Five questions with Lee Mitchell

The only soccer coach Alta High School has ever known, Lee Mitchell coaches both the boys and girls soccer teams for the Hawks. The girls won state title No. 11 for the humble man at the helm last week — seven titles with the girls and four with the boys. Staff writer Michael Black caught up with Mitchell to find out some of his memories and secrets during all that success.

Question: What do you think are the attributes of a good coach and what do you think are your top qualities as the man in charge?

Answer: They need to understand the game, but even more importantly they need to understand their players and be able to mesh those players together. Stress unity. I like to bring in alumni to speak to them, and we always do some sort of retreat where they have to learn to depend on each other, build team trust.

Question: What is your favorite or at least most memorable moment?

Answer: I can't say just one. There have been so many moments that I can't pick just one. A couple of them that stand out are 1997 with the boys. They really came together as a team. At the beginning of the year it wasn't great, but by the end, they were really playing together. Probably 2006 where the girls came back from two goals down against a very good Lone Peak team and we won 4-2. The shootout the other night will always be there, too. Just the emotion of the girls and the excitement, tension and then celebration.

Question: What type of adjustments do you make to your coaching style when coaching the boys compared to the girls?

Answer: With the boys, we don't need as much time as the girls do to bond or connect, socialize. The boys can just go in and play, the girls really need to take their time to bond together. The training is pretty much the same. There is just a different psyche between the boys and girls. I am not a very smart guy, so it took me a long time to figure that out how different they are socially.

Question: What do you like about the sport of soccer?

I have always loved it. I started playing when I was 12. There weren't youth leagues back then, so the adults in my ward would take me out and beat the crap out of me. Then I played in high school and the club level, adult leagues and any chance I got until I got into coaching. I love that it is a players' game. They dictate what goes on. There isn't as much about coaching, the players go out and decide the game. They are always creating and playing the beautiful game.

Question: How do you coach a player when they are the caliber of a national team member such as some of the Alta greats you have had like Katie Larkin, Shane Jones and most recently Kealia Ohai?

Answer: We still preach the team concept. There will be individual challenges that I will try to get to them, push them to do above others, but mostly we push the team concept and expect them to step up and be a leader.