Lacrosse All Stars

Crystal Ball Challenge, Week 5

Staff — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:30:29 +0000

Another week, another long stare into the Crystal Ball for our fearless competitors. Peter Tumbas has finally tied up King Connor Wilson for the lead and Crave is only 1 game back. Brunelle has been striding in the wrong direction the past few weeks but is still only 3 games out of first place.

This weekend we have some MCLA head scratchers, unabashed homer picks by Crave and Brunelle, and a Maryland turf war in the NCAA. Plus ConBroWil is making his picks and analysis all the way from the tropics while he’s enjoying a little R&R. That guy loves lax no matter where he is.

Editor’s note: looking for MCLA Division 2? Check out the Weekly D2 Roundup for top games and players.

On to the picks and analysis.

412’s Peter Tumbas says:

Trying to make moves for first place this weekend.

Hardest game to pick: Loyola vs. Arizona. Arizona plays Colorado State tough then losses to San Diego.

Biggest game of the weekend: Florida vs. Virginia Tech. The winner of this game will prove themselves worthy to challenge FSU for the South Eastern title. Virginia Tech has only played three games but didn’t recently lose to UCSB by 5 a la Florida.

Lock: Syracuse over Hopkins. Hopkins midfield is in for a long afternoon.

Editor’s note: Read all of 412’s thoughts on this week plus a Fireside Chat with Florida State Senior middie Robert Lee

Connor Wilson says:

FLA their gear is sweeter. Seriously.

LMU at home gets the slight upset nod.

Duluth. They play hard. Cal is up and down at times.

Seriously? Michigan. Duh.

Marlyand will win this one and by a comfortable margin. UMBC doesn’t have the depth to run with the terps and the UMBC Defense is either big or fast but not both. Expect Catalino and Young to have big days while Farrell shuts down Wimer in the Midfield.

Cuse will roll over Hopkins with ease. They play like a team and have better players. Hopkins will be lucky to score 10 goals.

Harvard will win this one which will be close early. The Crimson should win by a couple.

Denison has a lot to prove and Haverford has been inconsistent. Big Red by 5.

Ryan Craven says:

Florida +2: Florida has been tested in the early going and came out with only a respectable loss on the road at UCSB blemishing their 4-1 record. Quality wins over Northeastern and a big boy W over Cal Poly make me like them a lot this year. Tech hasn’t had much to look at with only two games so far.

LMU +1: This game might as well be a pick’em. Both ‘Zona and the Lions have dropped games against good teams. I’m going with the home team to take it. Beauchamp has been a stud along with the rest of the Zona attack but I can’t trust two frosh (Seamans, Nardi). Plus LMU has a middie named Magnus.

Duluth +6: Easiest one so far. Duluth dropped a heartbreaker to ASU but I still have faith that they’re the same scrappy, punch you in the mouth squad as always. Cal has been better but that loss to Texas State and a one goal game against a bad Noma squad doesn’t bode well.

Oregon +1: People have been saying that 3 years is too long to go without a loss for Big Blue and my homer-ism likes to hear that. Having this game moved to a neutral site in Dallas is a huge advantage for the Ducks. Would kill to be there. Damn Tumbas for even selecting this game for the CBC. Next week we pick Pitt vs (whoever they play)

Maryland +7: Catalino will shoot underhand 15 times. 75% of the time it will go low to low but when he starts changing the plane of his shots he can fill up the net even more than he already has.

Syracuse +3: One thing that the Gtown game proved is that Cuse is talented but if you get into a fistfight with them you can hang around. Wouldn’t be surprised if Petro kept this game close but he needs to let the Hopkins offense loosen up a little bit.

Harvard +1: Only loss for the Crimson is to GTown on the road. Brown played Hofstra tough but has less games under their belt. Take the home team in this one.

Haverford +4: Lost like a babe in the woods without ConnorWilsonLAS to guide me on this one.

Jeff Brunelle says:

Florida +2: Coming off a 15-10 loss to UCSB, Florida has back to back games this weekend. Not too worried about the Georgia game on Friday, let’s just hope the Gators come to play against VT on Sat. If they show, they win.

Zona +1: Zona needs one real bad here. I have no doubt Coach Mickey-Miles Felton is going to get his boys fired up for the game – they’ve just gotta take it to the Lions early and finish the job. Time to rack up another W.

Duluth +4: I’m not too impressed with Cal, and Duluth always plays tough no matter where they are. They’ve also been in Tempe about a week now, heating up after a tough loss against ASU.

Oregon +2: There’s no team I’d rather see beat Michigan than the Ducks. And who are we kidding? It’s about time for a Big Blue loss. Thanks to Peter Tumbas for calling Craven and I out on this one. It’s an honor to pick my Ducks.

Maryland +5: The Terps offense has impressed me the few times I’ve watched em. Catalino makes it rain. UMBC, on the other hand, has been in quite the goalie predicament the past several weeks.

Syracuse +2 – Cuse is solid and Hop hasn’t proved much yet. Look for them to take this one away early if Hopkins can’t find net within the first few minutes.

Harvard +1: The Crimson’s experience plays into the win big time. It’ll be close, but Brown is fresh and unproven. Question: Are Harvard fans a hostile crowd?

Denison +3: Denison seems solid this year. If the defense shows up, Haverford is going to have a rough day.

Now it’s time to have your say. Agree? Disagree? Let your voice be heard.

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Got a burning question, revolutionary concept, or a hot tip?
Drop us a line at info @lacrosseallstars.com

Daily Cheese: Back In The Day

Staff — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:53:58 +0000

The photo below was submitted to us by Matthew Walker.

Apparently it is from 1924, entitled “Lewis, Maryland Agricultural College.”

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NEWS & NOTES

- Will lacrosse ever be an Olympic sport?

- University of Delaware’s Curtis Dickson tied a school lacrosse record.

- Lots of high school links today…

- “There’s No Laxity on the High School’s Lacrosse Fields” … laxity is an interesting word.

- Dennis-Yarmouth lacrosse features young coach, young team

- A look at the NYC/SI/LI high school league changes

- Practice makes perfect for the Little Hoyas.

- A quick take on San Diego high school lacrosse

- Northern Idaho Lacrosse: Bonners Ferry to scrimmage Sandpoint

- High school lacrosse: Friends made in 26-0 loss

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Got a question, something that deserves to be seen, or a hot tip?
Drop us a line at info @lacrosseallstars.com

At Home With CVLC: American Lacrosse League Week 3

Staff — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:25:33 +0000

Editor’s note: The following was written by Matt “Ramathorne” Ramsey of the Connecticut Valley Lacrosse Club, a competitive post-collegiate team competing in the American Lacrosse League.

In this edition, Ramathorne interviewed one of the head honchos of the A.L.L. and got his unique perspective.

Interview with Tyler Leeds

Tyler is the Division Coordinator of American Lacrosse League in addition to being the President of Bay State Lacrosse Club.

Briefly explain your lacrosse background.
Tyler Leeds: I have been playing lacrosse since the 6th grade. I’ve played at the Division 2 college level and coached U13 lacrosse in Derry NH for 2 seasons.

How and when did Bay State LC form?
TL: Bay State formed 8 years ago when Tim Bethke moved up from Baltimore MD and wanted to expand the A.L.L. into the New England area. I worked with Tim to get the team off the ground and served as treasurer and now have taken over as president of the team.

What are some of the most difficult aspects of running a post-collegiate club lacrosse team?
TL: Getting guys to pay is obviously the most difficult aspect of running a team. Trying to balance having a good time and winning games.

What events made you pursue a bigger role within the New England Division and the American Lacrosse League?
TL: I wanted to gain some additional exposure to US Lacrosse. Bay State helped bring the A.L.L into NE and at the time there was no one else running the division so I took on the job of helping the new teams navigate the process and get into the league to help grow it.

Over the past several years are there any specific developments you have noted within the American Lacrosse League?
TL: The growth of the league as a whole has been great, bringing in the defunct USCLA teams has given a boost to the competition in the league.

Briefly comment on the quality of play within the American Lacrosse League and most specifically the New England Division.
TL: This season has shown great parity to start with all games having been decided by 1 goal. In years past there were definitely a couple tier 1 teams and then tier 1A teams. I’m looking forward to see what the rest of 2010 holds.

In your opinion, what makes for a successful post-collegiate season? What are your expectations for Bay State LC, the New England Division, and the league?
TL: It’s nice to win but I am more interested in having a good time, still being able to play at a competitive level and hanging out with a good group of guys after the games.

Lastly, what direction do you see the league heading in the years to come? What improvements do you see necessary to continue making the league a success?
TL: I would like to see more control given to the teams with some respects. I think it will be difficult for the league to grow too much larger as a full volunteer organization. I think there will be some growth and contraction but if we continue to have people who love the game and want to make the league work I think it will last for a long time.

LaxAllStar’s would like to thank Tyler for taking to time to talk with us.

Now let’s catch up with the action going on around the A.L.L.

A.L.L. Weekly Recap

This past Sunday was wet, it was cold and it was not pleasurable for anyone to be outside doing anything. Several teams decided to cancel or postpone their game arrangements while others decided to stick it out, get wet and do what they enjoy most, playing lacrosse.

There isn’t much to report from the Connecticut Valley sidelines as we were completely dominated by Boston Crabs LC and one player in particular, former Boston Blazer, Bryan Bendig. Bender, as he is socially known, managed to stifle the defense and put the ball pass our keepers 5 times in addition to completing 9 helpers.

Even though we scored the first goal off the first face-off from Pete Barone, former University of Hartford stand-out LSM, we couldn’t capitalize on many of our opportunities and left a lot to be desired. The final score was a depressing, 19-6.

But, as with every American Lacrosse League game, the end of the game meant a warm empty bar and brews with good friends and teammates. The local watering hole of Eastern Connecticut State University, Blarney’s Café, provided plenty of “beverage support” to anyone who may have been feeling a little down after our disappointing self-destruction.

Other action around the league was minimal as the weather deterred many “old guys” from stepping on the field. For those who did play the results were as follows: Sandy Point (NJ) squeaked out a victory over Delaware LC 8-7, Lacrosse Unlimited won it’s season opener versus Olympic Den (Long Island) 9-8, New Hampshire’s Warpigs LC bested Home Grown Lacrosse 13-6, Bay State once again fell short against a very talented North Shore squad 9-8, and the Jersey Thunder pummeled the Old Bridge Generals 20-3.

This weekend is a bye week for the New England division, but there will be plenty of action in other divisions around the league.

Check back next week for a highlight on the New York and New Jersey divisions as well as a recap of the weekend’s action.

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About the author: Ramathorne’s career took him from the Varsity fields of Southington High School and the Nutmeg Elite Lacrosse programs to Division III top 25 school, Eastern Connecticut State University. Ramsay played as a midfielder for the Warriors from 2005-2008 helping the team to a Little East Conference Championship in 2006 and a birth into the Division III National Championship Tournament.

After graduating from Eastern Connecticut Ramsay assisted with the Rip-It Lacrosse program and currently runs Connecticut Calley Lacrosse Club, a competitive post-collegiate team competing in the American Lacrosse League.

Contact Lax All Stars at info @lacrosseallstars.com

The Lax’s Weekly D2 Roundup

The Lax — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:00:48 +0000

What a week it was! Let’s look at the games we highlighted last week and see how they turned out.

Friday: #3 Dayton- 13, #2 Davenport- 12

The winner did not become #1. Instead, they just swapped rankings

Saturday: #3 Dayton- 14, #4 St. Johns- 8

Weak first half by the Johnnies killed their chances.

Sunday: #2 Davenport- 13, #4 St. Johns- 7

The Johnnies only dropped down to #5 in the most recent poll. Clearly, name recognition is keeping them so high.

Player of the Week Review: Ryan Horvath, Tennessee Wesleyan

The Bulldogs lost their first 2 games of the season. Horvath was kept in check, for the most part, in both those games. Coincidence? I think not. Redemption comes on Saturday at Reinhardt.

On to this weekend’s games!

#9 Utah Valley vs #15 Western Oregon (at Willamette)
Friday, March 19th

This is a rematch of the championship game from the Vegas tournament, where UVU won 22-9. Expect more of the same.

#9 Utah Valley vs #18 UC Santa Cruz (at Willamette)
Saturday March 20th

Santa Cruz will give the Wolverines a bit of a problem, but UVU will pull it out in the end

Santa Cruz Attack Matt Patterson (#7)

#18 UC Santa Cruz at Willamette
Sunday, March 21st

A win here would help right the Santa Cruz ship. They’ve proved they can compete against the best, so I predict a >7 goal win. Expect a lot of goals at Willamette this weekend. Lot’s of high scoring, exciting games.

Player of the Week: Ozhan Kashkooli, Junior Goaltender, Cal State Fullerton

Yes. I know this is on mcla.us. I couldn't find another picture.

Kashkooli has been on fire as of late. Since their loss to UVU in the Vegas Full House Face-Off, Fullerton has scored 13 goals in their 4 wins and 10 in their loss to Fort Lewis. In his last game vs Concordia, he made 24 saves, and 67 total in those 5 games.

Expect him to be up to his usual wall-ness this weekend in a conference matchup vs Biola

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About the Author: The Lax picked up his first stick when he stepped on campus at MCLA D2 school UNC Charlotte. After taking a short break, he returned to the field for independent UNCG. The Lax enjoys flowers, pictures of unicorns, long walks on the beach, and above all else, beating people with his D-Pole.

Contact LaxAllStars at info@lacrosseallstars.com

Daily Cheese: St. Andrew’s vs. Boys’ Latin Highlights

Staff — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:42:54 +0000

Highlights from St. Andrew’s (Boca Raton, FL) vs. Boys’ Latin (Baltimore, MD) on 3/13. Going into this game, St. Andrew’s was ranked the #1 high school team in the nation. Boys Latin was #7. St. Andrew’s had won 48 consecutive lacrosse games.

Final score: Boys’ Latin Lakers, 12-11

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NEWS & NOTES

- NBC Sports: Lacrosse enjoying US college boom

- Interview with Cornell coach Jeff Tambroni

- Baltimore Sun’s high school lacrosse poll. Baltimore lacrosse by the numbers.

- The Mission Viejo Invitational Lacrosse Tournament is this weekend.

- Five Questions with Lee lacrosse player Killian Gallagher

- The Edmonton Rush’s Chris McElroy is ready to go big this season.

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Got a question, something that deserves to be seen, or a hot tip?
Drop us a line at info @lacrosseallstars.com

Dayton Flies Through Davenport In Final Minute

Brunelle — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:55:45 +0000

Last Friday the Dayton men’s lacrosse team faced-off against Davenport in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The following is a replay of the last 1 minutes and thirty seconds from DaytonLacrosse.com. Lots of ball movement and quite the finish!

With the game tied at 12-12, and under 1:30 left to play in the game, head coach Charlie Mark called a time-out to talk it over with his team. The Flyers possessed the ball for the remaining minutes only before team president and captain Zach Burke found the back of the net with one-tenth of a second on the clock. The Flyers sideline erupted as the bench cleared and the dogs piled. The Flyers improved to 3-0 with the win over Davenport University.

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Email the author of this post at jeff@lacrosseallstars.com

Irish Eyes Have Smiled On Lacrosse

Jumbo Jack — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:17:44 +0000

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day Lax Nation! IMHO March 17th is the first of America’s 4 greatest holidays with the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas following in their respective seasons.

Don't forget "Leprechaun 6: Back 2 tha Hood"

Those of us of who are of Irish descent (approx. 36,278,332 of us) are well aware of the impact Irish Americans have had on this great country of ours. Irish Americans have contributed more than just Guinness, Leprechaun 4: In Space, the Notre Dame mascot, and keeping the American cabbage industry afloat.

A quick glance at the most recent lacrosse headlines also tells you the impact Irish Americans have had on the game of lacrosse (full disclosure: my research was based on the Irishness of a last name).

The U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame has a roster sprinkled with Irishness: O’Connor, O’Leary, O’Neill, McAnally, McCabe and McEneaneny.

Head coaches of Irish descent include, Bill Tierney at Denver, John Desko at ‘Cuse (who couldn’t look more Irish if he tried), Kevin Corrigan at Notre Dame, Erin Quinn who helmed the ship at Middlebury for 11 years, and Mike Murphy at UPenn.

The NCAA record books are littered with Irish names, such as Sheehan, McQuade, McIlhenny, Murphy, McBride, McCutcheon and Callahan.

Moving onto current players, the McBride brothers at Princeton, Collin Finnerty at Loyola, Brian Farrell at Maryland, Dan McQuade at Whittier, Brendan McCarthy at Richard Stockton, Dave Malone at St. John Fisher, Matt Sullivan at NY Tech, and Kyle O’Brien at Dowling are all tearing up the stat sheet for their respective teams.

Le Moyne's Mike Malone and NYIT's Matt Sullivan (via Lax.com)

By now you get the gist that Irish people have had a significant impact on the sport. So, for all you laxers who are Irish 1 day a year or the entire 365 days, happy laxing and Erin Go Bragh.

Editor’s note: I’ll take any excuse to post this video. Look out for the leprechaun hunter.

If the ocean was whisky,
And I was a duck,
I’d dive to the bottom
To get one sweet suck.

Enjoy a Guinness, have a shot of delicious Jameson and have a great St. Paddy’s day!

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Want to contribute to the Lax All Star Network? Hit us up at info@lacrosseallstars.com

Gameday Footage: Bucknell Tramples Jacksonville

The Lax — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:19:35 +0000

I had the opportunity to attend an NCAA D1 lacrosse game yesterday. The doesn’t happen too often for me, despite the fact that Durham and Chapel Hill are only 2 hours away.

I brought my video camera along with to bring you the sights and sounds of the first NCAA Division 1 lacrosse game in Forsyth Country, NC.

FYI: If you are a Bucknell fan and went to the game, odds are you sat near me. If you are a Jacksonville fan and attended the game, very unlikely that you sat next to me. Garrett Swaim: your family is loud. In a good way.

Here’s the setting: I rolled into Nancy K. Shea Stadium on the campus of Forsyth Country Day School. I was hoping to get there earlier for the high school game between the host FCDS and my alma mater, R.J. Reynolds HS. Instead, I arrived a bit too late, only to see the scoreboard indicating a 10-4 RJR win.

Picking out a seat was easy, as the crowd hadn’t shown up yet. Top row. Middle. Right next to the aforementioned Garrett Swaim’s family. On the other side of me was the whole Bucknell contingent. All great fans.

I left the game quite impressed with Jacksonville. Aside from their nonexistent first quarter, they played fairly solid. Coach Kerwick made some great adjustments at the half on defense and the Bison only picked up a few garbage goals. Bucknell just happened to be the better team today.

Don’t sleep on Jacksonville. At all. Mark my words, they will become in NCAA tournament mainstay in no time.

Game recap from Lacrosse Magazine:

No. 18 Bucknell Downs Jacksonville in Carolina
from press release

WINSTON SALEM, N.C. – The JU men’s lacrosse team dug itself an early hole and could never dig out in a 17-8 loss to No. 18 Bucknell.

The Dolphins gave up the game’s first seven goals, spanning through the first 18 minutes, and pulled within four goals but could never get any closer.

The Dolphins were led by freshman attackman TJ Kenary with four goals and one assist while sophomore midfielder Jeremy Tissenbaum scored twice for JU. Senior goalie Brad Hester played all 60 minutes and made 15 saves.

The Bison were led by strong performances from Charlie Streep (4,3) and Austin Winter (4,2) while goalie Kyle Feeney picked up the win, making seven saves.
Full PR

Pregame:

Bucknell dynamic stretching:

Jacksonville entrance to Jay-Z:

Intros:

Captain’s Meeting and opening face:

Later in the game:

Last 5 mins Part 1:

Last 5 mins Part 2:

Daily Cheese: Maverik Founder In Fortune Magazine

Staff — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:52:30 +0000

John Gagliardi, founder and president of Maverik Lacrosse, mentioned in Fortune Magazine:

Maverik Lacrosse vs. New Balance

The challenge: Maverik, a lacrosse equipment maker, competes with New Balance, which owns two bigtime brands — Warrior and Brine. How do you persuade players to go with the upstart?

What they did: John Gagliardi, 35, co-founder and president of New York City-based Maverik, has loaded his staff with players that the kids — and coaches — know and admire (including ex-members of Team USA). Gagliardi, a former pro and Johns Hopkins legend, also taps into the booming youth market by operating camps, where he tests and showcases his products.
A cool image is also important: Maverik’s website features the top pros starring in edgy videos and offering up playing tips. Gagliardi also focuses on “lifestyle apparel” that gives the brand a “casual, cool, surf-snowboard dynamic” as opposed to the traditional prep-school vibe. He says sales were up 30% in 2009.

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NEWS & NOTES

- Bryant Univ. took 2 out of 3 of the new monthly Northeast Conference Awards.

- St. John’s concluded their 4-game road trip falling to Stony Brook 21-6 last night.

- Piedmont College is adding men’s lacrosse

- Q&A with Charley Toomey, Loyola lacrosse coach

- DePauw looks for revenge against Butler tomorrow night.

- Lots of conversation going down at 412.

- Fort Collins Unified high school out of CO gave St. Andrews in FL a run for their money on Monday.

- Teen burned in explosion returns to lacrosse field

- The Lax Guys’ National Boys’ Lacrosse Rankings

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Luck of the Irish. Happy St. Patrick’s Day people!

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Got a question, something that deserves to be seen, or a hot tip?
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412 On Big Blue

412 Lax — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:59:40 +0000

The following commentary comes from today’s post on 412 Lax, The Ruler is Back.

412’s Note: Those Dunks are too pretty not use. My roommate stopped being a Michigan fan when they switched to Adidas. One of our favorite story to tell about his capacity to be a loyal fan. In his defense, he says, “I don’t like teams, I like players.” Back to LAX.

Yesterday, we had a nice discussion with a Wolverine fan regarding their future this season.

The fan believed that if they lose a game this regular season they will be a lock to win the title in Denver.

Our reaction: Fully agree that if they lose prior to Denver they’ll come back for blood and win a third title.

Having said that I don’t anticipate them dropping a game this year.

The Michigan fan then asked: So, you think no reg season losses or no losses at all and 3rd championship in a row?

Despite talent, it is hard to go 3 years without a hiccup….no?

Our response: Wire to wire.

Too much next level talent. Dedicated coaches and administration.

Next level talent. Coach Paul has openly said they are in recruiting battles with the Ivy League.

What does that mean? Michigan is adding D1 caliber talent to their MCLA roster.

We have all heard about NCAA players transferring to the MCLA and the supposed super impact they are expected to make. In some cases, they have in some cases they haven’t. Some soft generalizations you can infer is that a player transfers from an NCAA program because they miss home, don’t like attending a small school, or perhaps most telling, they just aren’t that good.

Hate to pick on the Houghton boys at BYU again but they haven’t been scoring 10 goals a game as most people expected.

Here’s the difference. Michigan recruits year round. They know exactly who they are getting every fall ball and where they will fit in the team. They aren’t getting D1 burn out transfers who may or may not be interested in competing for time or doing extra work.

412’s note: We know Kevin Zorovich transferred from Marist. Wouldn’t you though? Bare with our filibuster writing style.

They are getting freshmen that turn down D1 looks. They who want to come to Michigan.

An MCLA team isn’t supposed to get Gilman’s starting goalie.

Michigan did.

BYU is a top 5 team. Michigan was missing 5 starters for that game. It was in Provo. And, freshman attackman Thomas Paras, all 6′1 190 pounds of him out of Cleveland, decided to score 4 times and chip in 3 assists.

The game plan against Michigan has been to force players other than Yealy to beat you.

Guess what, Michigan has those players. Michigan has freshmen that can beat you. Michigan has players that can step up when 5 starters are out and beat another top 5 team that is so unbelievable.

The Steelers were missing two defensive starters or 18% of the defense for most of this season. They lost five games in a row including overtime losses to Kansas City and Baltimore because they couldn’t protect a 4th quarter lead.

18% of the starting defense missing produces a 5 game losing streak.

Michigan is without 50% of their starters and they beat a top 5 team. Not Texas. Not Eastern Michigan. They beat BYU.

You think Kentucky is going to the Final Four without 50% of their starters?

Is that not next level talent enough for you?

Not to mention arguably the best coaching staff in the league.

You can’t really make the argument that elite coaches wouldn’t be as well respected if they didn’t have elite talent.

It’s not Phil Jackson’s fault. It’s not Joe Torre’s fault. They don’t sign the paychecks.

Neither does Coach Paul. In fact, he has to court players with high test scores who can afford to attend Michigan from out of state.

He hasn’t lost a game in going on three years. He probably has figured out how to come from behind in the second half. He probably has figured out how to win games when a normal contributor isn’t effective. He probably has figured out how to keep his team from becoming complacent.

As for dedicated administration, they practice where the football team practices. They have access to NCAA Division 1 weight rooms.

They have a director of operations, a media relations contact, an athletic trainer, an equipment manager, two film and video people, a strength and conditioning coach, and four student managers.

Why do I think they are going to go wire to wire for a third straight season?

They simply have the best of everything you can have. Their isn’t one chink in their armor.

No one is even close.

Speaking of administrative support, have you seen their new building?

Not jealous about the thirty minute stair climb to the locker and the parent lounge seems like a throwaway without a bar.

However, why build this structure for a club team?

Why build this structure for a virtual varsity team?

Oh, we don’t know probably because they are going D1 soon and a lacrosse only building is friendly way to remind potential recruits how important the school considers the sport.

Think about it this way.

Schools that decide to offer lacrosse hire a coach one year in advance of their first season of competition. They have one year to recruit a roster of 20-40 kids if they are lucky and then they are off and running.

Schools are either adding lacrosse because its a growing sport or as a way to put more heads in dorm rooms.

Michigan already operates as an NCAA Division 3 team. Okay, an NCAA Division 3 team with a massive budget. Players are offered no athletic scholarships, they are offered support from administration, and the coaches follow NCAA recruiting schedules.

Michigan lacrosse already exists. It’s not like if Florida State added lacrosse, we’d have to wait a year or two to see the Seminoles take the field.

The jump Michigan is preparing to make is from MCLA powerhouse to NCAA D1 powerhouse.

Please note, the word powerhouse was used twice.

They aren’t adding a team because the sport is popular or they want to fill beds.

They are going D1 because they feel they can win at the D1 level. That building suggests a commitment to the future of the program and a desire to compete from day 1. How many other schools have something like that?

What happens when Michigan can offer athletic scholarships?

They are already beating Division 1 teams in scrimmages with non scholarship players.

What happens when even more money is pumped into the program?

These questions will be answered shortly because they are going Division 1. It might be 2011. It might be 2012. The construction of this building is a warning sign to current Division 1 teams that Michigan is coming.

The next question will be, when do they win their first NCAA title?

Read the full post at 412.LaxAllStars.com.

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