Ben Rubeor remembers the first trade he completed as a professional coach.

Rubeor, hired in December to be the new coach of Atlas LC, hopped on the phone with Tim Soudan — himself a newly hired coach with Chrome LC — to discuss Romar Dennis.

The negotiations were relatively simple. Rubeor called Soudan “about as straightforward as they come.” The trade was announced in early March.

At the time, COVID-19 had yet to significantly impact the professional sports landscape. Rubeor and Atlas LC moved back three picks in the collegiate draft, at the time a worthwhile cost for Dennis. Without question, Rubeor wound up winning the trade.

“We ended up moving back a few draft spots in the college draft, so it ended up that we didn’t actually end up giving anything because of the way the draft changed this year,” he said.

Call it beginner’s luck. Rubeor is by no means a coaching newbie, but in his first professional head coaching position, the youngest head coach in the Premier Lacrosse League is already making an impact. And he's certainly motivated.

“He told me, 'I want to be the Bill Belichick of professional lacrosse,'” Paul Rabil tweeted.

Rubeor, 34, is a peer to many players on his team and in the league. He estimates that he’s either coached a game against or played against every single player on his Atlas roster.

“Because of that, I hope and I think I have a perspective as far as the types of competitors they are,” he said. “I think anybody that takes a professional lacrosse coaching job — or any professional coaching job ­— has the challenge of taking a bunch of guys who are extremely talented and who have done things in their own manner, and it’s my job to bring that group together.”

A standout at Virginia, Rubeor won three Major League Lacrosse titles as a player, scoring 138 goals in 94 games. His first high school coaching gig came in 2012 at St. Mary’s (Md.), where he won a conference title in three years at the helm.

He spent his next three years at Loyola Blakefield (Md.), where he won another conference title. It was clear that he was ready to climb the coaching ladder. So when he moved to Boston in 2018, it was a natural progression for him to serve as offensive coordinator for MLL’s Boston Cannons.

Then the PLL opportunity came about.

“As I was applying for jobs with the PLL, they did ask me which team I wanted to coach. And this was the team,” Rubeor said. “I like the personnel, and it’s guys I know off the field and would want to work with. And I thought they underachieved last year.”

The world was very different when Rubeor took the Atlas job, but he thinks his recent experience as a high school coach will benefit his strategy.

“I coach some high school, and I coach some club. I’m hoping that type of structure will benefit me a little bit,” he said. “For one, I’m used to playing multiple games in one week. It’s quickly adjusting on the fly and moving past what happened last game.”

Atlas finished 2019 5-5 and were blown out by Archers 25-7 in the first draft pick game. Rubeor called the team one of “big personalities” and “really good players,” and the prevailing theme is that they’re all disappointed with how 2019 went.

Of course, there are reinforcements on the horizon. Rob Pannell is on board as the No. 3 pick in the PLL entry draft, joining a slew of U.S. national team players on Atlas. Pannell, Rabil and Ryan Brown should be a problem for opposing defenses.

When constructing his roster for the PLL Championship Series, Rubeor started with two goalies — a requirement by the league. He said he “loves” the combination of Jack Concannon and Scott Rodgers.

Then, because of the altitude in Herriman, Utah, and the way the PLL game is played, Rubeor emphasized the midfield.

“I feel like professional lacrosse, from my experience, so often has been determined between the arcs, and I think that midfielders are a really important part of that,” he said. “We knew we needed numbers there.”

Overall, his philosophy was to get “as many guys as we can who can do a bunch of different things.” He singled out the late waiver play for Jeremy Thompson, who can play offense, defense and face off in a pinch.

“As we put together the roster,” Rubeor said, “certainly some very difficult decisions were made, and I hope I made the right ones.” He’s leaned on assistants Steven Brooks and Ric Beardsley for support and guidance.

Rubeor has gotten his feet wet as a professional head coach during PLL training camp, and he’ll take the sidelines for his first game on Sunday at 4 p.m. EST against the expansion Waterdogs.

“It’s been the most interesting offseason I’ve ever had as a coach, pro lacrosse or otherwise,” he said. “When I took the job, we were planning for a full-season schedule with 18 guys on the roster. Now, it’s a tournament with 22 guys.

“We’ve had to stay nimble and flexible, and it’s something I’ve had to preach to the guys. I feel like we get into coaching for the challenges, and this has been a challenge. The work’s just starting.”

Because of our US Lacrosse members, US Lacrosse Magazine is able to deliver the best in-depth lacrosse news, features and more to our readers. Join or renew today to help support US Lacrosse and the positive development of our sport. Thank you for your support!