Join ORU Athletics every Friday in a weekly series featuring interviews with coaches and staff members.
10 Questions with Ryan Bush, Head Men's Soccer Coach at Oral Roberts University:
- Personally, how are you and your family doing as you work and play from home?
We are doing well. It is a different experience. We have 4 kids all under the age of 6 so there has not been a dull moment.
- Any tips on entertaining the kids?
This is an interesting question for me. Most people who know me understand that fun and entertainment are not necessarily my "go to." The most important things are routine and schedule. If the kids get bored for a period of time without something to entertain them, they entertain themselves. This typically has a circus feel to it and demands several hours of clean-up and recovery afterwards. Playing in the back yard, wrestling matches, and taking walks have become the "go to's."
- During this "stay at home" period we're in, how are you communicating with your staff and players?
We have set up multiple layers of communication and accountability. Our team is broken into mini academic groups of three players who correspond daily with a team captain. Each coach has been assigned multiple groups where they check in on the team academic captains daily to make sure they are corresponding with their teams. We have set up a Group Me that is very active. There are ongoing contests inside of that, including a karaoke contest and fitness contest currently. We have continued our team building exercises every Wednesday at 4 p.m. through Zoom. Currently, our players will be following our atomic habits where they will log-in to a group Dropbox and check off their academic and functional training tasks for the day. Our players and staff are doing a great job.
- What complications are in play with so many international players?
There are no complications in play with our international players. Currently, they are at home and safe and working diligently with the rest of us to take care of academics and prepare for next season. However, our Italian international, Patrick Consol,was not able to make it back to Italy. He has a brother in the states also playing college soccer so luckily, he is not alone and is able to be with family.
- The NCAA has limited the recruiting rules during this time. What are the biggest challenges you're facing while recruiting from home?
We were blessed to have finished our recruiting for the 2020 season before the pandemic. However, we did almost have one of our coaches get stuck in France a few weeks ago before the lockdown. The biggest issue that will arise is getting in front of the 2021 class. However, there is competition parity because everybody is in the same situation. Lucky for us, we do a lot of international recruiting through full-game video analysis. That has not stopped.
- What can you tell us about ORU's new signees and where you are in recruiting?
We are excited to have finished the current recruiting class. We added a complementary mix of players with a lot of speed and athleticism. It will again be a diverse group of players. New Zealand, France and Japan are all a part of that diversity for this incoming class as well as many local area Oklahoma and Dallas players. As always, we have recruited extremely high character and hardworking kids and as they have aged into the program, that has proven to be our edge.
- Last year was a breakthrough season with a 13-4 record, national ranking, and a share of the conference title. What factors led to the success?
I think there are many factors that are involved in that equation. Two years ago, we started from scratch with a young team. A lot of those players are now entering their junior and senior years. As they have aged into the program, there has been a transformation of culture, which has transformed the players. In 2018, we were off to the best start in program history and late in the season we experienced a lot of key injuries. Those injuries dropped 80% in 2019. Experience and being healthy were key components. However, the most important thing that we will go back to is the culture we have produced inside of our program. There has been a massive buy-in from our players on what we would call a culture that is unique to Division I sports. Ultimately, that buy-in has produced. I credit the players for their unwavering determination to execute our core values at the highest level. This is 100% of the equation for us and across the board if you ask an ORU men's soccer player, he would concur.
- How have you seen the culture of ORU men's soccer change over the last several years?
As players have gone from their freshman to junior years, I believe their buy-in to our culture has transformed them as people. Your players are your best creators and implementers of culture. A freshman simply cannot reproduce himself inside of another freshman. However, a junior and senior can. I give a lot of credit to our upperclassmen for their buy-In, transformation and reproduction back into the younger classes. I credit the staff and the University for creating that platform. Years ago, we stole a platitude from the All Blacks, the winningest sports program in history. Better people make better ORU soccer players. A lot of seeds sown and cultivated in the past are starting to bear fruit. Culture is not an overnight thing and the best is yet to come.
- What is your "way too early" forecast for the 2020 soccer season?
Our first goal is to create the best playing experience in college soccer. My forecast is we will. Then, championships.
- What message do you have to lift up your players during this difficult time?
When I got the news that our spring season was cancelled, I was shocked. This is one of the best groups of kids I have ever worked with. I don't believe one of us wanted to leave the spring season with work undone and we are better together. I immediately sent them a letter that was well received. However, inside our program, we are very aware that pressure creates opportunity for elevation. This is a pressing time. There is a different level of accountability and tenacity that has to be undertaken when away from one another to achieve our team's standards. It is not just performance based. We are in a situation like every other team where players are dealing with real life stresses from the current pandemic. Sports, like life, does not build character. Sports is simply a crucible used for exposure. What we do with the exposure is what manufactures character. Storms, trials and pressures in life interacted properly produce greater capacity on the other side. When the pressure subsides and normalcy is achieved, I believe you are going to see a group of young men with far greater capacity to go to battle.
10 Questions with....
March 27, 2020 – Mike Carter
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