Andy Neary recalls being the best player in high school on talent alone, then learning in college that world-class performance requires discipline: offseason training, lifestyle choices, and controlling what you can control.
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I would say that high school was truly the last time that I felt like the best player on the field. Every time I went out, I expected to win as a symptom of talent. And I still worked hard, but I was like, you know, I'd look at the team that I'm facing like I am. I am truly better than these guys. If I play well, we'll probably win. So high school was the last time that talent was enough to help me, you know, get over the finish line, so to say. And I think what that did is it caused me, as somebody who wants to win like nobody wants to lose. Yeah, it forced action. It forced my off seasons. It forced me to not drink. In college, I wanted to throw baseballs faster. Like I just really cared about playing. And as somebody who had good talent but not world class, how do you become a world class performer with those tools? The only thing that you can do is the things that you can control.