The Details: Breaking Through Brick Walls Is Part Of the Process
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
As far as Chris Petersen is concerned, a few things need to happen in order to accomplish something special.
The task must be difficult. The intensity of the challenge needs to present a problem few can solve. It has to be hard.
For those who pursue a path leading to an outcome that could be considered special, the motivation and hunger to accomplish the goal has to match the intensity of the challenge.
“When you’re going to do something special, there are usually a lot of brick walls put in your path that seem to stymie you,” Washington’s coach said.
When Petersen looks for “Our Kinda Guys,” players who fit the Huskies’ philosophy, he wants athletes who are undeterred by adversity, people willing to do whatever it takes to break through “brick walls.”
“For the guys who are truly hungry and motivated, that may slow them down, but it’s not going to stop them from doing what we want to do,” Petersen said.
Five games into the 2015 season, Petersen believes he has a roster of players who fit the mold. This group of Huskies has both the hunger and motivation to accomplish something special.
“We’re pointed in the right direction and we’ve felt that, maybe since the start of the season, knowing that we’re playing one of the most difficult schedules in the country,” Petersen said. “It may not show up every week on the scoreboard, but it’s all about making progress and small victories that you may not see on the scoreboard.”
From the start of the season, there has been a feeling among Washington’s coaches that the program was heading in the right direction. The Huskies believed they had the right mix of talent, chemistry and drive to take a step forward despite losing more than a few prominent players to the NFL.
“You can feel it internally when you’re with the guys, when you watch practice and you’re in the locker room,” Petersen. “You see how hard they compete. Those are all things that really tell you, ‘OK, these guys are all in.’”
But it takes more than right players and perspective to win on Saturdays. Each day and every season consists of a series of small steps that build a program. These steps lead to improvement and creates consistency.
Washington’s 17-12 win over USC may seem to some like a shocking step forward, an announcement that the Huskies are headed in the right direction. But, for those in the program, the win is simply something tangible that shows the plan is working.
“It’s all little steps that you put together back to back that makes things consistent,” Petersen said. “It’s about consistency, doing those little things over and over.”
And, while the process has the Huskies pointed in the right direction, a new week presents a different challenge that has Petersen, his staff and players working to answer one question as they prepare to play Oregon: “Can we be consistent again against a new set of problems?”
“It’s all about the preparation during the week and then showing up on Saturday with our minds right,” Petersen said.
After each win, the Huskies are asked to temper success, to find a way to keep their edge. After every loss, the challenge is to maintain motivation. Win or lose, Washington’s players are asked to assess their performance.
What did I learn?
How did I get better?
Where did I struggle?
Where do we go from here?
These questions are aimed at pushing players toward improvement, because, “if we plateau, we’re going backward,” Petersen said. “There’s no staying the same. You’re either getting better or you’re not.”
This is what it takes to accomplish something special. It’s not easy. There will be brick walls along the way. But finding a way to endure and move forward, well, at Washington, that’s part of the process.
