Head Coach to Head Coach: Why Marleah Rogers is the Ideal Leader for the Dream-Do-Achieve Team
Because She Shares the DREAM
In January 2005, Marleah Rogers left a high-paying consulting job in order to offer sixth months of her time to an idea – but what she thought to be a very good one. Now, three years later, she serves as CEO of the nonprofit Emily Krzyzewski Center. The idea has become a vibrant reality and Marleah serves as the head coach of the talented and dedicated team that helps make dreams come true on a daily basis in the life of a growing nonprofit organization and in the lives of the kids that make all the effort worthwhile.
Marleah Rogers, her father Colonel (R) Tom Rogers and family had been longtime friends with the Krzyzewski family dating back from the Colonel’s time as an Officer Representative for the Army Basketball team when Coach K was a cadet. The two families had formed a tremendous bond over the decades and had experienced much of life’s ups and downs together. So, when Colonel and Marleah Rogers heard of the Emily K idea, they immediately wanted to invest. As they learned more, Marleah came to the realization that she could invest much more than cash into the organization. Seeing a need for a long-term strategy and business plan, she knew that she could lend her expertise from a long and successful career in both the consulting and the corporate world to help get the idea off the ground.
Her extensive experience aside, Marleah will tell you that there was one foundational element that made the subsequent building of the Center possible: “instant trust.” In this instance, the trust was a matter of serendipity, a fortuitous situation resulting from years of essentially familial friendship. But both Coach K and Marleah will tell you that instant trust is vital to getting anything done as a team; it is what allows you to get straight to the heart of the matter. And both leaders will tell you that the way to build this within a group is through consistent and honest communication, “…not just communicate to communicate,” Marleah clarifies, “but to communicate for alignment, action and results.”
Because Marleah immediately trusted that Coach K and family were going to be committed to the Center for the long haul and that their motives were pure, she did not have to waste any time – she could get right to business.
Because She Inspires Others to DO
And get right to business she did. As the head coach, it was her responsibility to turn the vision into a clear plan of action and assemble the right team to achieve it. Every team needs a game plan. For the Emily K Center, this required the formation of both a business plan and the establishment of a strong culture. After three years on the job, Marleah is quick to remind people that goals and measurements of success must be frequently changed and updated, but culture is consistent. There now exists an “Emily K Way” – embedded in the concept of the Dream-Do-Achieve pathway and devoted to establishing a successful and replicable way of getting the most out of youngsters by instilling high expectations for academics, character and leadership development. Their goal is for their students to graduate from college and excel in their career of choice.
Marleah is masterful at identifying talent and cultivating relationships. As a result, she has brought together and continues to bring together experienced, committed, and professional individuals and corporations willing to give of themselves to be a part of the great things taking place at the Emily K Center.
Another part of her philosophy of leadership that mirrors that of Coach K is the focus on allowing individuals within the team to be leaders too, to exercise creativity, and to essentially be themselves. “I love when my team surprises me,” Marleah says. “It shows that you are truly leading because you are empowering others to achieve without you.” In this type of environment, the leader, too, is operating for the benefit of the team’s shared goals not for the benefit of his or herself. As a result of this leadership style, the rest of the staff at the Emily K Center feels a sense of ownership of the place, the cause, and the success of each child.
Because She and Her Team Have ACHIEVED
The success of the Emily K Center can be seen in many ways. You can look at independent evaluations of results after one year which indicated significant success in closing the achievement gap between the students and their peers across all income groups nationally. You can talk to representatives from some of the organizations that have offered their pro-bono corporate support who say that the Emily K Center is an extraordinarily well-managed nonprofit organization. Or you can simply talk to one of the scholars who spend their afternoons working, laughing, and dreaming at the Center. Through any of these means, you would discover that much has been achieved at the Emily K.
But Coach K and Marleah Rogers share yet another thing in common as leaders: they are never satisfied. There is so much more to achieve. When asked what has kept her around at the Emily K beyond her originally promised six months, Marleah answered, “Because of the impact we are having and the impact we can have.” There is still much that the Emily K Center will do in Durham. There are more talented kids to help through school, more generations to send to college, more committed families that deserve a chance. But her vision does not stop there. The Emily K Center can provide a replicable model for other cities seeking to radically change the educational achievement of low-income students.
Emily Krzyzewski Center staff and volunteers work every day to ensure that youngsters embrace the DDA pathway to excellence, but it is the Center itself that serves as the ultimate example of Dream-Do-Achieve. Marleah Rogers is the head coach of the team that has made it happen.
Duke’s Family Man: The Story of the Visit that Landed Duke’s Most Important Recruit
An intense February rainstorm and an away loss in Chapel Hill does not seem the ideal combination for a campus visit by one of the nation’s top high school prospects. But it proved to be the winning combination in landing Johnny Dawkins, the young man whose commitment to the Duke Basketball family changed everything.
February 27, 1982 — The NCAA does not allow for a recruit to accompany a host team to a road game so, before heading nine miles down the highway for an afternoon match up with the No. 2-ranked Tar Heels, Coach K dropped his prized recruit at his family home to watch the televised game. Johnny had come to Durham alone, without his parents or his high school coach, so it would be a small party of five watching the game together: 18-year-old Johnny, Mickie Krzyzewski and the three Krzyzewski daughters who were 11 years old, four years old, and four months old at the time. “It was the natural thing to do,” says Mrs. K, referring to the circumstances. “We had an important recruit in town and Mike was on the road, Johnny would obviously come and watch the game with us.”
Mrs. K can remember sharing a meal and making small talk with the high school standout about various things including the Washington, DC area where they both had grown up. Then, the family plus one settled into the comfortable basement den to watch the game. Johnny remembers little of the small talk but does remember watching the game with Mickie. “I remember the passion that Mrs. K had pulling for the team. I was struck by the real emotion she was willing to share in front of a stranger.”
And it was an emotional evening for a coach’s wife, hosting a recruit they desperately needed while watching a painful game on television. Carolina shot nearly 70% from the field in the first half and, when the teams took the locker room at halftime, Duke was down 42-17.
A strong February rainstorm contributed to what was already a stormy afternoon for the Blue Devils and the day reached its lowest point when the lights went out at Carmicheal Auditorium, UNC’s home court. Mrs. K wondered what Johnny could have possibly been thinking as they waited out the twenty minutes it took for the lights to come back to life.
Mickie knew how important this young man was to her husband and to his fledgling program. And pre-visit talk about Johnny Dawkins must have been intense in the Krzyzewski home. So intense, in fact, that it was understood by a four-year-old girl. Near the end of the game that Duke ended up losing 84-66, a precocious Lindy Krzyzewski left the corner where she had been coloring and approached the 18-year-old Dawkins, handing him a folded up piece of torn notebook paper and a blue crayon. On it, she had written, “Will you come to Duke?” and provided two boxes labeled “yes” and “no,” asking the question that was on everyone’s mind and that certainly worried Mrs. K after the less than ideal day that had transpired. Johnny chuckled and put the note in his pocket.
After the game, Mrs. K put the girls to bed and she and Johnny waited. Coach K returned that evening and the two men sat down in the K home’s formal living room. The ensuing talk lasted hours as they dissected the game that had just transpired and Coach K relayed his vision of how Johnny would fit into the system and culture the 36-year-old head coach was trying to instill. When he left the Krzyzewski home that evening, Johnny knew which box he would check.
Even though Carolina had come away with the win that evening led by James Worthy’s 22 points and featuring a freshman Michael Jordan playing 22 minutes and contributing 11 points, Duke had won the evening’s more important victory.
When asked about his recruiting visit years later, Johnny smiles. “It was real,” he says. “Other recruiting visits felt like an act or a show that was being put on for me. This was real. I felt comfortable with Coach, his family, and his vision. I just knew.”
Johnny became a part of two new families that day: the Krzyzewski family and the Duke Basketball family.
“I felt like the luckiest kid in the world,” he says.
But it was Duke that lucked out most of all. His February campus visit was far from ordinary but, to hear Johnny describe it, you’d think it was the perfect plan: “It felt like family. It felt like home.”
Duke remains thankful for the day that Johnny became a part of the family.
Coach and Mrs. K have frequently been asked about the “pressures” that accompany Coach’s current role as the head coach of both the Duke Basketball team and the first-ever, three-year head coach for USA Basketball. Indeed, he is primarily responsible for a top-25 college basketball team whose standards of success deem losing in the Sweet Sixteen somewhat of a disappointment and merely making the NCAA tournament a veritable travesty. Additionally, he heads up a star-studded USA Basketball team given the difficult task of redemption – to bring basketball supremacy back to the United States and to include winning an Olympic gold medal this coming summer in Beijing.
It certainly sounds like pressure. But neither Coach K nor his wife would call it that.
If you were to ask Coach K what word he would use instead, he would say that this is an unprecedented opportunity. While winning both a National Championship and an Olympic gold medal in the same year seems nearly impossible, Coach K feels lucky, thankful, blessed to be in the position where that could even be. He marvels at this tremendous opportunity and, to him, it doesn’t feel like pressure. It feels like a chance that he can’t believe he has. He wonders why he is the one who has it. It humbles him. It makes him reverent.
Coach also emphasizes the fact that one of these roles does not serve as a distraction from the other. He insists that right now his focus is entirely on Duke Basketball and all evidence seems to suggest that this is true. Even after arriving back home at about 3:00 am after the Duke trip to New York and a tough loss to Pitt, Coaches K and Collins were on a plane to Florida later that morning to see some of Duke’s high school prospects at work. He spent the holiday reviewing tape of every Duke game thus far this season and conversations around the Christmas dinner table inevitably shifted to talk of the Duke team.
While he is one hundred percent focused on Duke Basketball right now, it still brings a smile to his face when he hears from members of the USA team – a note with photos of Kobe and his family, a call from Chauncey, a Merry Christmas text from Amare. And, of course, the USA coaching staff is still in touch. It is neat to see the way they learn from one another, their mutual respect, and their genuine desire to see the other succeed. So, while both the members of the team and coaching staff are in communication, they are all focused on their respective missions for the current college and NBA seasons.
Mrs. K sees the situation a little bit differently, but she still wouldn’t call it pressure. She says that the level of what many would call “pressure” is no different now that at any other time in her husband’s career. His standards for himself are perpetually high. These standards are no different from those he has for himself in any job he is doing. Were they headed to Napa Valley this summer, Coach K would expect to raise the most money ever for the Jimmy V Foundation. Were he to spend August doing speaking engagements, he would work hard on his presentation to ensure stellar feedback and inspirational results. Were he working on another book, he would want it to be the best he’d ever done. The standards are no different, so there is no new level of pressure.
She, too, recognizes it as an opportunity, but would also classify the situation as a time management challenge. The biggest adjustment is the amount of time that must be devoted to USA Basketball in order for it to be done the right way. It is not a matter of a new stress level, but rather more to do with no additional time. When such a major commitment is added to an already busy life, some things have to change in order to make room for that new thing. Something’s gotta give.
At a family dinner table at Durham’s University Club in the fall of 2005, the Krzyzewski family had a serious discussion about exactly what that something would be. Separately, each member of the family stated that they were not willing to give up the time devoted to the annual Krzyzewski family vacation. While Coach K had recognized the true honor in being offered the chance to be the national head coach and to participate in the Olympic Games, his family, and his wife in particular, reminded him of what an honor it is to be a member of an incredibly loving family.
So, the family embarked on this journey together, recognizing that there would be some sacrifice and knowing that the most difficult part would be to figure out how to fit it all in. And, each summer, thanks to some crafty scheduling and cooperation, there has been a Krzyzewski Family vacation. This year, for Christmas, Coach and Mrs. K surprised their three daughters, three sons-in-law, and five grandchildren with the knowledge that all of them would be headed to China for the Olympics in August.
Coach and Mrs. K are looking forward to both the opportunity to win an Olympic gold and to the time spent doing something amazing as a family.
But, first and foremost, they are looking forward to Cornell on January 6.
In the midst of media innuendo that perhaps Coach K has lost a little something, I have been spending time at a place where the values he has held dear throughout his life and career remain abundantly relevant. While working on a writing project with the Emily Krzyzewski Center’s Pioneer Scholars, I learned that daring to dream, embracing fundamental values in the development of character, and seeking to make the most of potential through the power of belief are producing inspirational results in the lives of some amazing kids.
I suppose this is not going to be your typical “article.” This time, I’d just like to tell you about an experience I feel tremendously lucky to have had. I suppose that the spirit of the holiday season has prompted me to write about something that is just plain good, perhaps as a reminder that there is more than just quality basketball happening around here.
Upon moving back to the Durham area this year, I knew that one of the first things I wanted to do was get involved at the Emily K Center. I have watched admiringly as Marleah Rogers and staff have made the Center a dynamic reality and I have been eager to volunteer. Originally, I was uncertain as to what that involvement may be, but after a couple of brainstorming meetings with Education Director Adam Eignerauch and Education Program Director Amy Cummings, we developed an idea.
As Coach K’s daughter and sometimes co-author, Adam and Amy invited me to speak to the kids about writing and to work with them, collectively and individually, on their own book which would be based on the work my dad and I did in Beyond Basketball: Coach K’s Keywords for Success.
I came to my first visit feeling nervous and under-qualified, but the kids at the Center put me immediately at ease asking numerous questions and making me laugh before I could even begin my presentation. I spoke to them briefly about how I got into writing, focusing on the Dream-Do-Achieve pathway that led me here. The concept of dreaming, doing, and achieving is a pathway that has served as the basis for all of the Emily K’s programs — encouraging big dreams, granting opportunities to do, and, thus, setting them on the path to achieve.
One thing that I wanted to emphasize to the kids about dreaming is that it is not necessary, as a youngster, to dream with singularity. Dreams do not have to be so specific. Some children may grow up knowing that they want to be a doctor and have a single-track mind that will guide them down that pathway to success. But, I had one young man that told me he wanted to be either a boxer, a doctor, or a dog-walker. Why can’t he believe that he could be all three?
My other message to them was that they didn’t have to go it alone. To go from dreaming to doing to achieving is not always easy and it is important to let people help them along the way. I said to them that we were all lucky because someone believes in us. For me, I would have never had the guts to try writing if it weren’t for my dad. I was surprised and honored the day he told me that he wanted me to be his co-author on his next book. I am not sure why, but he believed in me, and that fueled me throughout the project. I told the Pioneer Scholars that I know for a fact that someone believes in them. Maybe it’s a parent, a teacher, or a sibling. Maybe it’s an aunt, or a grandfather, or a tutor. But I know that each of them has someone who believes. And the reason I knew is because they were sitting there at the Emily K.
I proceeded to talk to them a bit about the writing process. Since the kids are familiar with the concept of Dream-Do-Achieve, I tried to discuss writing using a similar framework, taking them from brainstorming, through multiple drafts and edits, and ending with the achievement of a final product.
After discussing the writing process, I informed the kids that, when this was all said and done, they will have contributed to a book of their own. Beyond Dream-Do-Achieve will be a collection of essays written by the Emily K’s Pioneer Scholars. The fundamental pillars on which the 63 Pioneer Scholars build their character are Heart, High Expectations, Hard Work, Integrity, Honesty and Respect. Each student selected one of the six pillars and wrote a composition about what that word means to them and a time in their lives in which they were able to show that particular trait. As discussed in Beyond Basketball, the kids were able to identify with the concept that you can look up all the definitions of words you want, but you don’t own them until you can define them with a story from your own life.
Each student was also presented with their own signed copy ofBeyond Basketball. One of the students mentioned in the parking lot afterward that it was the first time anyone had given her a book.
As I read through the rough drafts, I became truly impressed by the complex understanding these youngsters had of some difficult concepts and I truly feel as if their takes on the pillar words enhanced my own comprehension of the concepts — I do believe that anyone who reads the final product will feel the same.
On my subsequent visit to the Center, I was able to meet individually with each of the students to discuss my notes on their final draft. I think this was my favorite afternoon spent at the Emily K, having the opportunity to meet with each of the kids one-on-one, look them in the eye, and talk to them about their composition.
We also selected four girls to work together after normal Center hours one evening on a foreword for their book. Jadiya Oates (Grade Six, Pearson Middle School), LaTosha Ruffin (Grade Six, Carrington Middle School), Leona Vareene (Grade Five, Eno Valley Elementary School), Alyzia McAlmon (Grade Six, Brogden Middle School) and I had dinner together at the Center one evening as we outlined the elements essential to their book’s introduction. Each girl was given the task of completing one paragraph of the foreword in addition to their composition. They accepted this with smiles and I could tell they thought of it as an opportunity rather than an assignment.
On one more visit, I met individually with Alyzia McAlmon. I am so impressed with Alyzia’s writing but, even more, with her presence. She is a confident young woman with genuine eyes. When you converse with her, she truly listens. On top of that, she is impressively intelligent. After Alyzia interviewed me for a school project, I asked if she would take the time to help me with a project of my own. Alyzia graciously accepted and wrote up a reflection of the Beyond Dream-Do-Achieve project forBlue Planet.
Anyone who has read the Emily K Center Annual Report knows that the Center is producing some amazing results. Standardized tests conducted upon program entry showed 66% of the students reading below grade level. Follow-up tests have 62% now reading above grade level. Now, Marleah, Adam, Amy and the Emily K Center staff plan to extend the Pioneer Scholars program (K-8th) into a Scholars to College program that will continue to work with the youngsters in high school and support them through matriculation. The Center hopes to establish meaningful, decade-or-longer, relationships with kids who lack the means, but not the talent, to do it on their own.
My experience over the past few months with the students at the Emily K has been a reminder to me of what winning means and how it happens. It can be a reminder to all of us that we are not being naïve to think that “old school” values still produce results, that belief still works, and that dreams come true. It happens. It happens at the Emily K Center. It happens on the basketball court. It happens at Duke. If you are willing to believe, you could see it too.
ALYZIA McALMON ON THE EMILY K CENTER & THE PIONEER SCHOLARS PROGRAM
I enjoy the Emily K Center. It is a wonderful place to get work done. Ever since I started the Pioneer Scholars program I’ve been doing even better at school. The Emily K Center is like a fun place to get homework done. At the Emily K Center every week we have students from Duke University volunteer to help us with our work. Each group has their own Lead Tutor. My Lead Tutor is Ms. Heather. She is an excellent Lead Tutor.
Earlier this year, the students in the Pioneer Scholars program began a project called “Beyond Dream-Do-Achieve.” This project was for each student to write about a time that they used one of the pillars and learned from it. The pillars we follow at the EKC are: Heart, High Expectations, Hard Work, Integrity, Honesty, and Respect.
My contribution to this project was a story about a time when I was younger and I learned the positive effects of demonstrating Heart. I learned a lot from writing this story. By writing this story I learned a lot more about the pillars and what they truly are about.
Personally, I thought the best part of this project was brainstorming something to write about. The brainstorming process was tough because there have been so many points in my life where I have showed one of the six pillars. I was also honored to have the opportunity to meet Jamie Spatola and work with her on other projects. That was very special to me.
Having this learning opportunity has inspired me to become a writer. It has also helped me to develop the skills necessary to be successful in my future. I will definitively put this on my college resume. It is an honor to be chosen to participate in this program.
-Alyzia McAlmon, Grade 6
The Duke Basketball Legacy Fund is one in a million. Or perhaps it is better said that the Legacy Fund is unique, first of all, because its members have to give a million to be one. No doubt, this type of entry fee brings together a group of individuals who have set themselves apart in their respective fields and have the ability and desire to give to endeavors they believe to be worthy of their support. So just what is it about the Legacy Fund that each of its 34 historical and 29 active members have found to be so worthy?
As a member of the Duke Basketball Legacy Fund, one does receive certain exclusive benefits that would make most Duke Basketball fans drool: exclusive and premium-seating tickets to all Duke Basketball games including to the ACC and NCAA Tournament, use of the private Legacy Room at games in Cameron Indoor, invitations to all Duke Basketball events, a yearly trip on a team charter flight, and an annual Legacy Fund dinner hosted at the Krzyzewski home. A tempting package indeed, but hardly on the level of having a university building named in your honor or other forms of recognition that would typically accompany such a generous donation. But Legacy Fund members — or “partners” as they are more appropriately called — are not in it for the recognition. What membership means to these individuals is suggested by the name of the group itself; these are people committed to the Duke Basketball Legacy. It’s about the name on the front of the jersey.
Legacy partners do not join because they seek gratitude and personal recognition, they join because they believe. Just as Tommy Amaker, Bobby Hurley, Christian Laettner, Jason Williams, and Carlos Boozer have left their lasting mark on Duke Basketball through their character and talents on the basketball court, Legacy partners have made the decision to use the fruits of their success in their respective fields to become a part of the team that has and continues to set the bar for college athletic programs. In fact, many of the players and managers that chose to believe in Duke Basketball as part of the team during their student days, have chosen to continue their support and involvement as Legacy Fund partners. Three-time All-America and seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill was the Legacy Fund’s first member and chairman, forming the Grant and Tamia Hill Scholarship in 2000 which has since provided the scholarship support for Blue Devil greats Nate James, Mike Dunleavy, Dahntay Jones, Chris Duhon, J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams, Josh McRoberts, and, this year, Gerald Henderson. Christian Laettner and Brian Davis, who were co-captains and roommates during their time at Duke, have also shown their continued commitment with a $2 million donation. In joining the partnership, Grant and Tamia; Christian and Lisa; and Brian and Marcia have exhibited their desire to remain a part of the Duke Basketball legacy for years to come.
And thanks to the Legacy Fund partners, the legacy becomes increasingly impressive and is moving quickly toward its goal. The team is on its way to the goal of fully endowing the basketball program at Duke to include player scholarships, coach salaries, and the building of a capital fund to ensure basketball facilities continue to grow to meet the needs of the program into the future. Since being a part of a basketball team can sometimes be about statistics, here are some of the Legacy Fund’s impressive numbers.
*To date, the group has contributed a total of $58.2 million to Duke Basketball-related projects.
*$18 million has gone to the completion of the Schwartz-Butters Athletic Center which houses men’s and women’s basketball offices and locker rooms, the Hall of Honor, and an academic center.
*$18 million has gone to the creation of the Michael W. Krzyzewski Center — Dedicated to Academic and Athletic Excellence, which will include a practice facility, upgraded weight room, classroom and computer lab, video theatre, and event hall.
*11 Men’s Basketball scholarships have been completely endowed, including 10 players and one student manager.
*The Associate Head Coach position has been endowed.
*$3.55 million has gone to renovations of historic Cameron Indoor Stadium including air conditioning installation and upgrades to the locker rooms and concourse area.
*Additionally, the Legacy Fund has allowed for upgraded recruiting travel and financial compensation for the top-notch Duke coaching staff, upgraded video and computer equipment for team use, and a one-of-a-kind overseas basketball trip for the Duke squad in 2003.
As everyone in the Duke Basketball family is aware, the success of a great team depends on more than statistical excellence. It is about communication and the forming of relationships. The Legacy Fund has stood out in this area as well, initially funding the creation of the K Academy which has just completed its fifth year and has proven itself to be the top sports fantasy camp in the country and the only of its kind in college basketball. Furthermore, the Legacy partners initially helped to fund the creation of The Coach K/Fuqua Conference on Leadership which brings some of the top leaders in the country in all fields to Duke each October. To add to the Legacy group’s list of “firsts” and “onlys,” this leadership conference is the first collaborative athletics/business school venture in the country. For a project that began only seven years ago, in 2000, these are some pretty spectacular accomplishments.
However, for both the team on the court and the supporting team off the court, there is more work to be done. As the Duke players and coaching staff continue to pursue championships, the rest of the team is hard at work helping provide them with the means to do so, and more importantly, discovering new and creative ways to extend that success on the court to worthy partnerships and endeavors off the court. Projects still on the agenda are the establishment of three more student-athlete scholarships, further renovations to Cameron including the scoreboard and sound system, endowments for the head coach and two remaining assistant coach positions, and the endowment of the entire basketball operating fund. Upcoming Legacy Fund projects include a focus on the long-term preservation of Cameron Indoor Stadium, ensuring that Crazies for decades to come can raise the roof in the historic arena.
Not to go without mention is the Legacy Fund staff, who are unique in their own right. There is Mike Cragg, the Director of the Legacy Fund, Rachel Curtis, the Associate Director of the Legacy Fund, Debbie Savarino, Assistant Director of the Legacy (and Director of External Relations), and Erin Andrews, Administrative Assistant for the Legacy Fund. The group is extraordinarily talented and gifted, most noticeably in their creativity which lends a special flair to each and every Duke Basketball event; none is ever like the other.
According to Fund Director, Mike Cragg, “No other school or sports program in the country has what we do in a donor program and a head coach that had the vision of leaving the program he guides financially secure and independent upon his retirement.” Indeed, Legacy partners accomplish a sense of team mirrored by the program to which they so generously give their support. They have given of themselves to be a part of something bigger. As a result, they have not only “joined” the effort of the Duke Basketball staff and players in leaving a lasting legacy, they have helped to define and hone exactly what that unique legacy will be.
