Thank you for the very helpful answer. That confirms that it was not a player quality issue, nor a core schematic issue, but rather, something else. There is no way for me to know whether it was adjustments, conditioning, mental toughness, or something else, such as a lack of a culture of winning, or even a lack of camaraderie, but it explains a lot. It could be any of those things, or, more likely, a combination of more than one of them. The good news is that all of them are fixable.
I was thinking that the large exodus to the portal was because players had a strong loyalty to Poggi, and no doubt some of it was, but it may also be partially an indicator that Charlotte was not a place where players felt they were developing to their full potential, and it just wasnât âfunâ for them. The large exodus, and large inflow of new players, combined with all new coaches, is effectively a program âresetâ.
If it was adjustments, thatâs easy; the new coaches will make adjustments. If it was conditioning, there is a new approach, one that will work if the players buy into it. âMental toughnessâ, âlack of a culture of winningâ, and âlack of camaraderieâ are more difficult, but the program âresetâ will make it more doable. The players need to buy in. The players need to believe. Every player wants to win, but they need to reach the point where they believe they can win, where they expect to win, and where they are willing to give their all, for themselves, and for the team, to win.
Equally important, the players need to believe that the coaches know what they are doing, and that, if they do what the coaches say, it will work. They also need to believe that the coaches are fair, and that the players that the coaches put on the field are there because they earned it, not because of favoritism. Even a hint of favoritism destroys morale and camaraderie. Players must believe that if they work hard, and they become the best player at their position, they will earn the right to be out there on the field.
There is no guarantee that the new coaches can accomplish all of the above, but they must, if Charlotte is to become a winner. If Charlotte DOES become a winner, losses to the portal will be much, much smaller next year, and recruiting players for 2026 will get much easier.
Go Charlotte!