Expect conversations with Wayzata football coach Lambert Brown to be interrupted when joining him on the practice field or in the weight room, or even walking through the high school cafeteria.
Blame it on relationship-building, one of Brown's bedrock philosophies that helped turn struggles into success at Fridley, Chaska and most recently, Wayzata. In four seasons at Wayzata, including the past three as head coach, Brown put the Trojans back into the conversation among Minnesota's elite football programs.
Wayzata finished 13-0 last fall and won the Class 6A title in the Prep Bowl, justifying Brown's reputation as a program rejuvenator and securing the Star Tribune Boys' Team Coach of the Year award.
"I don't know what the secret sauce would be, I just think that it's a combination of a lot of things," said Brown, rattling off assets such as a supportive community and school administration, good assistant coaches and hardworking players.
Molding today's players, however, means the "why" must be explained as well as the "how," and Brown has succeeded in creating buy-in. Players received a "Winner's Manual" each season loaded with Brown's philosophies, expectations and more.
"Kids want to build relationships, they want discipline, they want people to care about them and hold them accountable and to do that consistently over time," Brown said.
In 2016, Brown started as Wayzata's assistant varsity head coach under Brad Anderson. The next season was Brown's first as head coach and the Trojans went 2-7. A 5-5 season followed in 2018. Better but not near enough, not for a program that appeared in five Prep Bowls in eight seasons from 2004-11 and won three titles.
Then last fall, Wayzata raced to the top.