Clearing the air
By Andy Hamilton
Iowa City Press-Citizen
Inside the visiting locker room last Saturday night, the frustration of failure gave way to brutal honesty for the Iowa wrestling team.
With a glance at the exasperated look on the faces of his coaches, Mark Perry Jr. started a therapy session for the Hawkeyes.
The night before, Iowa coach Jim Zalesky had questioned his team’s toughness and said it needed leadership after second-ranked Illinois hammered his team in Champaign. For nearly a half hour on the team bus, Zalesky and his assistants let the Hawkeyes have it for their effort.
But what more could the coaches say Saturday night that hadn’t already been said? There was no page in Iowa’s coaching manual for this — the Hawkeyes’ first loss to Northwestern in 37 years. This wasn’t the time for another kick in the pants from Zalesky.
This was a time for the wrestlers to say something. So Perry, a forthright freshman, cut to the core of Iowa’s problems and began the conversation.
They were issues Perry felt needed to be put out in the open, no matter how difficult the subjects were to address.
“It’d be like someone’s girlfriend is cheating on him and you know, but you don’t tell him, “Perry said. “The only reason I said what I said is because I don’t like to lose and we shouldn’t be losing these matches.”
“Some of the things that were said probably (upset) people, but they definitely needed to be said, “freshman 125-pounder Charlie Falck said. “The truth sometimes hurt, and it’s not always going to make everybody happy.”
Perry talked about his personal shortcomings. He talked about his teammates and voiced his opinions about why they were losing matches he felt they should win. He talked about representing Iowa wrestling and doing things that would turn the recent downward spiral into a seven-week climb to the top.
“It didn’t necessarily need to be said by me, “he said. “It was going to be said sooner or later because I know the coaches. I could just see it in all of their faces. They were frustrated.”
For an hour, the Hawkeyes spilled the truth on the locker room floor inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. They called each other out. They made themselves accountable. They apologized, not for what was said but for what had already been done.
Paul Bradley — the 184-pound All-American who spent January buried in the worst slump of his career — said he was sorry for the letting his team down by losing four of his last five matches after a 10-0 start.
Adam Fellers — a junior who began the season with hopes of winning the 174-pound spot — apologized for spending a month sulking when he didn’t get the job. When it was his turn to speak Saturday night, Fellers gave a message to those who haven’t been completely been on board with Zalesky and his coaches.
“If you don’t buy into the program, you’re wasting your time, “said Fellers, who recently bumped up to wrestle at 197. “I think a lot of guys are fighting it and think they have better ways of doing stuff — even the guys who are successful, like (Ty) Eustice sometimes. I’ve been fighting the program. Since I felt I didn’t get a fair shot, I’ve been fighting it and it’s not getting me anywhere.”
Inside the Iowa locker room last Saturday night, the Hawkeyes vowed to band tighter together and become more vocal about issues bothering the team. They trained through January with the pedal pushed to the floor, but some of the wrestlers wondered if they had temporarily run out of gas last weekend.
They told Zalesky they needed a day off, something Perry said his teammates might have been hesitant to say prior to the clear-the-air meeting.
“If you’re sore and beat up, you’ve got to communicate that to the coaches, “Zalesky said. “I don’t think they were giving me that at all.
“I learned a lot of things that guys are keeping inside and not communicating to the coaches. Finally, somebody stepped up and said some things that needed to be said from an athlete point of view, instead of a coaching point of view. When something comes from the coaches, it’s one thing. When your peers say something, sometimes it hits home a lot more.”
Zalesky gave his team Sunday off. It was Iowa’s first day without competition, practice or travel since late December. The Hawkeyes spent Sunday night eating a team meal cooked by Perry’s mother.
They went through a light workout on Monday and broke Tuesday’s practice into individual sessions. Those involved all seemed to agree Saturday night’s meeting was productive, but Zalesky and company are looking for the words to turn into actions now.
In less than two years with the program, Perry has already become one of the most respected wrestlers on the Iowa roster for more reasons than just his ability. His teammates admire his unwavering confidence and appreciate his call-it-like-he-sees-it attitude.
“He really reminds me a lot of Royce Alger, “Fellers said. “It could be a game of ping-pong and he’s never picked up a paddle in his life, but when he comes into the place, he’s the baddest guy at it. That’s what we need right now. If everybody had the same mentality as Mark Perry, we’d have 10 All-Americans, 10 national champs and we’d blow everybody out.
“But everybody reads into everything too much. They read the paper, they read articles in magazines, the Internet, all that (expletive) and it gets to guys.”
After Iowa’s top three juniors lost Friday night, Perry called them out individually in Saturday’s Press-Citizen.
“If it takes a freshman to open our eyes and get us going, it’s for the better. Everything he said was right on point, “Bradley said. “Some of the stuff he says may be a little harsh, but we all know he’s in our corner. He’s only saying things because he wants us to get the most out of ourselves.”
Perry said Joe Johnston needed to believe in himself more. He said Eustice and Bradley were too talented to be standing around against lesser opponents. Perry said he feels Bradley is the best 184-pounder in the country, but questioned why his teammate hasn’t been showing it.
“Guys need that, “Fellers said. “Bradley should have that quote from Perry hanging in his locker. He should read it every day just so he knows he’s too good to wrestle like that. I think it was good.”
Some outside the Iowa room may have felt Perry was out of line by publicly challenging his teammates. Zalesky said he had no problem with Perry’s comments.
“One of the best things about (Perry), he doesn’t care what guys think of him, “Iowa assistant Tim Hartung said. “He’s not going to hold back what he’s feeling just to have another friend, which is kind of the mindset of a leader.”
Hartung said one of the things the Hawkeyes have been sorely missing is a team leader to guide a lineup that features six freshmen and no seniors.
Perry said he’s not trying to take over the leadership role. He said he doesn’t think he deserves it yet, anyway.
Said Perry: “I told Bradley and Johnston that they have the ability and it’s time. There’s no more time to be losing to guys who aren’t at your level. You need to be going undefeated and winning the nationals. It’s not time to be feeling sorry for yourselves; it’s time to for you guys to step up and I said you guys have to carry this team into the nationals.”
Inside the locker room last Saturday night, the Hawkeyes promised to change some of their wrongdoings for the stretch run, which continues tonight at No. 19 Penn State.
Iowa (6-4) will try to avoid its first three-meet losing streak since 1967, which was also the last year the Hawkeyes sustained more than four defeats.
“I would be very surprised to not see a drastic change in the way we wrestle throughout the rest of the season, “Perry said. “If there isn’t a change, I wouldn’t know what to say if I were the coaches. It’s not their fault in the first place. After what was said, either it changes or (the wrestlers) aren’t going to get any farther than they are right now.
“Not one guy on our entire team is where they want to be heading into the national tournament. We still need some time. I’m sure if this team could, we would like to have the nationals in 24 months, but we can make the changes in the next three or four weeks.”
Reach Andy Hamilton at 339-7368 or [email protected].
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