The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Lake success comes with culture change
When Marty Gibbons became a first-year head coach at Lake Catholic, his alma mater, in 2019, results weren’t much different than what the Cougars had experienced in previous seasons.
Lake Catholic dropped three of its last four games to finish with a 4-6 mark. But as he explained, the seeds of success had been sown.
“We were 4-6 our first year, and last year we were 3-2 coming out of the regular season, so that could have gone the same way,” Gibbons said. “Sometimes it’s just the way the ball bounces.
“But I think if you asked our seniors that first season, they would say that good things were happening in the program.”
It is often said that a coach’s third season is when things begin to turn the corner. But the Cougars moved way ahead of that curve with a run to the Division IV state final in 2020, falling just short in a 31-28, last-minute loss to Van Wert.
For Gibbons, change comes as a result of trust and belief in the school and the program, strong relationships with the coaching staff and teammates, and a consistent message.
“We practiced a little differently, prepared a little differently, we’re always trying to be ahead of the curve,” Gibbons said regarding
processes his staff has implemented. “There’s a strong level of clarity between the coaches and players about the tempo and
pace that we do things and the way we approach things mentally and physically.”
Gibbons has incorporated lessons he’s learned
from his own playing days at Lake Catholic and John Carroll, as well as his work as an assistant at Notre Dame College and VASJ.
But he doesn’t need to look far to find his greatest source of inspiration and advice. His father, Lake Catholic coaching legend John Gibbons, and brother Tom, a former player for the Cougars himself, are on his coaching staff.
“We’re all giving that same message, and we’re all together as a coaching staff, and that’s something you don’t get everywhere,” Gibbons said. “At a lot of high school programs you may struggle to connect adults so they can lead young men, and I don’t think we have a problem with that here whatsoever.”
The fact that all three, as well as the rest of the staff, is so associated with the Cougars’ successful past helps to accentuate their message.
“It’s hard to fake that relationship with each other and that trust and belief in the school and in the program,” Gibbons said. “For us, a big piece of what we do is keeping that Lake Catholic tradition intact.”
A major aspect of any team’s culture change is attaining “buy-in” from the players. Gibbons and his fellow coaches have cultivated that desire in their players to bring about an adjustment from mediocrity to achievement through building trust and teaching how to be a good teammate.
“Care about them a ton, and never give up on a kid,
regardless of his ability level,” Gibbons said of his staff’s philosophy. “We don’t wait for them to trust us — we do the work as coaches to build trust with our players.”
Gibbons credited the Lake Catholic weight room program, run by Jimmy
King, for not only helping the players become bigger, faster, and stronger, but also teaching them to be good teammates.
“They have to partner with each other and help each other, otherwise kids can get hurt in the weight room,” Gibbons said. “Everything is so structured and organized. They HAVE to care about each other, or they can’t make it here.”
Last year’s 8-3 finish and deep playoff run was reminiscent of Lake Catholic glory days of the past, but has the corner been turned for good?
Time will tell, but Gibbons and his team are ready for the challenge.
“We want to continue this now, and we’re looking forward to that,” he said. “It’s really tough to sustain success, so that will be the next challenge.”