Prior to the 2016 MLL season, I was fortunate to have an old friend, Mike Cerino, offer me his position as the head coach of the Charlotte Hounds as he was transitioning into the role of GM.
It was striking to me how the league and player dynamics changed in the short time I was away. The number of players in the league who work in lacrosse has increased significantly.
On the Hounds team alone, 19 of our top 25 players work in the lacrosse industry as college and high school coaches or club/camp owners. More players across the league now regularly have sticks in their hands and the resources to train regularly. The opportunity for sponsorship and for players to market their individual brands has impacted the league. This has certainly improved the level and consistency of play, but still poses its challenges.
As I noted, we have a number of college coaches on the Hounds. Last season, John Haus was an assistant at Furman University, which meant he coached Saturday afternoons prior to our MLL night games. He jumped into his car or hurried to an airport to make our games, often running onto the field as we lined up for the anthem. John was an MLL all-star last year and went on to earn a spot on this summer’s U.S. team. John, now an assistant coach at Penn State, is a consummate professional, and a damn good player.
Coming to Charlotte also reunited me with Kevin Crowley. He plays in the NLL for the New England Blackwolves and also for the Canadian national team. Kevin is a lacrosse junkie and a character. I truly enjoy and respect Kevin. He has the same impact on our team as Lee Zink did in Denver. His approach is different, more vocal with mixture of sarcasm, humor and humility that I truly appreciate.
But when I was with Florida, we traded Kevin. When I came to Charlotte, he was my first call, and honestly I wasn’t sure how my arrival would sit with him. He was honest about where he was as a player during his time in Florida and how he recommitted to being the best player he could be and told me I would get the best version of Kevin Crowley. As only Kevin can, he got in a few friendly shots.
Over the past two seasons he has joined the Hounds immediately after competing in the NLL playoffs. He showed up last year after a grueling indoor season banged up and battered only to help a 0-3 team fight back into playoff contention.
The takeaway here is that MLL players are men, adults who play a game. I treat them like adults and consider their input and insights, which is both valuable and developmental for me as a coach and leader.
We held our first training camp for the 2018 season a couple of weekends ago. Kevin Crowley (NLL), Mike Chanenchuk (Sacred Heart), John Haus (Penn State), John Crawley (Notre Dame) and Jake Richard (Marquette) could not attend due to their lacrosse obligations. But each and every one of them reached out to me individually to hear about camp.
In short, MLL players care and sacrifice.
They are true professionals who go above and beyond to play. Whether they are coaches or work on Wall Street, they have a burning desire to compete, learn and succeed. The most difficult aspect of my job comes after camp, when I have to decide who makes up our roster of 25, and each week that I have to tell six guys they will not dress for the game. This is because I know how important MLL and our team are to these players.
My time in MLL has provided me a unique perspective on the players and the league. I believe it is the best, fastest and most exciting lacrosse being played today. Beyond talent, I have the utmost respect for the drive, commitment and quality of the players in MLL. It’s been an incredible coaching experience, and I look forward to the 2018 season with my guys.