Hamilton, ON- Brady Paterson took a deep breath.

The McMaster Marauders first-year outside hitter finds himself doing so during a game. Sometimes, it’s when he’s on the bench. Sometimes, it’s during a timeout. It’s what he’ll do to stay level-headed in the midst of everything going on around him.

Paterson saw how and he and his teammates stayed steady and kept a level head during their OUA quarter-final playoff game against the Nipissing Lakers on Feb. 24. They talked about it during the week leading up to the game. They didn’t get too high on the high points. Nor too low on the low points. That helped keep their energy going.

Paterson and his teammates played with that steadiness as they beat the Lakers in three sets.

McMaster head coach Brad Douwes also noticed the steadiness. “That was the most steady we’ve played emotionally all year,” Douwes said.

Leading into the game, they discussed what it takes to be level-headed. How to support each other in times of stress. They talked about the distractions they can experience.

Social media. Other games. Rankings. The first thing was to acknowledge what are the distractions, according to Douwes. Veterans Brendan Mills, Ben Kerkhoff and Tyler Pavelic shared with their teammates their experiences. Their thoughts. Their vulnerability as well.

“I think that maybe helped some of the younger guys or some of the other guys realize that we’re not machines,” Douwes noted. “Everyone has different things that we’re working on.”

Paterson heard his teammates talk about coming together as a team. Even in the heat of a game – amid all the loud noise and cheers from the crowd and the magnitude of the moment – they’ll focus by coming together in a quick huddle.

By doing so, they can focus on what they’re doing and play their game. They try their best to block out the distractions.

Douwes himself tries to model that steadiness for them. Yes, he has so many different thoughts swirling through his brains. All the rotations, matchups and tactical adjustments. All the pieces of a chess match. He relies on his preparation. He knows the importance of being steady himself.

“If I’m unsteady, they’re going to be unsteady,” he noted.

When Paterson takes those deep breaths, he’s able to block out all the noise and distractions of the moment.

Him and his teammates have talked a lot about deep breathing. He sees his teammates taking that on as well. It’s helped them forget about the bad plays and remember the good ones.

Whenever he finds himself getting too excited or too down on himself during a game, he’ll pick a spot on the ceiling or wall. He’ll look at it. Then he’ll close his eyes. He’ll take a few deep breaths.

Paterson feels the calmness in his body. That amped up excitement? Those nerves? That goes away. He feels calmer. His breathing slows down. His heart rate goes down.

He feels himself resetting his body. He feels the steadiness and is ready to move onto the next play.

That paid off for him in his first university playoff game. He finished with 13 kills and five points – both career-highs. A .391 hitting percentage. “A ridiculous number,” Douwes called it. He had a serving run in the third set as the Marauders built their lead. He had two service aces – another career high.

Before Paterson stepped up to the service line, he takes a few deep breaths. He gets ready to serve. By the time he launches his serve, he’s already has that steady head. He’s able to just do his thing.

Paterson’s mindset isn’t just about this playoff game. Douwes noticed how he’s such a steady person. He’ll come into the gym and do his work.

He’ll learn from teammates. Fellow outside hitter Maxime Gratton has become a great mentor for him – teaching him how to attack in certain situations. He and the coaches have worked a lot on his high ball attacking – “which has gone up like crazy,” Douwes pointed out. That’s lead to him being more efficient.

He told Paterson to rely on his past experiences heading into his first playoff game. Douwes knows Paterson has played in some big games before McMaster. He’s won a national championship at the club level. Even so, Paterson did admit to him that he’s never played such an environment where everyone was cheering for him.

As game time approached, Paterson tried to approach it like any other game. He didn’t want to change his mindset. He didn’t want to worry about it being a playoff game. He didn’t want to think about the fact they were facing elimination.

That steadiness? That deep breathing? He’s practised it for a while. He used to do deep breathing exercises with his old club team.

His parents Dave and Shelley have also helped him be steady. They’ve always pushed him to do his best. They’ve supported him through those high and low points. “They kind of keep me where I want to be,” he said.

Even as the Baden native is living away from home and doesn’t see them as often now, he still feels their support. Hey, you’re going to do great, his parents will text him. Be proud of yourself.

When Paterson sees that on his screen, it helps him get ready for the game. He knows he has their support – whether they’re there in person or not. He knows that text is coming beforehand. “It’s really awesome,” he said.

Paterson kept his steadiness against Nipissing. He saw everything they worked on – and talked about – in practice pay off come game time.

He remembers times when their opponents would go on a run. He would take that deep breath, brushing that last play into the past and moving onto the next one.

He kept breathing. He kept resetting. He kept attacking. So too did his teammates. They were plenty of highs and lows as the two teams traded points in three close sets. McMaster prevailed in all three.

Paterson joined his teammates on the court in their victory dance after Gratton’s game-sealing service ace. He celebrated the win with them.

He then met up with his parents as they headed off into the night.

Featured Image: Muad Issa/McMaster Athletics