Dec. 18, 2006

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Welcome to the first of several installments of a newsletter created to provide you with valuable insight into the Stony Brook University Men's Lacrosse program. As I begin my first year as head coach, it is my goal to give you a regular behind-the-scenes look into Stony Brook men's lacrosse. This will allow the Stony Brook lacrosse family to stay connected, support and offer plenty of opportunity to provide feedback for our program. So, I hope you enjoy the first edition of my Coach's Corner newsletter as we look forward to the start of the 2007 season.

My goal heading into fall practice was to evaluate team personnel while laying the foundation of my coaching philosophy for the future. It is my belief that conditioning and sound fundamentals are the keys ingredients to team success. With that in mind, we did not spend time teaching multiple offenses and defenses during the first semester. Instead, we concentrated on the fundamentals and lots of full field scrimmaging. As a result, the coaching staff was able to analyze the team's strengths and weaknesses and it didn't take long for the team to show what I assumed when I accepted the job as head coach - we have the ability to immediately play at a high level.

Without question, the offense started out much further along than the defense, clearly demonstrating that we have several talented offensive players. On the defensive end, we spent a lot of time instilling our philosophy. I learned from my mentor a long time ago that good teams play defense and clear the ball well. These were the first two team concepts we taught. Our team will defend with our hands and feet, forcing opponents to where we can slide and not to get exposed in recovery. By the end of fall practice, the defense started to come together nicely. As for our clears, the returning players picked it up quickly as they already had a solid base in place from last year. It was one area where we didn't have to teach a new scheme to the entire squad and that allowed us to shift our focus to other areas that needed improvement.

Homecoming weekend saw the team taking on the lax alums prior to the football game. These games are important because they allow the alumni to stay connected with the program while giving the current team a chance to play against someone other than themselves. This was a special year as we honored Jon Ryan, who was lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. In Jon's honor, the alumni, led by Frank Barile '02 and Mike Poch '05, presented Jon's brothers with a jersey after the game.

As I mentioned earlier, this team has the "potential," to play at a very high level. I am really looking forward to the season but a lot of work remains before we're prepared to take on a very challenging schedule. It won't be long before we open the 2007 season at home against defending national champion Virginia on February 24. In addition to Virginia, we will take on four other opponents that participated in the 2006 NCAA tournament in Hofstra, Denver, Harvard and UMBC. We will also play Penn State along with in-state rivals Albany and Binghamton.

Season tickets for the 2007 season will go on sale after the holidays and individual tickets for all games will go on sale in February. In addition, let me also remind you that the 6th Annual Laxbacker Dinner will take place on Saturday, February 17 at the Meadow Club in Port Jefferson Station, N.Y. We hope to see everyone there in support of the Stony Brook University Men's Lacrosse Program. As I conclude my first semester here at Stony Brook, I am truly excited about the future of our program and looking forward to seeing you at our games.

On behalf of the Stony Brook Athletics Department and our lacrosse family, I wish you and your family a very happy and safe holiday season.