Last summer, Chapman women’s basketball head coach Carol Jue faced one of the most interesting challenges of her career: travelling to Taiwan as part of a summer embassy to coach skill camps and speak to children about the role sports could play in their lives. It was uncharted territory. It was enlightening, as she put it. 

But ultimately, even that experience may not compare to the challenge she faces now. Because during the summer and fall, rather than visiting a foreign country to coach kids she’d never met, she now has to figure out how to best ready her team – without a single in-person practice – for an ambiguous future season in the midst of a global pandemic.

Simple, right? 

“It’s unprecedented,” Jue said. “This is going to have to be very creative in a way where we’re going to have to try our very best to bring a cohesion (to the team).”

There are, of course, multiple contributors to the puzzle of coaching. There’s the on-field, on-court piece; and then there’s the leadership piece. Any quality coach, no matter their style, has to serve as the captain of the ship, a lightning rod to galvanize their teams in the face of adversity. And as Chapman fall and winter sports have seen their seasons postponed indefinitely, coaches face the test of keeping their teams united. 

Similarly, coach DeAndra’e Woods has always tried to foster a sense of family within his cross-country and track squads. He’s big on the simple concept of time together, he said. Before and after meets he’d try to bring players together to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner, and his teams in the past have held barbecues and potlucks during the season. That kind of gathering can still be accomplished through a virtual meeting. Yet, ultimately, it’s difficult to replace that in-person connection, and Woods has had to figure out how he can best keep in touch with his players. 

“I might send a random text to somebody if I just think about them, or a random phone call,” Woods said. “Not to bug them, not to meddle into their business, but my goal is: I want my team to be a family. And so that’s something I’m always working on: how can I do the best I can to make sure each person feels comfortable, a part of this family, a part of our program?”

Jue has been thinking about her role as a leader as well. And with regulations and future scenarios up in the air, she’s tried to de-stress her players when appropriate. 

“Protocol is … we don’t know,” Jue said. “It’s to keep everybody afloat, meaning, ‘Hey, this is what we know. We can’t fret over it; you still have your academics to worry about.’ So, keeping everybody calm – I think that’s my leadership right now.”

One of the biggest contributors to the experience of Chapman football, head coach Bob Owens said, is the “camaraderie and togetherness” created within the program. Players will visit each other’s homes – not just their homes within Orange, but actually travelling to permanent residences in Colorado or even Hawaii, for example.

“Some of those bonds will be furloughed right now,” Owens said. 

Woods indicated he’s struggling with how he can push his players from a distance.

“I know for a fact that a lot of my athletes are used to going on runs or working out at a park by themselves. But also, it makes me want to still encourage them more because I know how difficult it is to do it by yourselves,” Woods said. “It definitely takes a different type of person to still be able to strive for things during all this.”

Of course, the responsibility isn’t solely on the coaches to make sure their players are both mentally and physically ready. The trio of Jue, Woods and Owens mentioned the need for their student-athletes to take accountability in preparation for a future season, no matter how far off on the horizon. 

“I don’t mean this selfishly, but being an individual is important and each one of us has to take on responsibility for our success in life,” Owens said. “You want to be able to bring that to the group, not place that responsibility on the group to get you ready.”

However, that readiness has to be balanced with an emphasis on safety. At the end of the day, coaches care for their players and want the best from them – so if that means balancing physical readiness with time to depress, they’re all for it. Woods said he’s been encouraging some of his less culinary-inclined athletes to learn how to cook. 

“I’m in coaching and instructing at the college level because I love it and I love my student-athletes,” Woods said. “But I know that we’re in a situation where if people are still being affected by this pandemic, I would rather have my student-athletes being safe and healthy than put them in harm’s way (being back on campus).”