The coach of the year celebrates the brains behind the team. Many times the coaches do not get the appreciation for their work when their team is winning, but are thrown under bus right away when the team is losing. Coach of the year highlights the coach that is able to take the players from different places and bring them together to make a cohesive team. The honor of coach of the year for the sixth season of the Overwatch League goes to the Florida Mayhem’s head coach Jordan ‘Gunba’ Graham.
Tough love. That is how Gunba defined his coaching style. As a coach he made sure that the team understood that it was not acceptable to lose. That meant that the players had to be very reflective on their own abilities and the potentially harsh feedback of their scrims as well as matches. But in the end that pragmatic style made the team focus their mind set on winning.
Gunba mentioned that the players deserved a lot of credit, because it isn’t easy to work and succeed under that kind of environment. The realistic approach made it clear what the team was good at and not good at. Because the goal was always to be the best at the composition that they were playing. The team was forced to adapt many times, but that just strengthened the team and the players mindset.
As Gunba was a part of the Overwatch League since the beginning, him and Caleb ‘McGravy’ McGarveywere able to share the experience that they have acquired. Together they were able to help cultivate the team and build on their strengths to help them succeed.
Gunba in his speech gave credit to Albert Yeh the team’s GM as well as the players and McGravy. He knows that to be a head coach means that it isn’t a job that can be done alone. It is his team and community that helped him achieve this award. Congratulations Gunba for coach of the year.
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