?Tough Love? Unites Coach and Players

Nebraska freshman guard Ryan Anderson may have said it best when asked to describe coach Doc Sadler’s demeanor on the court and in practices.

 

“It’s like tough love, you know?” Anderson said.

 

Coach Sadler is certainly trying to instill toughness in his players early on, as anyone who has watched a practice could tell you. Sadler has a reputation for his intense practices that has his players running full speed the entire time, especially in preseason workouts.

 

“I think the biggest thing we’re trying to do right now is teach our guys the level of toughness and how hard you have to play to be competitive in this league,” Sadler said.

 

Senior guard Charles Richardson experienced first-hand how much Sadler demands of his players.

 

“The coaches are never off our backs,” Richardson said. “They’re always making us work hard. Even if we think we’re working hard, he’ll make us work even harder. When he first came in, he told us his job was to push us further than we think we can go, and that’s what he’s doing right now, and that’s why practice is so intense.”

 

But, as Anderson described it, Sadler seems to have more of a “tough love” mentality.

 

“He’s always on us hard, but he’ll always make a compliment too, and it makes you feel good and makes you want to work harder for him,” Anderson said.

 

Richardson echoed Anderson’s comments.

 

 “He gets more excited than we do when we make good plays, especially when we have several good plays in a row.”

 

Richardson can recall a specific instance in practice where this rang true.

 

“One time we were practicing for about an hour and 20 minutes, and we had a little spurt where we made four or five good plays in a row, and he just ended practice right there," Richardson said. "He’s just letting us know that if we come in and work hard and get the job done early, it will be easier for us.”

 

Sadler’s up-tempo practices are helping prepare the Huskers for the coach’s “baseline-to-baseline” playing style.

 

“The things we do in practice relate to everything we’re going to do on the court in games,” Richardson said.  “He emphasizes going full speed on everything.”

 

“Our practice preparation is similar to games,” Anderson agreed.  “The way he pushes us and the intensity level he’s at never lets us slide. He’s always trying to push us to the next level.”

 

Sadler is hoping that his full-speed, non-stop practices will pay off in games.

 

“What you eventually want is to out-hustle your opponent and get four or six points a game on easy baskets,” Sadler said.  “You have to be able to do that to be successful. Hopefully throughout our practices we get in that type of condition to where we can do that.”

 

In addition to always being at full speed, Sadler is emphasizing communication as well, on both offense and defense.  Communication is especially vital for Sadler’s fast-paced style.

 

“It’s no secret that communication is the biggest key in society, and basketball is just part of that,” Sadler said.  “If you can communicate, then good things are going to happen for you. If you’re not a good communicator, you’re not only going to have problems on the basketball court but also throughout the rest of your life.”

 

Sadler hopes increased communication will also lead to a close-knit team, something important to his team-first attitude. The Huskers have taken notice and are starting to see the fruits of their labor.

 

“It always goes back to teamwork,” Anderson said. “Everything is focused on helping our teammates, especially on defense.  That’s his whole philosophy - helping the next man, and having your partner’s back.”

 

Sadler emphasized that there is a rhyme and a reason for his practices, which at first glance may seem harder than most.  He wants potential recruits to see what he’s trying to accomplish.

 

“I think more than anything I want them to see that I’m going to demand that they play hard," Sadler said. "I also want them to see how we’re going to work with them individually as well, to help them improve as an individual. 

 

“The majority of the season we’re focused on improving as a team, but at the same time I don’t want to disregard the opportunity to make the player better individually.” 

 

Sadler seems to have found the balance between constantly pushing his players to the next level and also toning it down and complimenting them when they do something right. After all, that’s what “tough love” is all about.