Several of our seniors, like Papadakis, linebacker Zeke Moreno, defensive tackle Ennis Davis, center Eric Denmon and offensive tackle Brent McCaffrey, are not only good players, they're good leaders. Their leadership is also contributing to the team's good chemistry. Chemistry, or the way players get along with each other, is unpredictable. Some teams with a lot of talent don't have good chemistry, and some teams with less talent do, and, as a consequence, are more successful. It varies from year to year.
Coaches realize it is often out of their control.
When Arizona State's Bruce Snyder took his 1996 team to the Rose Bowl, he said he knew it was a special team, and not just because of its record. Last winter, I thought our men's basketball team, despite the injuries that ruined its fabulous start, had the best chemistry of any team I had seen in a long time. And I mean any team in any sport. Because they did, and because they also had talent, they played very well together. Since all of the starters are back, I expect they will play well together again this year.