Hey, let’s get a couple months of things posted.
Detroit
This is like, really old, but here’s UDM on the local news talking about their run to the NCAA Tournament.
This link is no longer super-relevant because it related directly to Detroit’s matchup with Notre Dame, but a look at the Titans’ pressure defense. I’m expecting that pressure to be dialed back a bit with the losses on defense and a stronger offense returning.
Titan men’s lacrosse season in review.
Outgoing defenseman Jordan Houtby earned Detroit’s first ever USILA Academic All-America honor. He also was drafted by the NLL’s Minnesota Swarm.
Mike Birney‘s quest for a world record shot reaches 114 MPH on the gun. He’s going to be featured in an upcoming issue of Lacrosse Magazine.
Detroit gets its volunteer on. Head coach Matt Holtz shaves his head for charity.
UDM senior short-stick defensive midfielder Joe MacLean makes his mark on local media.
Detroit has named its team captains for the spring. Seniors Alex Maini and Tom Masterson are joined by juniors Thomas Sible and Chris Shevins as the leadership group on Six Mile.
Detroit’s alumni weekend was a hit. The Titans’ fall practices are back underway.
Michigan
Michigan’s Kyle Jackson scores a goal against Syracuse for the Iroquois national team (at 2:06):
Fellow wolverine Dakota Sherman competed for Israel in the same event.
You can re-live all the highs and lows of Michigan’s 2012 win over Mercer.
It’s behind a paywall, so I will evilly excerpt the relevant portion here. Michigan AD David Brandon says that a lacrosse facility is one of his top priorities for spending in ann Arbor:
Brandon said he hopes to complete a few projects every year so that the full vision of this transformation could be seen well within the next decade. It seems as though next on the docket will be building practice and competition facilities for the men’s and women’s lacrosse team, as well as renovations and upgrades to the men’s and women’s track building.
Having heard a bit of what is planned, I have no doubt that U-M is about to have the best lacrosse facility in the country.
The Michigan Daily features Michigan attackman Brendan Gaughan, who sat out his freshman year with a knee injury, and should add to the U-M offense this spring.
Michigan will play at High Point March 5. The Wolverines fell to High Point on the road last year, and will look to exact revenge in 2014. The Wolverines also take on new program Furman a couple days later as part of a Southern swing.
As speculated in this space many times, attack/midfield Thomas Paras will return for his fifth year of eligibility for Michigan.
Michigan, which has very little lacrosse history at the Division I level (all of two years and two wins) has the fifth most-followed Twitter handle in the country among lacrosse programs. The four programs ahead of Michigan (Syracuse, Duke, Maryland, and Virginia) have combined for 19 national titles in the NCAA Tournament era.
Youth and High School
Premier Lacrosse Group head (and former Detroit Country Day coach) Mark Greaney has been named the president of the Michigan Youth Lacrosse Association:
Mark’s career in Lacrosse has involved playing and coaching both at levels from Youth to Collegiate. Before coaching and playing internationally he was a standout at Wheeling Jesuit University. He was the leading DII scorer in 2007 and is still the Wheeling Jesuit all time leading goal scorer. After college Mark moved to England where he coached club teams of all ages and played for Mellor Lacrosse Club. Coming back he coached at both the University of Arizona and the University of Michigan. Mark recently coached Detroit Country Day High School varsity team where not only was the team a state semi-final contender but Mark was a coach of the year nominee and the team won the Michigan Lacrosse Officials Sportsmanship award as voted by the referees.
Congrats to Mark.
The 20th annual fall 7-on-7 tournament is on for Nov. 9-10.
Saginaw Heritage senior Matt Wilson was named the MLive-Saginaw News player of the year. Mattawan’s David Stafford, now a freshman at St. John’s, earned the honor in the Kalamazoo area. Saline’s Tom Hickey, now at Colorado State, got the distinction in Washtenaw County.
Notre Dame freshman Sergio Perkovic of Brother Rice and Bloomfield Hills Lahser/Michigan midfielder Margaret Metzger were the Metro Detroit players of the year.
Gear
New Michigan practice helmets are very nice:
Bathroom shot but not a #mirrorselfie
Lacrosse Playground peeps their cleats as well.
Detroit’s offering is a little more plain, but still a good look.
Realignment
It’s been a while since I’ve covered realignment in depth, but my preferred outcome – at least from Michigan’s end – happened when Johns Hopkins joined the Big Ten as an associate member for lacrosse.
Purdue blog Hammer and Rails covers whether the Boilermakers will be convinced by the league to join the sport’s highest level (short answer: no).
In a petty, vindictive, childish move, the CAA has voted Penn State ineligible for its 2014 automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament. A source close to another program who is an affiliate member of its lacrosse league says it bodes very ill for the continued existence of affiliate memberships for lacrosse (and subsequently stunts the growth of the sport. Good job, morons!).
“Terrible precedent set by the CAA banning PSU from the postseason. Does not bode well for associate members of conferences,” he said.
I understand conferences doing the same to full members who are peacing out, or affiliate members who are leaving to join a different conference also as affiliates, but to penalize a program for leaving an associate membership because its home conference is starting a lacrosse league is, frankly, and embarrassment for the CAA. Disgusting move.
Inside Lacrosse’s Terry Foy explores why recent additions to Division I, including Michigan, added the sport. The answer for Michigan mostly appears to be “because we can.”
Job Openings
Flint Powers is seeking boys and girls coaches. Billing oneself as “Genesee County’s lone routinely successful lacrosse program” is sure to make some friends.
The Michigan men’s program is hiring a video coordinator. Brush up on those Final Cut Pro skills and become a part of the U-M program.
According to the LaxPower database (unfortunately can’t link directly to the relevant page), the following openings also exist:
- Head coach, Portage Central/Northern girls
- Head coach, Kalamazoo United boys
- Assistant coach, Brighton High School boys
- Head coach, Hartland High School boys
- Assistant coach, Alma College women
- Head coach, University of Michigan club women
- Assistant coach, Walled Lake Northern JV boys
- Assistant coach, Walled Lake girls
- Coach(es), West Bloomfield Middle School and HS JV boys
- Assistant coach, Davenport University women
- Head coach, Birmingham girls
- Assistant coach, Dexter High School JV boys
- Assistant coach, Olivet college men
- Head coach, South Lyon United girls
- Assistant coach, Albion College women
- Head coach, Ferris State men
The up-to-date status of the database can be in question, but head to Laxpower for contact information on each opening.
Etc.
There were a few MCLA fallball scrimmages over the weekend, but Central Michigan 13, Aquinas 11 is the only score I’ve seen reported.
Lacrosse is on the upswing in Southeast and Southwest Michigan (H/T The Growth Blog).
Michigan State highlights from the 2013 season. How about some more classic Spartan action? The 1981 game against Gettysburg.
The WHAC tournament featuring Davenport, Aquinas and Lawrence Tech in one pool and Siena Heights hosting Indiana Tech and Lourdes in the other takes place Oct. 13.
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