Nice coaches in sports activities do the little issues nice — the intangibles that by no means see the sunshine of day within the public’s eye.
Chicago Marist Excessive Faculty boys volleyball coach Jordan Vidovic is a textbook instance.
“The factor that stands out essentially the most is his dedication to this system,” Marist junior exterior hitter Nathen Toth mentioned. “He has spent hours upon hours working with us, planning for the season, and ensuring the crew was essentially the most ready we might probably be.”
Toth wasn’t fairly completed together with his Vidovic dissertation.
“Whether or not it’s early on a college day or late on a Sunday, he’s all the time prepared to fulfill us on the gymnasium to work on our recreation,” he added. “This by no means stops, not through the summer time, the women season through the fall (Vidovic can also be Marist’s ladies coach) or the winter. He all the time is trying to assist his gamers.”
And this 2024 season was no exception. Vidovic, the 2024 VolleyballMag boys highschool coach of the yr, directed Marist (39-2) to the Illinois Excessive Faculty Affiliation boys state title, trapped in a relentless twister of elite opponents — the whirlwind exit culminating with a two-set finals win, the crew’s 20th victory in a row.
The VBM nationwide coach of the yr honor is Vidovic’s second with Marist since 2019 and third general (he additionally has one VBM ladies highschool coach of the yr accolade to his credit score). This yr’s crown was the RedHawks’ fourth in program historical past, together with the 2019 Vidovic-directed first-place end.
“Coach Vidovic deserves the coach of the yr title,” Marist junior center blocker Griffin McElroy mentioned. “He places in all his efforts to make sure our success. He’s an amazing coach due to his consideration to element and his dedication to push us to enhance.”
McElroy went as far to say Vidovic’s dedication “shocked the crew throughout follow,” he mentioned, “displaying us that we had somebody who believed in us, boosting our momentum for every recreation. We had an early season assembly with him. It set the tone for the season and motivated me to provide 100% in follow day-after-day.”
Vidovic, 285-43-1 in 9 seasons on the boys’ helm, had nothing however the highest of reward for this yr’s RedHawks’ crew, one which not solely carried out effectively on the ground however did so towards the very best of the very best from Illinois and in addition exterior the state. Marist, for the primary time, ventured west to a event in Santa Barbara, California — believed, he mentioned, to be the primary Illinois crew to ever play in a regular-season event within the Golden State. One in all Marist’s two losses there got here to conventional California and nationwide energy Mira Costa out of Manhattan Seaside, California.
“It was superior all the way in which round,” he mentioned. “It was a particular group with nice items and components. We undoubtedly scheduled as troublesome and difficult a schedule as we might. That gave us some superb perspective and confirmed us the issues we would have liked to concentrate on and work on as we bought to the top of the season.”
And Marist was prepared on the finish of the season, surviving an all the time robust Illinois closing eight event, with two pressure-cooker matches on the ultimate day towards two groups from the identical west-suburban-Chicago convention, perennial state energy Glen Ellyn Glenbard West (three-set win) and a very good Elmhurst York squad. Marist had misplaced to West earlier within the common season and in addition owned a regular-season three-set win towards York. Marist downed West for the 2019 state title.
“The final day of the season was towards two extraordinarily robust opponents,” Vidovic mentioned. “I used to be impressed with the way in which the fellows competed. They had been robust. And I favored how they performed after the 20s (20-point mark in units). It was particular to see. They put within the work. We had a variety of nice leaders. I keep in mind speaking for greater than 90 minutes about what we have to do to provide ourselves an opportunity for all of this to return to fruition.”
Marist thrived in a 6-2 system, chaired by setters Christian Teresi (junior, Ohio State commit) and Ethan Kuziela (senior), who had loads of offensive choices to select from with six RedHawks gamers registering greater than 100 kills. Teresi nonetheless discovered time to high 300 kills, whereas Toth and senior exterior Luke Brannigan had been north of 200. Teresi, Toth, Brannigan and junior libero Rorey Donnelly (greater than 300 digs) had been the crew’s main passers.
“It was thrilling the way in which they did it. We performed a unique fashion than the crew that had received it earlier than,” Vidovic mentioned. “We had been undoubtedly extra explosive and far more athletic and aggressive. We had reasonable risk-takers who stepped up within the greatest moments. We undoubtedly tried to push the tempo of play as quick as doable. We knew we wouldn’t be the most important crew, so we let it swimsuit our strengths and let our athletes unfold out throughout the online. We had been a risk-reward crew.”
There’s all the time the controversy, significantly, in Main League Baseball, as to how a lot a head coach/supervisor impacts a crew’s win-loss share. Within the case of Vidovic, the reply, as his gamers inform it, is critical.
“Coach deserves as a lot recognition as anybody else,” McElroy mentioned. “We’re a part of a crew. All of us stayed constant all through the season, however it wouldn’t have been doable with out him. Whether or not it was further reps or lifting after follow, each effort contributed to our season’s success.”
Toth added: “He deserves a ton of credit score. He went above and past with each follow plan. He made positive to scout earlier than each recreation. He even labored within the offseason to encourage a bunch of us to face out from the remaining as leaders. This dynamic is what set us as much as accomplish every part we did this previous season.”
Vidovic, not surprisingly, tried to downplay his function in one more RedHawks’ banner season.
“It was me coordinating,” he mentioned. “I let our guys do their factor. Slightly little bit of managing, however extra strategic. Once we bought to the top of the season, we had been tremendous locked in. The crew performed its hardest, was optimistic and ready. We let the fellows be themselves on the court docket.”
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