Chemistry A Big Part of Kellogg’s Plan For Building WVU Women’s Basketball
November 02, 2023 12:42 PM | Women's Basketball, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – There is a lot that goes into having a good basketball team. Talent, of course, is first and foremost. Having experience is important, too, as are favorable scheduling and good coaching.
However, the one thing that is rarely ever discussed is chemistry. It's the most fragile and misunderstood aspect of team sports. And when you are talking about such a small group like a basketball team with only a dozen or so players, just a few bad apples can spoil the whole bunch.
I can give you numerous instances throughout the years when eliminating drama has cleared the air and made teams much better.
That was certainly the case last spring when Mark Kellogg was hired to oversee the West Virginia women's program, just 11 months after Mike Carey's retirement.
You can sense from talking to the players that Kellogg and West Virginia University are a perfect pairing. His genuine, easy-going personality offers a commonality and comfort among his players.
"The team from last year, we kind of have our same core so it's just like a couple of jokes here and there and we're all laughing and giggling," senior forward Tavy Diggs, one of the players Kellogg inherited, said earlier this week. "It took just one good team event or outing, and we all trusted each other and have a good time with each other. It did not take long to adjust to each other."
Without getting too deep into the weeds, the team drama last year was amplified on the bus ride back to Morgantown after their NCAA Tournament loss to Arizona when they learned on social media that they were about to encounter some drastic, life-altering changes.
"Coming into this year, we have an even stronger bond now because of what happened after the NCAA Tournament," Diggs admitted. "We have a common understanding with each other."
When something like that happens, it's easy for players to become cynical, which Kellogg adroitly understood. It's pretty unsettling when a college basketball player is on their third coach in a year's time.
So, he made sure they did a lot of team bonding activities to get to know each other. Not contrived things the players were ordered to do, but rather legitimate team-building activities designed to learn more about each other in a carefree, judgement-free atmosphere.
"We actually did whitewater rafting as a team event," Digg said. "It was not one of my favorite things because I fell off like twice, but stuff like that outside of basketball helped us jell a lot. We did team dinners at his house a lot, and that was a good moment just to see the coaches and be around them."
Senior guard Lauren Fields, who transferred from Arizona, admits her experience playing for the Wildcats last year didn't go quite as planned after coming off a 15-points-per-game season at Oklahoma State in 2021.
A change of scenery was desperately needed.
"It was different. It wasn't my best year, but I think it helped me," Fields said of her one-year experience there. "Everybody has to go through some type of adversity, so I don't regret it at all. It was something I needed so it was good for me."
Coming to West Virginia was her last shot, and she had to make sure she fit in and was comfortable.
"I would say I'm more of an introvert, and I've been on a couple of teams before, but this was the fastest I've opened up to a team," Fields admitted. "I think that's really good for me and it tells me how the season is going to go for me.
"Comfort is a big thing for me, and I just feel super-comfortable here, and I think that's also what's helping us jell as a team," she added.
Good team chemistry is part of Kellogg's formula that has helped him win nearly 80% of the basketball games he's coached.
Earlier this week, the women's basketball social media team posted a video of Kellogg making a half-court shot after practice and then hamming it up with his players. While he was celebrating, they were eye-rolling.
"You only get one … and I go last so the whole week leading up to game day everybody gets their crack at the halfcourt shot," Kellogg said. "Nobody made it, so the pressure was on. That was bottom, too. I don't think I even hit the rim on that."
"I was surprised, honestly," Diggs said.
"I think I was (madder) about how he was pushing us around after he made it," Fields laughed.
Kellogg said half-court shots and other competitions will be tracked throughout the year, whether its ping pong at his house, pickle ball or whatever.
"I can't let them beat me," he said. "We have a ping pong table at our house, and I've had the team over several times, and there was this one time when everybody wanted to play ping pong and I rolled through everybody. Then we played pickle ball at the team retreat, and I ran through the pickle ball.
"(The players) were so mad that I made that half-court shot because they haven't beaten me in ping pong and pickle ball … Now, I'm playing the things that I'm kind of decent at so the old wise guy here a little bit," he said.
Someone suggested dodgeball.
"I'm not too bad at that either, although I don't move as well as I once did," he chuckled.
As for Kellogg's weaknesses, Diggs thought for a moment before finally answering.
"Probably rapping," she answered.
"Yeah, we're probably going to ask him to freestyle," Fields added.
Mark Kellogg freestyle rapping, huh? Stay tuned.
West Virginia opens its regular season next Tuesday night at the WVU Coliseum against Loyola, Maryland. Tipoff is 7 p.m.
However, the one thing that is rarely ever discussed is chemistry. It's the most fragile and misunderstood aspect of team sports. And when you are talking about such a small group like a basketball team with only a dozen or so players, just a few bad apples can spoil the whole bunch.
I can give you numerous instances throughout the years when eliminating drama has cleared the air and made teams much better.
That was certainly the case last spring when Mark Kellogg was hired to oversee the West Virginia women's program, just 11 months after Mike Carey's retirement.
You can sense from talking to the players that Kellogg and West Virginia University are a perfect pairing. His genuine, easy-going personality offers a commonality and comfort among his players.
"The team from last year, we kind of have our same core so it's just like a couple of jokes here and there and we're all laughing and giggling," senior forward Tavy Diggs, one of the players Kellogg inherited, said earlier this week. "It took just one good team event or outing, and we all trusted each other and have a good time with each other. It did not take long to adjust to each other."
Without getting too deep into the weeds, the team drama last year was amplified on the bus ride back to Morgantown after their NCAA Tournament loss to Arizona when they learned on social media that they were about to encounter some drastic, life-altering changes.
"Coming into this year, we have an even stronger bond now because of what happened after the NCAA Tournament," Diggs admitted. "We have a common understanding with each other."
When something like that happens, it's easy for players to become cynical, which Kellogg adroitly understood. It's pretty unsettling when a college basketball player is on their third coach in a year's time.
So, he made sure they did a lot of team bonding activities to get to know each other. Not contrived things the players were ordered to do, but rather legitimate team-building activities designed to learn more about each other in a carefree, judgement-free atmosphere.
"We actually did whitewater rafting as a team event," Digg said. "It was not one of my favorite things because I fell off like twice, but stuff like that outside of basketball helped us jell a lot. We did team dinners at his house a lot, and that was a good moment just to see the coaches and be around them."
Senior guard Lauren Fields, who transferred from Arizona, admits her experience playing for the Wildcats last year didn't go quite as planned after coming off a 15-points-per-game season at Oklahoma State in 2021.
A change of scenery was desperately needed.
"It was different. It wasn't my best year, but I think it helped me," Fields said of her one-year experience there. "Everybody has to go through some type of adversity, so I don't regret it at all. It was something I needed so it was good for me."
Coming to West Virginia was her last shot, and she had to make sure she fit in and was comfortable.
"I would say I'm more of an introvert, and I've been on a couple of teams before, but this was the fastest I've opened up to a team," Fields admitted. "I think that's really good for me and it tells me how the season is going to go for me.
"Comfort is a big thing for me, and I just feel super-comfortable here, and I think that's also what's helping us jell as a team," she added.
Good team chemistry is part of Kellogg's formula that has helped him win nearly 80% of the basketball games he's coached.
Earlier this week, the women's basketball social media team posted a video of Kellogg making a half-court shot after practice and then hamming it up with his players. While he was celebrating, they were eye-rolling.
.@CoachKellogg12 got range ??#HailWV pic.twitter.com/Q5H195eS0J
— WVU Women's Basketball (@WVUWBB) October 30, 2023
"You only get one … and I go last so the whole week leading up to game day everybody gets their crack at the halfcourt shot," Kellogg said. "Nobody made it, so the pressure was on. That was bottom, too. I don't think I even hit the rim on that."
"I was surprised, honestly," Diggs said.
"I think I was (madder) about how he was pushing us around after he made it," Fields laughed.
Kellogg said half-court shots and other competitions will be tracked throughout the year, whether its ping pong at his house, pickle ball or whatever.
"I can't let them beat me," he said. "We have a ping pong table at our house, and I've had the team over several times, and there was this one time when everybody wanted to play ping pong and I rolled through everybody. Then we played pickle ball at the team retreat, and I ran through the pickle ball.
"(The players) were so mad that I made that half-court shot because they haven't beaten me in ping pong and pickle ball … Now, I'm playing the things that I'm kind of decent at so the old wise guy here a little bit," he said.
Someone suggested dodgeball.
"I'm not too bad at that either, although I don't move as well as I once did," he chuckled.
As for Kellogg's weaknesses, Diggs thought for a moment before finally answering.
"Probably rapping," she answered.
"Yeah, we're probably going to ask him to freestyle," Fields added.
Mark Kellogg freestyle rapping, huh? Stay tuned.
West Virginia opens its regular season next Tuesday night at the WVU Coliseum against Loyola, Maryland. Tipoff is 7 p.m.
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