“Coaches don’t win games, players do. Players don’t lose games, coaches do” said by America’s winningest football coach, John McKissick.
However for sports like club running and club women’s basketball the coaches are the players but also the presidents and captains of the teams. A large portion of Northeastern club sports teams are managed solely by students without a coach. Normally coaches handle tryouts, practices, game strategy, player reports, etc, but without a coach, these items fall onto the plates of captains and presidents.
“It’s hard quote on quote coaching a team, like we obviously don’t have a coach, but like when you’re put in a position where like, you’re running practice, you’re subbing, definitely a big adjustment because it’s hard,” said Keneya Onuaguluchi, club women’s basketball captain and co-president.
Onuaguluchi stressed the importance of communication during games between her and Marley Lopez-Paul, club women’s basketball co-captain and co-president, but also between her and the other players. Despite her and Marley usually starting, they create a plan before the game to handle the first substitutions, this communication is crucial to ensuring that players get on the court and that strategy can be created. But what Onuaguluchi says is the hardest part of game day is managing friendships. Starting as social chair, her sophomore year, the transitions to president and then co-president was tough because now her friends on the team were also players she was coaching.
“We are the only team that doesn’t have a coach that has made it to nationals and I think it’s really a testament to the fact that we really like each other outside of the sport, we really wanna play for each other and we wanna win together, we wanna compete and I think that’s what pushes us to play at such a high level,” said Onuaguluchi.
One procedure the team has in place is a 24 hour cool down period after games. Onuaguluchi says that this period allows players and herself to understand their emotions after a hard game.
“We have a 24hr cool down period, just cause after a game you tend to be more emotional, your passion is still there,” said Onuaguluchi. “ So even if we’re hanging out after a game, we usually try not to talk about the game or like feelings for at least 24 hours.”
What club women’s basketball really appreciates about not having a coach is being able to have open discourse. Onuaguluchi and Lopez-Paul include their Eboard and players in conversations about who should make the team during tryouts and what drills to include at practice. The goal is to create an open team environment and create a space for players’ voices.
“Something we start every practice with is highs and lows. I think it’s a good time that allows us to know where people are at mentally and provides a space if people want to talk, ” said Onuaguluchi.
Club running, though runners compete individually has fostered immense team relationships and communication along with creating strong running mentalities to make choices for yourself.
“Part of the appeal and how we advertise ourselves is that it has the structure of a high school team in that we have worked out easy runs and you can race with us but there’s no coach,” said club running captain and president, Nora Mehler. “So you can really kind of do what you want when you want to and people really respond well to that.”
Mehler joined the team as a freshman and was named to leadership during her sophomore year. Eboard is very important to the structure of the team and helps Mehler distribute responsibilities. Each person on eboard is also a captain and handles a different part of the team. From running the social media to finding races and making workouts, the captains as Mehler says do their best to “read up on workouts and make sure we are informed”.
“The captains are role models but there’s not that sense of hierarchy like you’re under a coach who’s supervising you and telling you what to do,” said Mehler. “We are all peers and I think that fosters a good competitive atmosphere but all a respective and supportive one.”
“Basic responsibilities include promoting a healthy atmosphere for the entire club, providing leadership and guidance specific to the individual sport, communicating with the Club Sports Office of any travel, conduct, equipment or injury concerns, and abiding to all University/Club Sports rules and regulations,” states the Northeastern University Club Sports Handbook 2024-2025 from the Club Coaches section.
Muhler and Onuaguluchi both handle all these responsibilities but not without a strong eboard or constant communication with their teams. They are only two of many teams who have created extensive team dynamics and made many runs to nationals, all well being presidents, captains, coaches, and athletes.
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