefit of the Seahawks, due to their difficulty in holding to Pete Carroll’s philosophies.

“What we read about Michael Bennett reading books during team meetings and not listening to the head coach and Richard Sherman with his public outbursts during the sidelines of games clearly indicated that Pete Carroll had lost the attention and possibly the respect of some of his players, and that’s why they had to make the moves that they did.”

These values transcend from professional play to interscholastic.

To high school athletes, he reminds them all to savor their short time together as much as possible. “I can’t remember what I shot the last time I played golf, but I can remember every round I played in my high school playoffs with my team.”

When it comes to high school coaching, he said the coach sets the tone for the players, but the players are ultimately responsible for finding the team’s momentum, identity and personality.

The coach can set the tone with his or her philosophy and the way he or she addresses and directs the team, but the real camaraderie must be built among the group in the locker room. To those managing sports for high school athletes, Levine added that they should “really listen to their athletes and coaches and keep an open mind.”

After reviewing Bellarmine’s athletic policy, founded on the Jesuit Secondary Education Association’s “The Graduate at Graduation” document, he clearly agreed with it.

As stated on Bellarmine’s website, our school athletes are expected to learn through their experiences that any challenge—athletic or otherwise—requires developed skills and proper preparations, and that collective success is built on individual efforts working in concert.

Success in athletics is a natural result of these efforts, but as the website states, “In seeking to produce graduates who will be leaders in action, modeled on Christ, we are ultimately asking our coaches and athletes to do more than simply win games” (bellarmineprep. org).

Philosophies like these are why the most effective coaches are the ones who build the strongest personal relationships with their players, as well as the ones most in the habit of dispensing advice for everyday life. The real lessons to be taken away from athletics have little to do with how well someone throws or catches a ball, but everything to do with the disciplines and commitments behind developing those skills.

To put it in Levine’s words, “It’s also [about] learning that the experience and the journey is way more important than the actual result.”

If readers have any questions for Aaron Levine, email Levine directly at [email protected] .