Baseball coach Matt LaCour goes back to school to study football coach
It’s all-out work in weight room
In 2013, Matt LaCour was The Times’ coach of the year after guiding Harvard-Westlake to the Southern Section Division 1 baseball championship. That hardly means he has stopped trying to learn from others.
“Every year, I try to go out and see somebody different,” he said.
A couple weeks ago, LaCour asked Crespi football Coach Troy Thomas if he could drop by practice to watch. What is a baseball coach doing watching a football coach in action?
“I thought it would be a good opportunity to see how he did things,” LaCour said.
Over two days, LaCour was given access to meetings with players and meetings with coaches. He got to see the Countdowns, where players have to do situps and pushups in unison.
“The stories of Troy Thomas are legendary,” LaCour said. “Everybody is saying he’s crazy. I didn’t see crazy. I saw someone real smart with a plan.”
What did he learn?
“The way they talk to the players, the discipline they demand and how much they care about them is impressive,” he said.
So get ready for Harvard-Westlake baseball players to be doing lots of Countdowns, right?
“It’s all about mental toughness,” LaCour said.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
