Coaching Carousel Pre-2020 Season

[old salt]

Last entry on this thread as other schools need to find their person and I wish them luck. Hopefully everyone lands where they are suppose to.

Old Salt - it would be great if RW and RC got back to SBU

I think Wellner's in a good spot. That report quotes Amplo as saying he's welcome to stay at Navy if he doesn't take a HC job.

No word yet on Camposa.

[laxxygilmore]

Following a popular coach is not easy. Ricky had a Hill to climb. More success and he may have gotten over it. Amplo is a good coach. So was Rick Sowell. Amplo will have an easier time. The guy after the guy that replaced the GUY generally does.

So here we are. Amplo can have the same record but more tac and Old Sailor will be happy to cut checks again. That’s what Old Jay was saying....me too.

Typical distortion of what I said. It's more than record or "tac".

I thought Richie was the perfect Coach for USNA, even before he lead the remarkable run starting in 2004.
He was rumored to be gone after losing to Air Force in 2003, had they not come back to close out a 6-7 season by beating Army.
The restive '60's lax alums wanted him out then, but the success of 2004-2007 quieted them temporarily.
He was chided for "stepping down" to the PL in '04, because his teams supposedly couldn't compete in the ECAC any longer.
As soon as Tillman departed, the doomsayers returned & the stall ball whining ramped up.
It was pressure from the Decade of Dominance '60's lax alums that forced his unceremonious ouster after just one bad season.
Those (wealthier) alums were happy to see him gone & thrilled that the AD had snagged the hottest available HC, with his run & gun offense.
How did that work out ?

I felt Richie had the perfect system for a Service Academy. It has been successfully cloned at Army (just as it has in FB).
But it was more than on the field success. Richie "got it" as much as any Coach at USNA did.
Even the Mids who just knew him through the Boxing or PE classes he taught, saw "it".
Just like we got "it" from Bildy or Steve Belichick in those same classes. ...& "it" wasn't "tac".
Maybe it was time for a change, but it could have been delayed a bit, allowing Richie to depart on his own terms & participate in choosing his successor, as was done at Army. 8 years has been a long time to be starting over again.

Based on what's being said about his work at Marquette, Joe Amplo might be the right guy to heal the generational schisms among the Navy lax alums. He'll have the chance. I hope he embraces it.

+1. Excellent fact based historical summary, old salt. I'd say that Coach Amplo "gets it" and already "embraces it"...

https://navysports.com/news/2019/6/5/jo ... -navy.aspx

"It is an honor and a privilege to be named the next head coach at the United States Naval Academy. Having the opportunity to help develop the next group of our nation's leaders is a responsibility that I do not take lightly. I look forward to embracing everything the Naval Academy stands for, engaging with our alumni, immersing our family into this community and, most of all, developing life-long relationships with the members of our team as we work to add more successes to the rich history of Navy lacrosse."

And now this from the Crab Wrapper:

https://www.capitalgazette.com/sports/n ... story.html

.. .. ...that's all good, on every level. Fire up the bandwagon.

Indeed. Great to see such genuine respect and enthusiasm overall expressed in this interview by Coach Amplo, and especially from his key comments below regarding USNA MLax alumni and current players...

https://www.capitalgazette.com/sports/n ... story.html

“For me, the Naval Academy was the complete package. From a destination standpoint in our sport, the Navy job has always been right at the top for me. I always looked at this job as a great opportunity for a number of reasons,” Amplo said.

“Just the fact you get to work at one of the world’s greatest institutions, it’s hard to compare anything with that. You factor in the type of student-athlete you’re going to be associated with and that makes it even more attractive,” Amplo added. “On top of all that, the Naval Academy is located in what my wife and I consider one of the best places to live. Annapolis is almost like a resort town. This is a great place to live and raise a family.”

“Mr. Gladchuk didn’t put specific expectations on me, but I do understand there is an expectation to compete at the highest level, to compete for championships and be a player on the national scene,” he said. “I welcome and embrace those types of expectations.”

“That passionate and loyal alumni base is not something I have dealt with as a head coach. I will say this: It does not make me nervous, it excites me,” Amplo said. “I’m coming from a place that had a very short-lived alumni experience. I think going into this season we only had 52 lacrosse alums from Marquette. So I welcome having such a huge alumni base.”

“Building a rock-solid program starts with developing a really deep interpersonal relationship with every individual currently in this program and everyone who has worn the Navy jersey previously,” he said. “I believe that is the number one most important thing in the short term, to love all the student-athletes in this program, to love the incoming recruits and make them all understand this is going to be a community-based initiative.”

“It’s not going to be just about lacrosse, it’s going to be about the whole Naval Academy experience,” Amplo added. “As I told all the alums that I have spoken to over the past 24 hours: I want that bandwagon that I watched from afar in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I want to see that bandwagon back again. I want to get everyone on board with moving this program in the right direction.”

“My first phone call was to Coach Danowski to say ‘thanks for everything you have done for me.’ John taught me, most importantly, to be an educator first,” Amplo said.

“John also showed me the power of love in an organization. You have to love your people, care about them as human beings and get to know them on the deepest interpersonal level that you possibly can. If you do that, the Xs and Ox will take care of themselves.”

...such selflessness and leadership presence will be sincerely welcomed and appreciated. As the legendary head coach Eddie Robinson famously said...

"Coaching is a profession of love. You can’t coach people unless you love them."

GO MIDS! "Amp it all up with Coach Amplo!"

old salt...The more I think about your fact based history summary / seasoned & reasoned perspective - along with the wide range of kudos and support from others that know Coach Amplo well, combined with his own words during past interviews and certainly the most recent CapGaz interview - IMHO, the Navy Faithful have sound reason to feel encouraged indeed that Coach Amplo will provide leadership presence that will mesh well with the midshipmen ethos, on and off the field. No SCFEL required.

[thatsmell]

TLD:I was going to add that I wasn't comparing Coach Sowell to Amplo. I like Coach Sowell and it is hard to follow a guy like Meade. Amplo can have the same level of success and the vitriol won't be as bad. Rick Sowell didn't forget how to coach when he went to Navy. Never their "guy".

Sowell was guilty of (1) not being Richie and (2) being viewed by a bunch of "old goats" as Gladchuk's butt boy. Sowell was and is an excellent coach and a damn classy man.

The negative energy around the program from the “fans” isn’t / wasn’t helpful. It turns away kids. The lacrosse circle is small. Everyone hears things....it makes it easy for kids to move elsewhere. Magically it will stop just as the complaints about the coach stops from the “ fans” and guys “close to the program”...Short of being Andy Shay, Ricky was going to have a tough time there.

Tell that to the NAPster freshmen recruits he cut at the start of his first fall ball, & their family, friends & teammates.
It was a hot topic in the small lacrosse circle on Li.
Wanna create negative energy & poison the recruiting well, that's a good way to start.
After 8 years, you need a new excuse. The record speaks for itself.

He cut good players? When Amplo does it, it will be because Sowell brought in bad players. Anyway....Amplo is a “good guy”. I wish him luck.

The 2011 fall ball cuts who left, played at other D-I schools, one significantly.
Most stayed at USNA & won a string of NCLL championships.

I hope Amplo at least gives the freshmen recruits who endured Plebe Summer a fair look, especially those who invested a year st NAPS.

Huh, Lars cut a bunch of kids when he landed in Charlottesville....a chip off the old block..., Sowell didn’t give them a fair chance. Who does he think he is.

Big difference though. In the two years following the initial cuts:

Lars followed those cuts with a 29-9 record one and a National Championship.
Sowell followed the cuts with a 7-20 record and two 6th place conference finishes.

[Typical Lax Dad]

TLD:I was going to add that I wasn't comparing Coach Sowell to Amplo. I like Coach Sowell and it is hard to follow a guy like Meade. Amplo can have the same level of success and the vitriol won't be as bad. Rick Sowell didn't forget how to coach when he went to Navy. Never their "guy".

Sowell was guilty of (1) not being Richie and (2) being viewed by a bunch of "old goats" as Gladchuk's butt boy. Sowell was and is an excellent coach and a damn classy man.

The negative energy around the program from the “fans” isn’t / wasn’t helpful. It turns away kids. The lacrosse circle is small. Everyone hears things....it makes it easy for kids to move elsewhere. Magically it will stop just as the complaints about the coach stops from the “ fans” and guys “close to the program”...Short of being Andy Shay, Ricky was going to have a tough time there.

Tell that to the NAPster freshmen recruits he cut at the start of his first fall ball, & their family, friends & teammates.
It was a hot topic in the small lacrosse circle on Li.
Wanna create negative energy & poison the recruiting well, that's a good way to start.
After 8 years, you need a new excuse. The record speaks for itself.

He cut good players? When Amplo does it, it will be because Sowell brought in bad players. Anyway....Amplo is a “good guy”. I wish him luck.

The 2011 fall ball cuts who left, played at other D-I schools, one significantly.
Most stayed at USNA & won a string of NCLL championships.

I hope Amplo at least gives the freshmen recruits who endured Plebe Summer a fair look, especially those who invested a year st NAPS.

Huh, Lars cut a bunch of kids when he landed in Charlottesville....a chip off the old block..., Sowell didn’t give them a fair chance. Who does he think he is.

Big difference though. In the two years following the initial cuts:

Lars followed those cuts with a 29-9 record one and a National Championship.
Sowell followed the cuts with a 7-20 record and two 6th place conference finishes.

Thanks

[MDlaxfan76]

TLD:I was going to add that I wasn't comparing Coach Sowell to Amplo. I like Coach Sowell and it is hard to follow a guy like Meade. Amplo can have the same level of success and the vitriol won't be as bad. Rick Sowell didn't forget how to coach when he went to Navy. Never their "guy".

Sowell was guilty of (1) not being Richie and (2) being viewed by a bunch of "old goats" as Gladchuk's butt boy. Sowell was and is an excellent coach and a damn classy man.

The negative energy around the program from the “fans” isn’t / wasn’t helpful. It turns away kids. The lacrosse circle is small. Everyone hears things....it makes it easy for kids to move elsewhere. Magically it will stop just as the complaints about the coach stops from the “ fans” and guys “close to the program”...Short of being Andy Shay, Ricky was going to have a tough time there.

Tell that to the NAPster freshmen recruits he cut at the start of his first fall ball, & their family, friends & teammates.
It was a hot topic in the small lacrosse circle on Li.
Wanna create negative energy & poison the recruiting well, that's a good way to start.
After 8 years, you need a new excuse. The record speaks for itself.

He cut good players? When Amplo does it, it will be because Sowell brought in bad players. Anyway....Amplo is a “good guy”. I wish him luck.

The 2011 fall ball cuts who left, played at other D-I schools, one significantly.
Most stayed at USNA & won a string of NCLL championships.

I hope Amplo at least gives the freshmen recruits who endured Plebe Summer a fair look, especially those who invested a year st NAPS.

Huh, Lars cut a bunch of kids when he landed in Charlottesville....a chip off the old block..., Sowell didn’t give them a fair chance. Who does he think he is.

Big difference though. In the two years following the initial cuts:

Lars followed those cuts with a 29-9 record one and a National Championship.
Sowell followed the cuts with a 7-20 record and two 6th place conference finishes.

Thanks

I'm a big Lars fan, and indeed the 'cuts' worked out well. So did the openness to walk-ons.

What Lars was trying to do was to change the culture from one in which some players were 'entitled' and 'anointed', rather than hungry and committed. He hoped to light a fire under the rest, and to empower those who were truly 'all-in' to lead the team forward. There was a lot of outrage about the cuts at the time, and certainly some 'talented' players left, but in retrospect, it's difficult to not see this as having paid off.

Of course, there was more to the changes in culture than just the cuts, certainly the go-go-go nature of practices and playing style also had a big impact upon the team's ability to finish strong and fast.

As I saw Rick's success at Dartmouth, I've been a fan of his as well. Very compelling recruiter and coach, bit of a screamer on the sidelines, but his intensity certainly worked, at least up to a point. I thought he could have taken the program to the sort of consistency Shay has achieved. Bunch of talent attracted over a short period of time, and that was beginning to become a virtuous cycle. But then he left.

That said, I had some surprisingly poor interactions with him 1:1 as a supportive, interested Dartmouth alum. It wasn't as if I was some schlub from a bygone era of constant failures. (bygone era, yes!, but not constant failures.) I was the only 2X AA over a 30 year period, benefitting from a team improvement from outside the top 30 to being a Top 10 national team junior season and Top 15 senior season. Very much the same trajectory Rick was hoping to accomplish as a coach (and did). And I lived in and was coaching in Baltimore with a young son, so likely to be in the mix with potential recruits, families, etc. Not a big donor, but consistent, Friends board, and an influencer in some circles.

But he blew me off. I chalked it up as a young aggressive coach wanting to focus entirely on the here and now, which is entirely appropriate. But when dealing with alums, especially those still active in the game, interactions should be seen as an opportunity, not a burden. I sure as heck didn't want to be a burden, nor did I wish in any way to tell him to coach differently, or anything else. Just be an enthusiastic supporter.

But as I continued to watch him, I think he had/has some EQ and ego issues that made him less successful in such interaction opportunities. And that was at a program where no one was criticizing the change in head coach!

So, unlike Lars who also took over from a beloved, long-tenure coach with an avid fan base, Rick may not have had the interpersonal skill set to deal with the inevitable alumni discontent in such a coach turnover. I would contrast this with Lars who, it appears to me, has exceptional EQ.

I would also suggest that Rick may well not have inherited the sort of depth of talent pool that Lars did. No one wondered whether there was enough talent at UVA to be winning more games than they did post 2011. Much bigger question at Navy at that point.

And I think the Navy alumni base was nowhere near as supportive of Rick as they should have been. There was way too much rooting against his success, and, I hate to say this, but there did seem to be more than just rooting against the successor to a beloved figure.

I'm hoping that Rick lands somewhere that will benefit from his knowledge and experience and that he'll continue to grow as a coach.

And I'm hoping that Amplo will enjoy success at Navy...with the support of its alumni base.
To answer xxxx's question, I'd assume that the Navy alums would be very pleased to win the Patriot League 1 out of every 3-4 years, but be close every year. Beat Army. And to occasionally go deep in the NCAA's. Do that and even a NC isn't out of the question.

That's super hard in the current era, but not impossible.

[GBMan]

Anyone picking up smoke signals from Harvard?

[Typical Lax Dad]

TLD:I was going to add that I wasn't comparing Coach Sowell to Amplo. I like Coach Sowell and it is hard to follow a guy like Meade. Amplo can have the same level of success and the vitriol won't be as bad. Rick Sowell didn't forget how to coach when he went to Navy. Never their "guy".

Sowell was guilty of (1) not being Richie and (2) being viewed by a bunch of "old goats" as Gladchuk's butt boy. Sowell was and is an excellent coach and a damn classy man.

The negative energy around the program from the “fans” isn’t / wasn’t helpful. It turns away kids. The lacrosse circle is small. Everyone hears things....it makes it easy for kids to move elsewhere. Magically it will stop just as the complaints about the coach stops from the “ fans” and guys “close to the program”...Short of being Andy Shay, Ricky was going to have a tough time there.

Tell that to the NAPster freshmen recruits he cut at the start of his first fall ball, & their family, friends & teammates.
It was a hot topic in the small lacrosse circle on Li.
Wanna create negative energy & poison the recruiting well, that's a good way to start.
After 8 years, you need a new excuse. The record speaks for itself.

He cut good players? When Amplo does it, it will be because Sowell brought in bad players. Anyway....Amplo is a “good guy”. I wish him luck.

The 2011 fall ball cuts who left, played at other D-I schools, one significantly.
Most stayed at USNA & won a string of NCLL championships.

I hope Amplo at least gives the freshmen recruits who endured Plebe Summer a fair look, especially those who invested a year st NAPS.

Huh, Lars cut a bunch of kids when he landed in Charlottesville....a chip off the old block..., Sowell didn’t give them a fair chance. Who does he think he is.

Big difference though. In the two years following the initial cuts:

Lars followed those cuts with a 29-9 record one and a National Championship.
Sowell followed the cuts with a 7-20 record and two 6th place conference finishes.

Thanks

I'm a big Lars fan, and indeed the 'cuts' worked out well. So did the openness to walk-ons.

What Lars was trying to do was to change the culture from one in which some players were 'entitled' and 'anointed', rather than hungry and committed. He hoped to light a fire under the rest, and to empower those who were truly 'all-in' to lead the team forward. There was a lot of outrage about the cuts at the time, and certainly some 'talented' players left, but in retrospect, it's difficult to not see this as having paid off.

Of course, there was more to the changes in culture than just the cuts, certainly the go-go-go nature of practices and playing style also had a big impact upon the team's ability to finish strong and fast.

As I saw Rick's success at Dartmouth, I've been a fan of his as well. Very compelling recruiter and coach, bit of a screamer on the sidelines, but his intensity certainly worked, at least up to a point. I thought he could have taken the program to the sort of consistency Shay has achieved. Bunch of talent attracted over a short period of time, and that was beginning to become a virtuous cycle. But then he left.

That said, I had some surprisingly poor interactions with him 1:1 as a supportive, interested Dartmouth alum. It wasn't as if I was some schlub from a bygone era of constant failures. (bygone era, yes!, but not constant failures.) I was the only 2X AA over a 30 year period, benefitting from a team improvement from outside the top 30 to being a Top 10 national team junior season and Top 15 senior season. Very much the same trajectory Rick was hoping to accomplish as a coach (and did). And I lived in and was coaching in Baltimore with a young son, so likely to be in the mix with potential recruits, families, etc. Not a big donor, but consistent, Friends board, and an influencer in some circles.

But he blew me off. I chalked it up as a young aggressive coach wanting to focus entirely on the here and now, which is entirely appropriate. But when dealing with alums, especially those still active in the game, interactions should be seen as an opportunity, not a burden. I sure as heck didn't want to be a burden, nor did I wish in any way to tell him to coach differently, or anything else. Just be an enthusiastic supporter.

But as I continued to watch him, I think he had/has some EQ and ego issues that made him less successful in such interaction opportunities. And that was at a program where no one was criticizing the change in head coach!

So, unlike Lars who also took over from a beloved, long-tenure coach with an avid fan base, Rick may not have had the interpersonal skill set to deal with the inevitable alumni discontent in such a coach turnover. I would contrast this with Lars who, it appears to me, has exceptional EQ.

I would also suggest that Rick may well not have inherited the sort of depth of talent pool that Lars did. No one wondered whether there was enough talent at UVA to be winning more games than they did post 2011. Much bigger question at Navy at that point.

And I think the Navy alumni base was nowhere near as supportive of Rick as they should have been. There was way too much rooting against his success, and, I hate to say this, but there did seem to be more than just rooting against the successor to a beloved figure.

I'm hoping that Rick lands somewhere that will benefit from his knowledge and experience and that he'll continue to grow as a coach.

And I'm hoping that Amplo will enjoy success at Navy...with the support of its alumni base.
To answer xxxx's question, I'd assume that the Navy alums would be very pleased to win the Patriot League 1 out of every 3-4 years, but be close every year. Beat Army. And to occasionally go deep in the NCAA's. Do that and even a NC isn't out of the question.

That's super hard in the current era, but not impossible.

Thanks for posting that. It’s insightful and personal. Changing regimes is hard. Coach Sowell’s personality type did not help. He isn’t the first and won’t be the last. We went through the same thing at my alma mater. There was a schism between the old guard and the new guard. The coach finally won the old guard over. It may have taken him 20 years, even with a ton of success. Joe Amplo is a great hire. Comes in with a lot of support and enthusiasm and that is half the battle.

[River Donkey]

Maybe take this to the Navy thread or start a new one.

[wahoomurf]

So, unlike Lars who also took over from a beloved, long-tenure coach with an avid fan base, Rick may not have had the interpersonal skill set to deal with the inevitable alumni discontent in such a coach turnover. I would contrast this with Lars who, it appears to me, has exceptional EQ.

I love and respected Lars' predecessor. A friend for 40 years.

Mais Désolé: DS was and will always be a beloved figure. But as the myriad incidents came out, he lost many of those in his avid fan base. It was time for him to move on. Lars' interviews throughout the hiring process, proved to a couple of the "he ain't DOM" skeptics, Lars would be the right choice.

Q.E.D.

[MDlaxfan76]

Maybe take this to the Navy thread or start a new one.

I think folks are just chewing on this one until the next major move gets announced.

One would think pretty soon...

[HGK25]

Baxter to Fairfield formally announced by the Stags AD. Great hire for Fairfield.

[laxxygilmore]

TLD:I was going to add that I wasn't comparing Coach Sowell to Amplo. I like Coach Sowell and it is hard to follow a guy like Meade. Amplo can have the same level of success and the vitriol won't be as bad. Rick Sowell didn't forget how to coach when he went to Navy. Never their "guy".

Sowell was guilty of (1) not being Richie and (2) being viewed by a bunch of "old goats" as Gladchuk's butt boy. Sowell was and is an excellent coach and a damn classy man.

The negative energy around the program from the “fans” isn’t / wasn’t helpful. It turns away kids. The lacrosse circle is small. Everyone hears things....it makes it easy for kids to move elsewhere. Magically it will stop just as the complaints about the coach stops from the “ fans” and guys “close to the program”...Short of being Andy Shay, Ricky was going to have a tough time there.

Tell that to the NAPster freshmen recruits he cut at the start of his first fall ball, & their family, friends & teammates.
It was a hot topic in the small lacrosse circle on Li.
Wanna create negative energy & poison the recruiting well, that's a good way to start.
After 8 years, you need a new excuse. The record speaks for itself.

He cut good players? When Amplo does it, it will be because Sowell brought in bad players. Anyway....Amplo is a “good guy”. I wish him luck.

The 2011 fall ball cuts who left, played at other D-I schools, one significantly.
Most stayed at USNA & won a string of NCLL championships.

I hope Amplo at least gives the freshmen recruits who endured Plebe Summer a fair look, especially those who invested a year st NAPS.

Huh, Lars cut a bunch of kids when he landed in Charlottesville....a chip off the old block..., Sowell didn’t give them a fair chance. Who does he think he is.

Big difference though. In the two years following the initial cuts:

Lars followed those cuts with a 29-9 record one and a National Championship.
Sowell followed the cuts with a 7-20 record and two 6th place conference finishes.

Hmmm...must have cut a bunch of NAPSTERS and DIRECTS that could have really helped improve that record.

[laxxygilmore]

Last entry on this thread as other schools need to find their person and I wish them luck. Hopefully everyone lands where they are suppose to.

Old Salt - it would be great if RW and RC got back to SBU

I think Wellner's in a good spot. That report quotes Amplo as saying he's welcome to stay at Navy if he doesn't take a HC job.

No word yet on Camposa.

Agreed. Coach Wellner is in a good spot. While he's got all the necessary skills for success as a head coach, it's a well known fact the he loves the MLax Mids; gets what USNA is all about; loves all that living in / near Annapolis has to offer for his family (it is special indeed), and when combined with all the positive buzz already generated by / about Coach Amplo, it won't surprise me at all if he stays and plays a key role in future team success. So we'll see!

[Sigh]

Baxter to Fairfield. It's official, players just got the email from AD.

[10stone5]

Baxter to Fairfield. It's official, players just got the email from AD.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb ... ar-AACG6Of

Nadelen, Baxter, DeLuca.
Real interesting match up of coaching philosophies.
Does Baxter go with defense ?
He’s currently got some very good offensive players.
Too bad Colin Burke moved on.

[jerzyjoe81]

Another top assistant moves up! Congrats! I believe the remaining 3 HC openings would be perfect landing spots for an assistant. This is my next grouping.
Byrne
Wellner
Reppert
Gilardi
Ross

[Typical Lax Dad]

Another top assistant moves up! Congrats! I believe the remaining 3 HC openings would be perfect landing spots for an assistant. This is my next grouping.
Byrne
Wellner
Reppert
Gilardi
Ross

I can see Ross at Marquette.

[GBMan]

Update on Harvard and Stony Brook https://www.collegecrosse.com/2019/6/11 ... pdates-lax

[LacrosseFan33]

Bellarmine now looking for a head coach. HC leaving to pursue other career opportunities

[Tdemling6]

Jim Mitchell has stepped down as the head coach at Bellarmine after one year at the helm.
https://lacrossebucket.com/2019/06/11/j ... ellarmine/