University of Minnesota Athletics
Quoting John Anderson
7/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
ON COACHING STYLE:
"I think recently I have become more of a consultant. I have tried to encourage people to become interested, accountable and responsible for their own careers and just provide support for them where they need it. I think I have become more of a person who has tried to teach people how to become internally motivated. I want to help them decide what it is that is important to them and what they want to get outof their careers. Philosophically this has been my new style and approach to coaching and it has worked out well. I want my kids to be independent, critical thinkers who can map out a path for themselves. In the end I think the kids can take some ownership in the process and from what they accomplish. To me it's more about internal motivation versus external motivation based on realistic expectations."
ON ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES:
"I've always said that Minnesota has tremendous academic resources and opportunities that allow our student-athletes to reach their full human potential. We have the facilities and the personnel to help them become successful students and reach their primary goal of earning a degree. The academic advisors, tutors and support people really allow our student-athletes to embrace the learning process and become better students. In my tenure as a head coach, 92 percent of all fourth and fifth-year players have graduated; and nearly every season, we have had scholar-athletes in the double digits. If you think about it, those are some pretty amazing numbers. It just shows how dedicated we are to our academic program, and really says a lot about the wonderful staff and facilities our students have access to."
ON THE COACHING STAFF:
"We take a great deal of pride in our ability to teach the game of baseball and create a philosophy, we feel, allows us to do an outstanding job of developing players. We have a track record now that I think speaks for itself. One of the things we do is foster an environment that helps student-athletes accomplish what they cannot do on their own. We try to take their natural ability and potential, and show them how to spot their inconsistencies on their own. We encourage them to take ownership of the learning process and responsibility for their own careers. They know their own abilities. Sometimes they just need a little help finding their potential."
"I feel the teaching environment we have created for the student-athlete has been advantageous, especially for those players who really want to come here and get better. We are very proud of that, and the success shows in the number of quality people who have succeeded after their experiences in our program and at the University of Minnesota."
"Our goal is to find young men who understand the value of these traditions and who have the level of responsibility to earn the right to put on the Minnesota `M.' We seek individuals who are eager to continue and be a part of our tradition, and are enthusiastic to begin new traditions that the program can be proud of for years to come."
ON SUPPORT OF THE PROGRAM:
"You can't accomplish great things in life without other people helping you and encouraging you along the way. No one can do it all by themselves and our program has had so many great assistant coaches, players, fans, alumni and supporters through the years, it has just been wonderful. So many people have supported us and we can't thank them enough. I appreciate their support so much and it has helped immensely to make the Gopher baseball family what it is today. The success doesn't just belong to me, we can all share in it because it wouldn't be possible without them."
ON THE METRODOME:
"I believe the foundation of any successful program starts with its facilities. Here at Minnesota, our outstanding facilities provide us with a quality environment to reach high levels of success in both player development and national status."
"The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome has allowed us to overcome some of those adverse weather conditions and bring in nationally-touted opponents, so we can host home games early in our season. That allows us to generate a fan base and adequate media attention, so we can expose people to the great tradition that is Golden Gopher baseball."
