In September, Rob Williams will be the coach for the England 50+ team competing at the European Pickleball Championships in Rome.
Before then, he heads into Premier Pickleball League Masters action as part of Team PSO.
He describes the draft as “an inexact science”, reflecting the brand of team owners Polats Sports Organisation, for whom he coaches. PSO will be running the racquet sports provision at a new Akra hotel in Turkey, currently under construction, which will have eight dedicated pickleball courts as well as provision for padel and tennis when it opens next year.
However, draft picks also need to be great players who work together well and will enjoy their season together.
“We’re looking at a mix of certain personalities and playing styles and abilities,” he says, revealing that he created a spreadsheet listing every player in the draft, attended the league tryouts, and did a bit of extra research on the players with whom he was less familiar. “I used all the resources: my own insight from playing against people, my insight from watching them at the tryouts, asking around on people, going to watch a few people, and then it depends on how the cards fall, because, obviously, it depends where your draft positions fall, depends on what choices are available for you. It’s almost like a fantasy football league when you’re drafting: where do you fall in the draft and what can you get?”
Another plus-point that stemmed from all that research was having a good sense of what picks the other teams would make before it got to him, meaning Rob had an informed idea of the field he’d have to select from.
“You get into ‘That person’s going to pick that person, then that person’s going to definitely pick that person because I picked that person, then I’ll pick that person, which means they’ll probably take that person.'”
Rob didn’t end up second-guessing himself or being wrong-footed by other teams; the toughest part was having to decide between some players that shared some similar qualities and would be an asset to his squad. Ultimately his team now comprises Ato Stephens, Fe Edwards, Hayley Thompson, Mathew Cordell, and Sharon Tinsley.
Two of those selections he was very familiar with before the draft.
“If you want somebody that’s going to bring energy and fun to a court, you pick Ato,” says Rob. “Fe is a known winner. She’s a classic tough competitor that no one wants to play against, that fights all the way really hard and is a great all rounder.”
He points to the fact that his squad has been picked via every possible route: “whether it’s experience, history, knowing them, seeing them through one of our our trips, trials, reputation, and scouting.
“I can rest easy in my decisions, I’ve used every tool in the box, every opportunity to find things out, and every route I could do to pick a player, I’ve done it.”
Of course, Rob has plenty of experience when it comes to tactics and strategy, but there’s one factor that matters to him above all else.
“I said at the start of last season, the only winning that really mattered to me, my only success metric, was whether we were all friends and had fun at the end of the season.
“I want us to just enjoy competing together, be supportive to each other, and be friends at the end of it, and let’s not worry about all the other stuff, because if we get the energy right and we’ve got the right talent, the winning will take care of itself.”
Season 3 of the Premier Pickleball League starts this weekend in Corby, with Challenger and Masters action scheduled for Saturday 19th and Premier on Sunday 20th July.
