Coaching Carousel Pre-2020 Season

[Muleski]

CollegeCrosse has been pretty well on top of things with Navy and Fairfield. I like the latest “list” for Harvard, as recently there has been no mention of either JT or Polley by them, while there has been a lot of chatter that bother were still in the mix, and had been since day one.

Casesse, Kirwan, Polley and JT. I can’t see Rick Sowell being the guy, though I can see him being in the process. Not surprised about Byrne perhaps cooling down. At some point, programs will quit calling him. He’s been at the altar with Harvard once before. He’d likely be a great choice. Not sure he’d be the top choice, this time. And who knows what the situation is with his wife’s career and practice.

My money is on JT. Over Polley by a nose.
We’ll see. Should know inside of a couple of weeks.

Interesting to follow.

[Tdemling6]

Here are some very early Bellarmine coaching candidates. McKeown is one of their top targets for sure. The rest of their candidates are unknown at thus time.

https://lacrossebucket.com/2019/06/12/l ... ellarmine/

[sguy9]

My money is on JT. Over Polley by a nose.

My order, IF Byrne is really out.

JT
Cassese
Kirwin
Polley

[thatsmell]

The Bellarmine news was a bit of a shock. When a coach leaves that quickly, it's usually a sign that something changed or is coming down the pike.

Mitchell is a fine recruiioter and has been bringing in good kids to many top rpograms for years. He was doing a great job mining GA and other areas for recruits. It will be interesting to see: A) what happens at Bellarmine and B) where Mitchell lands.

[Tdemling6]

The Bellarmine news was a bit of a shock. When a coach leaves that quickly, it's usually a sign that something changed or is coming down the pike.

Mitchell is a fine recruiioter and has been bringing in good kids to many top rpograms for years. He was doing a great job mining GA and other areas for recruits. It will be interesting to see: A) what happens at Bellarmine and B) where Mitchell lands.

Mitchell wasn't happy with many thing. Wouldn't let him run the ship like he wanted and his vision didn't align with that of the AD. None of that is his fault as things are like that because of how bad the previous staff ran things into the ground. It's odd that he left after year one for sure.

[thatsmell]

Bad matches happen from time to time, unfortunately. But they usually get dragged out for years hoping something will change. See Navy.
If it's apparent after one year that the place you're coaching at doesn't fit with your vision, good for Mitchell to get out before wasting his and everyone else's time. And good for the school to communicate the differences clearly enough.
Good luck to Mitchell and Bellarmine moving forward.

[PicLax]

I don’t think JT is heading to Harvard. Everyone I talk with says he preaches loyalty above all else, and I can’t see him leaving the program and players he has built at Amherst without substantial warning, especially given how close they came to a national championship this past year and how poised I hear they are for continued runs. I think the process for new HCs anywhere is getting too far along to nab a current HC without doing damage and disruption to the current school and summer recruiting. My money here on out is on assistants, and I think the Harvard job is Kirwin’s.

[GBMan]

I don’t think JT is heading to Harvard. Everyone I talk with says he preaches loyalty above all else, and I can’t see him leaving the program and players he has built at Amherst without substantial warning, especially given how close they came to a national championship this past year and how poised I hear they are for continued runs. I think the process for new HCs anywhere is getting too far along to nab a current HC without doing damage and disruption to the current school and summer recruiting. My money here on out is on assistants, and I think the Harvard job is Kirwin’s.

I made the case before why Harvard should pick Kirwan, but let me turn it around to look at it from Kirwan's POV. His stock is rising, he just won a DI championship, and he's valued where he is. He's a young guy with a young family. I'm guessing his comp is pretty decent at UVA, and of course there's summer camps etc. to supplement the income. What's he need Harvard for? The expectations would be sky high to win at long last an Ivy championship and an NCAA berth, if not a final four spot. As for the Harvard community, alumni, etc. we're not exactly talking about laid back mild-mannered people who are content to go along and get along. He could be stepping into a pressure cooker, and if he doesn't do well right away his value could be diminished down the line. Why not wait a few more years and get some extra seasoning and experience under your belt?

Just speculating here, I have no inside dope. It's a dance, and each partner is thinking the same thing: is this the one for me?

[HopFan16]

I don’t think JT is heading to Harvard. Everyone I talk with says he preaches loyalty above all else, and I can’t see him leaving the program and players he has built at Amherst without substantial warning, especially given how close they came to a national championship this past year and how poised I hear they are for continued runs. I think the process for new HCs anywhere is getting too far along to nab a current HC without doing damage and disruption to the current school and summer recruiting. My money here on out is on assistants, and I think the Harvard job is Kirwin’s.

I made the case before why Harvard should pick Kirwan, but let me turn it around to look at it from Kirwan's POV. His stock is rising, he just won a DI championship, and he's valued where he is. He's a young guy with a young family. I'm guessing his comp is pretty decent at UVA, and of course there's summer camps etc. to supplement the income. What's he need Harvard for? The expectations would be sky high to win at long last an Ivy championship and an NCAA berth, if not a final four spot. As for the Harvard community, alumni, etc. we're not exactly talking about laid back mild-mannered people who are content to go along and get along. He could be stepping into a pressure cooker, and if he doesn't do well right away his value could be diminished down the line. Why not wait a few more years and get some extra seasoning and experience under your belt?

Just speculating here, I have no inside dope. It's a dance, and each partner is thinking the same thing: is this the one for me?

1) Money
2) The chance to lead your own program
3) Cambridge is a nice place to raise a family
4) Strike while the iron is hot/capitalize on your value being high—no guarantee it stays that way forever
5) Money

#1 and #5 are important.

I also don't think expectations would be unreasonably high—starting with just making the Ivy tournament should be the goal in year one or two and then you start talking about NCAAs/getting back to the "national stage" but then again I'm not a Harvard fan or alum. They may be intense not unlike another fan base I'm intimately familiar with but I'm assuming Harvard grads are smart enough to know they should give a young coach a few years to implement his system and culture before they start expecting Final Fours.

[GBMan]

I don’t think JT is heading to Harvard. Everyone I talk with says he preaches loyalty above all else, and I can’t see him leaving the program and players he has built at Amherst without substantial warning, especially given how close they came to a national championship this past year and how poised I hear they are for continued runs. I think the process for new HCs anywhere is getting too far along to nab a current HC without doing damage and disruption to the current school and summer recruiting. My money here on out is on assistants, and I think the Harvard job is Kirwin’s.

I made the case before why Harvard should pick Kirwan, but let me turn it around to look at it from Kirwan's POV. His stock is rising, he just won a DI championship, and he's valued where he is. He's a young guy with a young family. I'm guessing his comp is pretty decent at UVA, and of course there's summer camps etc. to supplement the income. What's he need Harvard for? The expectations would be sky high to win at long last an Ivy championship and an NCAA berth, if not a final four spot. As for the Harvard community, alumni, etc. we're not exactly talking about laid back mild-mannered people who are content to go along and get along. He could be stepping into a pressure cooker, and if he doesn't do well right away his value could be diminished down the line. Why not wait a few more years and get some extra seasoning and experience under your belt?

Just speculating here, I have no inside dope. It's a dance, and each partner is thinking the same thing: is this the one for me?

1) Money
2) The chance to lead your own program
3) Cambridge is a nice place to raise a family
4) Strike while the iron is hot/capitalize on your value being high—no guarantee it stays that way forever
5) Money

#1 and #5 are important.

I also don't think expectations would be unreasonably high—starting with just making the Ivy tournament should be the goal in year one or two and then you start talking about NCAAs/getting back to the "national stage" but then again I'm not a Harvard fan or alum. They may be intense not unlike another fan base I'm intimately familiar with but I'm assuming Harvard grads are smart enough to know they should give a young coach a few years to implement his system and culture before they start expecting Final Fours.

I confess I need some educatin' - what's the $$$ differential between HC and assistant?

For what's it worth, if I were advising young Kirwan and Harvard made an offer, I'd say, you kidding? Go for it. Pretty much for the reasons you listed above.

[wgdsr]

"getting back to the national stage"?

[HopFan16]

"getting back to the national stage"?

As in making the NCAA tournament/being relevant again to the point where the media/people like us actually know of their existence, like they were several times in the 90s under Scott Anderson and during the first half of Wojcik's tenure when they had two seasons of 10 wins and won the Ivy in 2014.

Seems like you're weirdly zeroing in on a fairly trivial part of my comment simply to be annoying, when it was pretty clear from context clues what I meant. But thank you for your contribution to the discussion.

[xxxxxxx]

I don’t think JT is heading to Harvard. Everyone I talk with says he preaches loyalty above all else, and I can’t see him leaving the program and players he has built at Amherst without substantial warning, especially given how close they came to a national championship this past year and how poised I hear they are for continued runs. I think the process for new HCs anywhere is getting too far along to nab a current HC without doing damage and disruption to the current school and summer recruiting. My money here on out is on assistants, and I think the Harvard job is Kirwin’s.

I made the case before why Harvard should pick Kirwan, but let me turn it around to look at it from Kirwan's POV. His stock is rising, he just won a DI championship, and he's valued where he is. He's a young guy with a young family. I'm guessing his comp is pretty decent at UVA, and of course there's summer camps etc. to supplement the income. What's he need Harvard for? The expectations would be sky high to win at long last an Ivy championship and an NCAA berth, if not a final four spot. As for the Harvard community, alumni, etc. we're not exactly talking about laid back mild-mannered people who are content to go along and get along. He could be stepping into a pressure cooker, and if he doesn't do well right away his value could be diminished down the line. Why not wait a few more years and get some extra seasoning and experience under your belt?

Just speculating here, I have no inside dope. It's a dance, and each partner is thinking the same thing: is this the one for me?

1) Money
2) The chance to lead your own program
3) Cambridge is a nice place to raise a family
4) Strike while the iron is hot/capitalize on your value being high—no guarantee it stays that way forever
5) Money

#1 and #5 are important.

I also don't think expectations would be unreasonably high—starting with just making the Ivy tournament should be the goal in year one or two and then you start talking about NCAAs/getting back to the "national stage" but then again I'm not a Harvard fan or alum. They may be intense not unlike another fan base I'm intimately familiar with but I'm assuming Harvard grads are smart enough to know they should give a young coach a few years to implement his system and culture before they start expecting Final Fours.

I confess I need some educatin' - what's the $$$ differential between HC and assistant?

For what's it worth, if I were advising young Kirwan and Harvard made an offer, I'd say, you kidding? Go for it. Pretty much for the reasons you listed above.

It is my understanding the Head D1 Coaches make from $75 k per year on the low end to $300 k plus on the high end, along with everything in between. I also think head coaches make close to double what their assistants make.

[youthathletics]

Kirwan should stay at UVA. Just as beautiful in Charlottesville, money is not everything, access to blue chip recruits without "as much" headache worrying about AI, an AD department 100% behind you, and an Alum that would likely pay you the difference in salary to stay.

[GBMan]

I don’t think JT is heading to Harvard. Everyone I talk with says he preaches loyalty above all else, and I can’t see him leaving the program and players he has built at Amherst without substantial warning, especially given how close they came to a national championship this past year and how poised I hear they are for continued runs. I think the process for new HCs anywhere is getting too far along to nab a current HC without doing damage and disruption to the current school and summer recruiting. My money here on out is on assistants, and I think the Harvard job is Kirwin’s.

I made the case before why Harvard should pick Kirwan, but let me turn it around to look at it from Kirwan's POV. His stock is rising, he just won a DI championship, and he's valued where he is. He's a young guy with a young family. I'm guessing his comp is pretty decent at UVA, and of course there's summer camps etc. to supplement the income. What's he need Harvard for? The expectations would be sky high to win at long last an Ivy championship and an NCAA berth, if not a final four spot. As for the Harvard community, alumni, etc. we're not exactly talking about laid back mild-mannered people who are content to go along and get along. He could be stepping into a pressure cooker, and if he doesn't do well right away his value could be diminished down the line. Why not wait a few more years and get some extra seasoning and experience under your belt?

Just speculating here, I have no inside dope. It's a dance, and each partner is thinking the same thing: is this the one for me?

1) Money
2) The chance to lead your own program
3) Cambridge is a nice place to raise a family
4) Strike while the iron is hot/capitalize on your value being high—no guarantee it stays that way forever
5) Money

#1 and #5 are important.

I also don't think expectations would be unreasonably high—starting with just making the Ivy tournament should be the goal in year one or two and then you start talking about NCAAs/getting back to the "national stage" but then again I'm not a Harvard fan or alum. They may be intense not unlike another fan base I'm intimately familiar with but I'm assuming Harvard grads are smart enough to know they should give a young coach a few years to implement his system and culture before they start expecting Final Fours.

I confess I need some educatin' - what's the $$$ differential between HC and assistant?

For what's it worth, if I were advising young Kirwan and Harvard made an offer, I'd say, you kidding? Go for it. Pretty much for the reasons you listed above.

It is my understanding the Head D1 Coaches make from $75 k per year on the low end to $300 k plus on the high end, along with everything in between. I also think head coaches make close to double what their assistants make.

Got it, thanks. So in other words lacrosse isn't in the same solar system as Coach Saban and his crew at Alabama. Or same galaxy.

[wgdsr]

"getting back to the national stage"?

As in making the NCAA tournament/being relevant again to the point where the media/people like us actually know of their existence, like they were several times in the 90s under Scott Anderson and during the first half of Wojcik's tenure when they had two seasons of 10 wins and won the Ivy in 2014.

Seems like you're weirdly zeroing in on a fairly trivial part of my comment simply to be annoying, when it was pretty clear from context clues what I meant. But thank you for your contribution to the discussion.

yeah, i did think the comment was weird.
have they won an nc$$ game?

it is a disussion board. and fwiw, you seem a little touchy lately, as long as we're throwing out aspersions.

[HopFan16]

"getting back to the national stage"?

As in making the NCAA tournament/being relevant again to the point where the media/people like us actually know of their existence, like they were several times in the 90s under Scott Anderson and during the first half of Wojcik's tenure when they had two seasons of 10 wins and won the Ivy in 2014.

Seems like you're weirdly zeroing in on a fairly trivial part of my comment simply to be annoying, when it was pretty clear from context clues what I meant. But thank you for your contribution to the discussion.

yeah, i did think the comment was weird.
have they won an nc$$ game?

it is a disussion board. and fwiw, you seem a little touchy lately, as long as we're throwing out aspersions.

Okay chief

[GBMan]

A bit off topic, but the best coaching advice I've heard this year: "If you have a motor - you have a chance." Jeff Van Gundy, talking about Raptor forward Pascal Siakam after he came up with an offensive rebound and a put back. Anyone who's ever coached youth lacrosse knows it's the same kids who always come up with the ball, no matter where you put them.

[HooDat]

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

hmmmm...

....little Dano getting some independent experience at Stonybrook is interesting.

.... but so is Thompson to Harvard. Amherst likes to consider itself uber select in terms of academics - that experience should line up well for Harvard. Brown's "outcome to be determined" in terms of going with a D3 coach doesn't provide a lot of guidance on the NESCAC to Ivy transition..

Curious what the folks with Harvard ties think of that idea.

[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.

Does anyone have any intel on who Amplo might hire? You figure he has to hire at least 1 guy soon since recruiting is in full swing. His top assistant has to be an O guy and good recruiter I would think.

Some awesome names have been mentioned. Maybe he can convince Phipps to come back?

I also want to reiterate how great of a man Coach Wellner was and respected by all.

Interesting read:

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... gage/54828

Fore
"T"

Agreed, "T". Refreshing to know and be encouraged about on so many levels for the MLax Mids. Especially these key comments from Coach Amplo...

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... gage/54828

“My biggest thing is the relationships. I can’t let my first 30 days here go by without being engaged with as many people as possible. I want to be involved from a relationship standpoint with anyone who can touch this program,” Amplo said.

“The opportunity to work at the world’s best leadership institution, that personally and professionally is an unbelievable honor and a privilege. The personal and professional growth — what an opportunity."

“From a lacrosse standpoint, it has one of the most long-standing traditions in our sport, and a rich alumni network that is supportive, excited, and the institution supports it at the highest level. You’re given every resource necessary to compete. You’ve got the support of a fanbase. You’ve got the support of alums. The potential for the team to compete at the highest level of our sport is there,” he said. “And oh by the way. Everyone that you coach is going to go on to do great things in the world. To me, it’s the complete package.”

“Listen about their experience and learn what I need to learn. Talk to the players on my team and hear about their day. Understand the challenges, but accept them. Every institution’s got challenges… I can’t make it a deterrent to who we are as a team. I have to make it part of who we are. The biggest thing is learning about it and understanding how I’m going to fit a process into play where that’s part of it,” he said.

“This is a unique challenge, and there are young men that don’t want this opportunity, and they’re right off the board. There are young men who are off the board right away at every institution, whether it's an academic, geographical or competitive reason. There are kids that most institutions can’t recruit,” he said. “For ours, the military is the clearinghouse. To the extent that students may be interested even a little bit, the sooner they learn the opportunities with the military and then beyond the service are as good or better than most institutions in our sport, kids are going to become even more excited.”

…yup, additional indications that Coach Amplo gets it already. Refreshing and encouraging indeed.