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 College boys volleyball coach Jordan Vidovic is a textbook instance.
“The factor that stands out probably 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 probably the most ready we might presumably 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 at all times prepared to satisfy us on the gymnasium to work on our sport,” he added. “This by no means stops, not through the summer time, the ladies season through the fall (Vidovic can be Marist’s ladies coach) or the winter. He at all times is seeking to assist his gamers.”
And this 2024 season was no exception. Vidovic, the 2024 VolleyballMag boys highschool coach of the 12 months, directed Marist (39-2) to the Illinois Excessive College Affiliation boys state title, trapped in a continuing 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 12 months honor is Vidovic’s second with Marist since 2019 and third general (he additionally has one VBM ladies highschool coach of the 12 months accolade to his credit score). This 12 months’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 12 months title,” Marist junior center blocker Griffin McElroy mentioned. “He places in all his efforts to make sure our success. He’s an ideal 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 apply,” he mentioned, “displaying us that we had somebody who believed in us, boosting our momentum for every sport. We had an early season assembly with him. It set the tone for the season and motivated me to present one hundred pc in apply each day.”
Vidovic, 285-43-1 in 9 seasons on the boys’ helm, had nothing however the highest of reward for this 12 months’s RedHawks’ crew, one which not solely carried out nicely on the ground however did so in opposition to the very best of the very best from Illinois and likewise exterior the state. Marist, for the primary time, ventured west to a match in Santa Barbara, California — believed, he mentioned, to be the primary Illinois crew to ever play in a regular-season match within the Golden State. One among Marist’s two losses there got here to conventional California and nationwide energy Mira Costa out of Manhattan Seashore, California.
“It was superior all the best way 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 wanted to concentrate on and work on as we obtained to the tip of the season.”
And Marist was prepared on the finish of the season, surviving an at all times robust Illinois closing eight match, with two pressure-cooker matches on the ultimate day in opposition to 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 likewise owned a regular-season three-set win in opposition to York. Marist downed West for the 2019 state title.
“The final day of the season was in opposition to two extraordinarily robust opponents,” Vidovic mentioned. “I used to be impressed with the best way the fellows competed. They have been robust. And I preferred 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 bear in mind speaking for greater than 90 minutes about what we have to do to present 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 have been north of 200. Teresi, Toth, Brannigan and junior libero Rorey Donnelly (greater than 300 digs) have been the crew’s major passers.
“It was thrilling the best way they did it. We performed a unique type than the crew that had received it earlier than,” Vidovic mentioned. “We have been undoubtedly extra explosive and far more athletic and aggressive. We had average risk-takers who stepped up within the largest 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 web. We have been a risk-reward crew.”
There’s at all times the controversy, notably, in Main League Baseball, as to how a lot a head coach/supervisor impacts a crew’s win-loss proportion. Within the case of Vidovic, the reply, as his gamers inform it, is important.
“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 apply, each effort contributed to our season’s success.”
Toth added: “He deserves a ton of credit score. He went above and past with each apply plan. He made positive to scout earlier than each sport. He even labored within the offseason to encourage a gaggle of us to face out from the remaining as leaders. This dynamic is what set us as much as accomplish all the things we did this previous season.”
Vidovic, not surprisingly, tried to downplay his position in one more RedHawks’ banner season.
“It was me coordinating,” he mentioned. “I let our guys do their factor. A bit little bit of managing, however extra strategic. Once we obtained to the tip of the season, we have been tremendous locked in. The crew performed its hardest, was constructive and ready. We let the fellows be themselves on the courtroom.”
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