"Did not make an effort to support players’ mental health after the death of beloved coach whose position she was filling. Promised many players amounts of playing time that she did not follow through with (dishonest at worst, not direct at best). Year to year tends to bench upperclassmen and focuses on playing underclassmen. Expects players who have been on bench a whole game to go up to bat in the last innings of a game that the team is losing and change the momentum of the game without a heads up or warm up. Has clear favorites that benefits neither the favored players or non favored players. Does not feed players even a bare minimum of food on week long training trips and didn’t allow players to spend time or eat with family who traveled to watch games. Struggles to maintain a healthy emotional boundary with players re: her personal life. Pro: softball knowledge and experience playing in college. "
"Coach Ali is new to head coaching and Division I. While there are a few areas of concern, I expect that as she gains experience, maturity, and confidence in her position she will become a great coach. This would be a good fit for players who are looking to help build up a newer D1 program and are comfortable communicating openly with the coaching staff, even when that means initiating tough conversations.
Some positive points:
- She knows the game well and her coaching is strategic.
- She cares about grades and life outside of softball and wants to make sure that her players have a well rounded experience.
- She makes sure to work in time for fun and friendly competition at practice.
- She wants open communication from players so that the team can learn and grow together.
- She implements more individualized practice time to try to work on each players strengths and weaknesses and is available for additional one on one time outside practice for players who want it.
Some places for improvement:
- Her organization beyond the field is not ideal. She struggled a bit with things like providing meals when traveling, especially for players with dietary restrictions. She would benefit from delegating these responsibilities to assistant coaches or gaining access to more supportive resources through the athletic department.
- As much as she values open communication from her players, she is not always the best at direct communication and is sometimes ambiguous seemingly to avoid hurting feelings. She expects players to come to her rather than initiating conversations on her end.
- She can sometimes come across as if she does not care when players are injured or as if she is urging them to play through injuries, but that is not the case. She does care, but if players say they are fine she will believe them even if it is clear that they are not. This is another reason that it is important to communicate openly and honestly. She relies on players to take the initiative to tell her when they are injured or cannot perform and will not make that judgment on her own.
"
"Type of coach who only cares about certain players. Wants good for programs, but does not demonstrate the leadership mentality or personality that helps team cultures thrive at the division 1 level. The team culture was the worst it ever was when she was brought in, we actually grew apart based off her speaking with select players for information & gossiping. Knowledgable about the game, but did not buy into her talent & players. "
"As an accomplished club swimmer, I am disappointed as I was recently recruited by Coach Matt only to find out that the school has no intentions of ever building a pool on campus. The captains stay to themselves and actually pick the events (not the coach) and Matt even brags that he has ADHD. I am finding out he takes no accountability for the disorganization either. Assistant coach is trying to leave, it is a mess. For a D1 program, the best thing is we can use the football teams weight room (very nice)."
"As a current parent of a current swimmer on the team, I am making this review for the empathy I have for the families that Matt has made their swimmers life miserable. He cut one girl off the team without notice because she wanted to take a year off to recover from an injury and another because she became in disfavor because one of the junior girl captains simply didn't want her to compete. My daughter will definitely go into the transfer portal next spring so making this anonymous so she does not get affected by his knee jerk reactions. Take a look at his Bio, simply no D1 type experience and first time coaching women."
"Matt admittedly has never coached a women's swim team and is inexperienced with the complexity of the girls relationships. He ignores the drama within the team which creates a divide and dissention amongst the swimmers. He is also, I have observed, impulsive with decisions once kicking the senior captains off of their leadership role on a Friday because they were drinking on a swim trip only to reinstate them the next day after a parent called them to complain and threaten to have his best swimmer go into the transfer portal if he didn't make her captain again. Simply professionally immature at this time."
"Not at all experienced, was chosen by Stonehill because he was the only one that interviewed. Never coached women before and is not very communicative. Brags he has ADHD as his excuse for being disorganized. Not to be trusted and program not fully supported. Swimmers in transfer portal every year."
"Very disorganized, treats swimmers mental health poorly, does not do well with injured swimmers, and encourages toxic team culture. Untrustworthy and treats swimmers unfairly. "
"Poor communication, doesn't play to win, horrible in game strategist, favors serial failures over more talented "back up" players. Doesn't staff the coaches for the team accordingly. Coaches he does bring in are void of moral character and are "invited to leave". He has complete narcissistic tendencies. Steer very clear of this coach if you want to have a good college baseball experience, unless you enjoy mental abuse. "
"Awful person, has her favorites and does not care about players mental health. Also does not care about academics. Many players left team while I played there. Do not recommend! "
"Does not help players develop. Very little feedback, is not honest about playing time puts players down more than she lifts them up. Does not worry about players basic needs such as food. Did not take an injured player for treatment while on the road. As far as I can tell she is in over her head"
"Had a great visit. Very nice typical New England campus with some beautiful new buildings including the business school and the athletic complex. Hockey house is very nice."
"This review is strictly for the ice rink (Foxboro Sports Center / Bridgewater), the on campus gym and facility is actually very nice. The off campus rink is unacceptable at the D1 level as the only team in the league that has to take transportation to get to the rink everyday, and has to fight for good ice slots as well. They have to build a rink on campus or they will have no way of competing for recruits with programs that have on campus rinks."
"The better half of the Borges coaching duo - absolutely loved this guy and was a huge piece in the 2019-2020 championship season (which was also his first season as assistant coach)."
"He is a smart, caring coach, but lacks the motivational aspect every great coach needs. Poor communicator as well, but a good recruiter which has led him to some successful championship campaigns. "
"I have a high level of respect for her. She can be extremely tough on us and has a win at any cost attitude but, this creates motivation and instills a teamwide drive to work harder in all aspects whether it be on the field or in the classroom. She's a great person and coach. "
"Really shady dude, someone you absolutely would not trust in any situation. Has no respect from any of his players or assistant coaches. Disappointing because you can tell he knows a lot about the game."
"Coach Boen is the most inspirational Coach I have ever run for. She motivates and supports all of her athletes. It is apparent through her daily attitude and actions that she loves the sport and wants the best for all of her athletes. She has been a huge role model in my life and I am grateful that I got to be coached by her. I give Coach Karen Boen the highest rating possible and she makes proud to be a Stonehill Skyhawk."
"She has her favorites off the field but that never effects playing time. If you're the best you'll play even if she doesn't like you. She likes attitude. She doesn't always tell you what you're doing wrong but If you go to her and ask she's always willing to talk and will be 100% straight forward with you. Any negatives about her is outweighed by how awesome the team/teammates are."
"Coach Gale cares about his players and wants them to succeed on and off the field. He knows a lot about the game and brings the best out of a player."
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