Field of Dreams

Last weekend, I made the trek down to Baltimore for my first US Lacrosse Convention. Despite being months away from our first game, I couldn't help but get caught up in the collective excitement shared by so many laxheads. I met some of the sports brightest stars, heard and felt the words of Dr. Lou, and caught up with old teammates. The whole experience reminded me of the many reasons why I love lacrosse.

The Voice: Go the distance.

I’ve been out of college for a few years and working full-time as a college coach almost as long. Looking back and thinking ahead, it’s hard to imagine life without Lacrosse. Some would love to label our sport as elitist or exclusive, I have had a much different experience. I love the relative "smallness" of our sport. I’ve seen a poster of Mark Millon hanging in a Japanese dorm room, introduced Aussies to the Armadillo, and I've bent an elbow while watching old Princeton games on the telly in a British Pub. I’ve witnessed our sport transcend cultural and language barriers in across the globe. Most of my favorite memories and many of my best friends share lacrosse in common. In return, I feel it’s my duty to share the game.

If you're interested in playing lacrosse in a far off land, experiencing another culture, and making some great friendships, please check out the USA Starz program at www.globalstarzlax.com.

Annie Kinsella: If you build what, who will come?

Ray Kinsella: He didn't say.

Like many of you, I have spent the better part of winter fighting back my nervous excitement for the upcoming 2010 season. This spring I am setting sail with the Flying Dutchmen of Lebanon Valley College: new school, new boss, and new kids. Uncharted waters.

Ray Kinsella: What are you grinning at ghost?

(Lebanon Valley College Lacrosse undefeated since 1985)

Lebanon Valley College is a great liberal arts college tucked quietly between Philly, Long Island, and Baltimore. Last January, the college elected to bring lacrosse back as a varsity sport for both men and women in 2010. Resurrecting a lacrosse program from the dead is no easy chore, but to the college’s credit, they have hired two coaches with serious pedigrees to lead their respective programs. (LVC is a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference and we play a 15 game NCAA D3 schedule, www.godutchmen.com)

Mark: When did these ball players get here?

Now that school is back in session, we will use the next few weeks to separate the players from the pretenders. Like many programs, we are starting off with a gambit of fitness tests. Players freak out about these tests, which is strange because if you do the work, then there's no reason to be nervous. Frankly, self discipline can be a tough concept for many college students. Playing time, however, is fairly straight forward. Commitment is really the only thing worth measuring.

Terence Mann: You're seeing a whole team of psychiatrists, aren't you?

As coaches, we have realistic expectations for year one, but we're doing our best to enhance the student-athlete experience and create a "big time" feel. Our friends at Cascade, STX, Nike, Adrenaline, and Silverfin have joined in the effort, helping us outfit our athletes in the best equipment on the market. LVC is a little program with big goals. Recruiting is going well. We are beginning to cultivate a culture of hard work. The foundation is being built, and word is spreading throughout our tiny community. Sure, we have to crawl before we walk. This program is in its infancy; we understand we are going to fall down and get some bruises along the way. Growing up can be hard to do, but time is the biggest obstacle standing in our way, and like with any child...patience is the key.

Terence Mann: People will come Ray. People will most definitely come.

Toughness

After reading the article on “toughness” in college hoops, I instantly put it in terms of college lacrosse. As a player in college, I, (like Mr. Bilas) thought I was tough. I wasn’t. If it weren’t for some incredible teammates my career probably would have fizzled out after my sophomore year. I’ve had old coaches tell me that lacrosse is a game wasted on the youth. Maybe I’m just getting old, but I’m starting to see their point. My biggest regret as a lacrosse player “is that I didn’t truly ‘get it’ much earlier in my playing career.” Now, as a coach, my feeling about the composition of a truly great player has much less to do with size, strength, and athleticism and much more to do with character, toughness, and dedication.

At the end of last season, not much was made out of a kid like John Glynn (Cornell ’09). But every kid that first picks up a stick has been exposed to Mikey Powell. Marketing isn’t ahead of the curve in today’s lacrosse culture, it controls the curve. What’s been lost in the shuffle are the truly tough lacrosse players, the students of the game, the kids that make the smart play, plays that help their teams win.

Patton helped lead UCSB to 2 straight National Titles

Quite frankly, I feel there is a lack of toughness permeating throughout our sport. I believe in many ways style has transcended substance. The sad irony is that our sport, once considered exclusive, is actually losing its toughness during a period of huge gains in mainstream credibility.

Call me old school… but tilt, flow, and eye black don’t make you tough and won’t help you get a W. I’m a firm believer in the philosophy “look good to play good,” but lacrosse players today spend more time studying each other’s kits than they do their scouting reports. In an attempt to bridge the gap, I thought about some players from my generation that defined “toughness.” Guys like Will Patton (UCSB ‘05) and Steven Merrell (USD ’06).

Metoyer lookin' tough

Surprisingly, one of the toughest players I’ve ever been around is a product of Chapman University. By most accounts, Chaptown is Mecca for all aspiring lax bros: “babe city,” home of the undyrun and the flowbucket. Don’t get me wrong, the Panthers have had their share of great players, but as a fan and an opponent, Danny Metoyer was TOUGH.

Completely average height, a buck fifty (soaking wet), and yet the kid absolutely dominated the MCLA ranks throughout his career. Danny was perpetual motion; like Rip Hamilton or Ray Allen, but on the lacrosse field. Other than Chad Donnelly, there is nobody more integral to the growth of Chapman Lacrosse. Without Danny, there would be no Con Bro Chill. He was the embodiment of west coast lacrosse – adrenaline named socks after him – but make no mistake, Danny was all substance; Danny was the part, looking the part came naturally.

Here are some ways toughness is exhibited in lacrosse:

FOCUS

Tough lacrosse players are smart. They hustle. They are constantly thinking ahead of the play. Tough players work hard to concentrate on every play. Nowhere is this more evident than in the clearing game. The tough player communicates who has onside responsibility. The lazy player uses dead ball situations to catch his breath, jogs, and his team gets burned by the quick whistle. The tough player understands the importance of being pre-whistle ready, sprints to his spot, even if it’s from the box to the far corner…especially if it’s to the far corner.

RIDE

Tough attackmen ride hard. If defense wins championships, the toughest attackman realizes he becomes a defender the second the ball is turned over. Riding creates extra opportunities, often times easy transition goals. Riding disrupts substitutions and adds a dimension of pressure that wears down an opponent.

The lazy attackmen trails the ball carrier, throws a one handed hack, and hurts his team with penalties for slashing. Tough attackman do the work, take good pursuit angles, turn the ball carrier back toward pressure, and force them to make an extra pass. Tough players go as hard as they can for as long as they can. A tough player is not deterred by a missed shot. A tough player values his performance first by how well he defended.

NEVER STAND STILL

Toughest players rarely make skip passes. They communicate and carry the ball with confidence until a safe pass can be made. They seldom put their teammates in a bad spot to receive the ball. On the flipside, the toughest players never stand and watch. They keep their defender engaged at all times, making it difficult for their defender to talk and identify slides. They never wait on the pass; they always run to the ball. They understand how to use their own momentum to gain a step, even though it usually means absorbing a check.

#8 Merrell, 2006 Championship Game Defensive MVP

WEAK SIDE D

The toughest defenders are in and out on a string. They understand team defense. They fill on the weak side no matter how quickly the opposition moves the ball, and they communicate what they’re seeing. When on defense, the tough defenders move as the ball moves. The toughest players move on the flight of the ball, not when it gets to its destination. In lacrosse, like basketball, defenders cannot see the ball and hug their man, because they are afraid to get beat. A tough defender plays the ball and sees his man. There is a difference.

STICKS HIS NOSE IN THERE, HENCE THE EXPRESSION “TOUGH NOSED”

Whether it’s at the X or right in front of the cage, the toughest players aren’t afraid to get hit. They’re usually in the middle of a GB scrum or catching and finishing in traffic. Tough players get hit, hard, a lot, and they pop right back up.

FINISH CHECKS

Whether it’s just getting the ball around or after a shot attempt, the toughest defensemen are in position to finish with a hard check: legal, annoying, often painful, reminders that they are gonna be there all day.

FINISH PLAYS

They don’t give up on a play or assume that a teammate will do it. A tough player plays through to the whistle. Tough players study the opponent. They understand the match ups, they work to exploit the mismatch, and they execute whether or not it means points in their stat column. Hockey assists aren’t a stat in lacrosse; however, the toughest players regularly draw the slide and unselfishly move the ball setting up his teammate two passes away.

TAKE AND GIVE CRITICISM

Tough players can take criticism without feeling the need to answer back or give excuses. They are open to getting better and expect to be challenged and hear tough things. You will never again in your life have the opportunity you have now at the college level: a coaching staff that is totally and completely dedicated to making you and your team better. Tough players listen and are not afraid to say what other teammates may not want to hear, but need to hear.

GREAT TEAMMATES

Tough players take nothing for granted. They keep their foot on the accelerator. Tough players don’t waste time celebrating a good play or lamenting a bad one. They don’t care about the weather. They don’t whine to officials, coaches, or teammates. They never react negatively to a mistake of a teammate.

They make the extra pass. They chase shots to the end line like their lives depend on the next possession. They move the ball immediately after getting it off the ground. They always look coaches and teammates in the eye, because if they are talking, it is important to them and to you. They treat the locker room better than they treat their pocket.

Tough players never cheat the game.