The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/480355
the way while the talent around him has upgraded to be more competitive. No longer do the Wolverines aim to slow down the game and keep the score within striking distance — hop- ing to mount a surprise victory at the end. Now, they go toe to toe with most opponents they find themselves up against. "I think the biggest step forward for us was going into this year," Meter said. "We realized we don't need to play a game that's so passive and slow- ing it down as much. We can just play the game the way most teams play in Division I — pushing the tempo, not necessarily hanging back and kind of taking what's given to you, as opposed to just try to come in with the game plan that we're going to slow it down." Even from his days leading the Wol- verines' club team, Paul has preached culture to his teams. The atmosphere around the program has shifted with his squad coming ever closer to achiev- ing that culture — with the tough tran- sition from a club operation to the day in, day out grind required to succeed against the best teams in the nation — but there's still a ways to go. "The mantra that we've been preach- ing from day one is just our culture," he said. "I don't think we're there yet, but it's a lot different than it was in year one. That's a big, big part of that success and a big part of that culture. Not just the work we're putting in and the decisions we're making off the field, a big part of that culture is also confidence. Our guys just feel like they can compete now, and that makes a big difference." Paul has a number of potential role models on his very own campus. The legacy of athletic success in the Univer- sity of Michigan's history has not gone unnoticed. Even programs that have a similar recent trajectory to his own can provide a template for success. When men's basketball head coach John Beilein arrived on campus, he took over a program that had strug- gled under his predecessor. Progress wasn't quick, but Beilein trusted his process and surrounded himself with assistants who were determined to work toward the same goal. Eight years into his Michigan career, Beilein has made five NCAA Tournaments. "I'm a great admirer of and am for- tunately able to share a lot with Coach Beilein and his staff," Paul said. "His staff is incredible — it's not just Beilein, it's the guys he has working with him also — it's a huge, huge part of their success. "I have a similar idea of how you build a program. It's all about estab- lishing what your values are as a pro- gram and teaching those values, and then finding ways to live them." It will be a tall task for Paul and his charges to reach the same level that Beilein's program has. The Maize and Blue start the 2015 lacrosse season in a new era for the sport: for the first time ever, the Big Ten conference will field a lacrosse league. The additions of Mary- land and Rutgers (along with previous members Ohio State and Penn State) to the conference opened the door for Johns Hopkins, one of the sport's pow- ers, to join as an associate member for lacrosse only. The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays and Maryland Terrapins are two of the