There has never been any set way for a head coach to lead his or her team. There are motivators, schemers and in-your-face coaches, who each rely on their own particular style. And then there is Jing Pu, head coach of the Syracuse volleyball team.

He shows up to practice in a polo shirt, gym shorts and flip-flops with socks, almost every day. He makes the players laugh. He doesn’t say more than two words during games, but watches peacefully from the sideline, observing quietly from his seat. Senior captain Kacie MacTavish said his motivational speeches are simple: ‘Don’t lose.’

Pu’s laidback coaching style has led the Orange (9-4) to 13 winning seasons through 14 years at the reigns. During that time, he has been named Big East Coach of the Year twice.

His easy-going attitude allows the women to enjoy themselves on the court. Sarah Morton, team co-captain and national leader in total blocks, constantly dances between sets. Other players join in, and dish out high-fives and hugs as if they’ve won a national championship.

Pu and the Orange are back in action tonight, when they take on Cornell at 7 p.m. at Manley Field House.

‘(Pu) allows us to have fun,’ Morton said. ‘Jing is very laid back. You don’t have to worry about him yelling at you for acting the way I do. I know I play better when I’m having fun and Jing allows that to happen.’

His broken English helps add to his even-tempered aura. Returning players find the blank stares of incoming freshman highly amusing after Pu explains the drill he wants the team to do.

Setter Laura Homann is one of those freshmen and she admits that she was lost a lot at the start of the season.

‘Most of the preseason I was like, ‘Ok. What’s going on? I have no idea what I’m doing here.’ But you start to understand him, and when you don’t, half the team probably doesn’t either,’ she said.

The entertainment continues well after the freshmen overcome the language barrier with Pu.

MacTavish remembers the whole team getting a laugh after the coach showed up with a box of chocolates one practice to give the team some energy. His jokes and analogies bring even more amusement, sometimes unintentionally.

Homann recalls Pu saying she only had a backyard and didn’t have a front yard, apparently meaning she struggled passing the ball forward. Homann started giggling at the word-choice before seeing the coach’s serious face. He simply ignored the reaction and continued with practice.

Pu even entertains his players to keeps them at ease. But that is not what has led the Orange to seven 20-win seasons during his tenure. He understands the sport and has become an incredible teacher. He focuses more on the individual players, than on the team as a whole.

Assistant coach Carol LaMarche played for Pu, and is in her fourth year coaching under him. She said part of the reason he’s so quiet is because he tries to formulate in his mind what exactly needs to be done with each player. She has seen Pu make up individual drills from scratch to correct mistakes.

He believed junior middle blocker Hayley Todd needed to work on her swing last year so he told her to spike a ball into the ground over and over so that it bounced straight up. LaMarche remembers Pu putting a board between her arms when she played to help her keep them separated when she passed the ball.

The players realize the head coach cares just as much about each and every individual player as they care about him. LaMarche said he wants the women to go in and play well in every game more than they want to, and he even tells his players he feels that way.

‘He loves the game and he loves watching his players succeed, so he always wants to do the best,’ Morton said. ‘(Pu) wants all of his players to play more than we even want to play. That’s what he always tells us.’

zjbrown@syr.edu

Published on September 22, 2009 at 12:00 pm