Ep. 3 - Mac, MAD Lions Head Coach, on 2020, roster-building, and talent development

MAD Lions Head Coach James "Mac" MacCormack talks us through his
rookie team's 2020 accomplishments, his coaching philosophies,
and his approach to talent scouting and player development.


Follow Mac at twitter.com/MacCLoL
Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen


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Show Notes



0:00 Introduction


2:48 Perspective on MAD Lions' overall achievements in
2020

4:58 - Relating Structure and Environment/Experience to
success of the year



6:20 - Messaging to give your team in difficult situations

9:00 - Coaching isn’t just about the game; messaging at
worlds when losing

11:10 - Looking back on good moments

12:35 - Using negative feelings and losing as motivators


13:30 Mac's background for getting into coaching
LoL

14:10 - Working with Intz, doing analysis/scouting

17:24 - Skillsets, improvement, and development as a coach
along career


21:50 Building out the MAD Lions roster

25:25 - Scouting and free agency during the regular season

26:50 - Other players that MAD Lions was scouting in 2020?

28:15 - Talent in Europe

29:55 - Skills vs. underlying qualities for development
(nature/nurture)

33:09 - Prioritizing individual skill vs. team fit

35:49 - How much can play style and champion pool be taught?

39:30 - Can certain play styles be taught/learned more
easily?


42:38 Expected growth vs. overachievement for MAD
Lions

43:54 - How explicitly does Mac set expectations for his
players?

46:20 - Goal setting and targets for 2021


49:20 Mac's predictions for World Championships
Finals

50:30 - JDG's play style


52:50 Questions from Patreon

Joshua Gutman: How did MAD Lions come together so quickly as
a cohesive unit? When did you start to believe it was something
real instead of just potential?


55:11 Outro