AUBURN, Ala. – First-year Auburn women’s basketball coach Larry Vickers wants his team to be dialed in.
Make that, DIALED in, with each letter representing a foundational principle.
D: Dedicated
I: Intensity
A: Accountability
L: Leadership
E: Energy
D: Disciplined
Nearly three months into his new role, Vickers shared a program update at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce’s weekly Tuesday Talk, starting with the word he shares on the first page of the handbook he’s written for the student-athletes he coaches.
“The D stands for dedicated,” he said. “I really respect the grind, I told my staff if you want to get my respect, just grind. That’s something I hope you see in my teams.
“The I is for intensity. Being intense every day is difficult, especially for college students.
“The A is accountability. I want to hold my teams accountable. That’s really important to me.
“The L is for leadership. I want everybody to be a leader in their own area. We want to learn from our mistakes.
“The next E is energy.
“Our last D is discipline. For young people, that is the best one. That’s the most difficult one for them to understand.”