Now this time, I agree with everything you said, and with Jack as well. In our case, the first step was to use the "free" high school season to develop the players to the point where they felt like they COULD win, before many of them become willing to put in the extra off-season effort and expense to ensure that they DO win consistently. It's still a building thing, and it will take time. I still think it's a bonding force in a team, though, no matter what the level, when they feel they are working together with their coaches to create success rather than just showing up ready to do a job.
So, I think in order to get the MOST out of a team, it takes both--players who are willing to go the distance in the off season to train and prepare themselves to be ready for varsity season, and varsity coaches who are willing to take the players who show up in late January and BUILD on those skills all season long, so that when playoff time comes, the whole is a lot greater than the sum of the parts that showed up at first practice. There are a lot of intangibles that show up on the field beyond pure skill and athletic ability...when players either do or don't believe in not only what they're doing, but who they're doing it for and with, that's when many of those intangibles start to show up.
And yes, I'd definitely say Clover's on the right track!
