New Assistant Coach Judd Lattimore from his Bucknell days.
It’s finally official: Judd Lattimore (who has been recruiting for Michigan for a couple weeks now) has been hired as Michigan’s second assistant coach:
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — University of Michigan men’s lacrosse head coach John Paul announced today (Friday, July 15) the hiring of Judd Lattimore as an assistant coach.
“Judd Lattimore is a great addition to our coaching staff,” said Paul. “He brings incredible enthusiasm, and he understands what our culture is all about at Michigan. He’s a tireless recruiter with extensive Division I experience. He’s also an outstanding offensive coach who knows how to develop athletes and implement systems. I had more than one Patriot League coach thank me for taking him away from that conference so they won’t have to deal with his offenses anymore.”
“I am extremely proud to become a part of the winning tradition and excellence that is Michigan lacrosse,” said Lattimore. “Michigan Athletics has provided outstanding support to the lacrosse program, which attracts the best student-athletes around the country. The opportunity to compete for national championships year-in and year-out is the main reason I was drawn to working with Coach Paul and the University of Michigan.”
Lattimore has 10 years of college coaching experience as an assistant. His teams have compiled a record of 107-47. He has reached the Division I NCAA Tournament with four different teams and coached in a pair of Division II NCAA Tournament national title games.
His most recent stint was at Bucknell, where he was the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for the 2011 Patriot League champion. During his three seasons with the Bison, they set a program record for single-season wins (14, 2011) and achieved their highest national ranking (7th, USILA Coaches Poll). He coached at his alma mater, North Carolina, during the 2007 and 2008 campaigns. Lattimore also served as an assistant coach at Pennsylvania (2006), Delaware (2005), Limestone College (2003-04) and Geneseo State (2002).
A native of Auburn, N.Y., Lattimore played collegiately at UNC, where he was a two-year starter.
Since Lattimore is coming to Michigan from Bucknell, I had the opportunity to speak with Pat Stansik, who played for both programs about what Judd will bring to Ann Arbor. To start, let’s quickly talk about the style of Ken Broschart, the other Michigan assistant:
I think D1 defenders are gonna love playing for Kenny because once he is able to recruit the kind of athletes he wants he can mold them and make them nasty… I have a feeling that if he gets some hard-nosed defenders he will be able to push them more (more competitive athlete, more at stake, more time they have to commit to lacrosse).
KB’s emotional approach is a very important part of his coaching, and it sounds like that may be even more successful at the next level. So what of Judd Lattimore?
That’s the biggest thing I can think of: the contrast with him and Kenny. Kenny’s very aggressive/emotional/inspiring, and Judd’s a great coach but just does it in a different way. He’ll pull you aside and let you know what you’re doing wrong and is always calm.
A nice contrast in styles between assistant coaches could provide the dynamic Michigan needs for success. As for off-the-field aspects, Judd brings a lot to the table there:
I think a big + is his connections: he’s from Upstate New York (Auburn if I remember correctly) and that’s huge for recruiting. One of the nicest guys I’ve ever played for (even though it was only a few months) and related really well to college kids… Played at North Carolina and knows his stuff. Didn’t really get to see him recruiting but if you look at Bucknell’s classes that have come in recently they have gotten better every year. Whereas my class had 2 or 3 elite kids they are starting to get 4-5, which is difficult to do given their situation (no athletic scholarships).
One of the major criticisms leveled (unfairly, in my opinion) at John Paul is a lack of D-1 playing and coaching experience. Though Ken played at Division-2 New York Institute of Technology (where he was a 3-time All-American), Judd brings that Division-1 cachet to the coaching staff as both a player and a coach.
He has been both offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for Bucknell, and I would expect him to perform both of those roles in Ann Arbor as well. Here’s a link to his Bucknell bio.
The Wolverines will likely close out their lacrosse staff by hiring a graduate assistant coach.