She promised to be a sportswriter’s
dream: talented, charismatic; an unmistakable one-of-a-kind personality more
complicated than she might first seem.
Summer Ross wore jersey #99
because it’s “a big number for a big player.” Somehow, she uttered those words without
a hint of arrogance.
During endless August workouts
in Hec Ed Pavilion, the gym echoed with excited exclamations: Summer! Summer! Her teammates all but
squealed as they marveled at her uncanny ability to keep the ball
in play, and to flash a grin that often bordered on goofy.
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| Summer Ross (right) [Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann] |
Ross has a quality that coaches
love: the ability to leave behind the previous play—good or bad—and focus
entirely on the moment. She never seems to dwell, she never wastes energy
gloating.
Some will say she isn’t the
offensive force she needs to be to excel in the indoor game. But her full range
of skills are a joy to watch: serving, serve-receiving, digging, blocking. Her
sand volleyball experience trained her to pursue any ball—and find a way to put
somewhere that a teammate can make a play. Some of her defensive saves were flat-out amazing.
If she had stayed in Seattle,
it would have been fun to watch her grow. It seemed her skills might be the
perfect complement to the fierce power of fellow freshman Krista Vansant.
How much will her departure
hurt the Huskies? Keep in mind that USC lost last year’s Freshman of the Year,
Falyn Fonoimoana, yet won the Pac-12 and reached the NCAA Final Four. Two
seasons ago, UCLA lost two previous Freshmen of the Year--Lauren Cook (who
transferred to Nebraska) and Amanda Gil (to Washington)--yet went on to win
this year’s National Championship.
Washington can win without
her. But those of us in Seattle have all lost a little now that we won’t see Summer each autumn in the gym.
While we enjoyed and will miss her, we wish Summer all the best. She has to follow her heart. UW volleyball will be fine and will continue to be an elite program. Another National Title is in the near future. Every year Great players graduate or transfer - the key for any program or business is do you have the system, and processes and practices in place to sustain success? Jim McLaughlin has proven over the past 11 years that he is the best coach in the nation. This situation provides an opportunity for another player to shine.
ReplyDeleteKinda assures us we'll be seeing Kelly Holford back next season.
ReplyDeleteBTW, Frank I loved your Husky v-ball book a few years back. Great organizational principles applied throughout the reversal.
Kevan A
Kevan A