DII Lacrosse Coaching Changes of 2022 (Part 3)

SPEAKER_03 0:10

Welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of In the Crease with Danny and Kevin, a coast-to-coast discussion of D2 Men's Lacrosse. I'm your co-host, Kevin Stenstrom, and with me as always is the Marshall Dillon of D2 Lacrosse, Danny Moran. How's it going, Danny? I think I just kind of I think I just put my what my age is out there. I was a baby when the gun smoke was on, though.

SPEAKER_04 0:38

So was I. I'm not that old. Oh, Kevin. The intros are getting better and better each time. I'm doing great. I had to do that reference. How are you tonight in Northern Virginia? That was a good one.

SPEAKER_03 0:52

I'm doing well, Dave. I'm doing well. What can I say? Just more fun with you. I can't stand it. It's a great one. We're in our final in our series of coaching changes. So let's just start off. We have another school that we need to talk about that has elevated their assistant to become the head coach, and that's at Lee's McCrae, the Bobcats. Josh Shingleton takes over. He replaces Brad Dunn, who moved on to other opportunities outside coaching, just like Coach Smith. I loved Coach Dunn. I really liked him. Yeah, I'll tell you, I I I find it a darn shame that he's out of coaching because I just loved his passion for lacrosse and his passion for Lee's McCray.

SPEAKER_04 1:37

His living room was green and gold. That's all right.

SPEAKER_03 1:42

Well, I talked to him, Danny. I talked to him, and he still wants to host us if we get the banner elk. I'm going. I'm gonna go. I'm telling you. I'll tell you what, we gotta, we gotta figure out a time. We'll we'll talk to Coach Singleton and we'll then we'll also meet up with Coach Dunn because that guy, I'll tell you what, I I I can't believe no one would run through a wall for that guy, a brick wall.

SPEAKER_04 2:09

Yeah, no, he was he's quite the guy. I I I really enjoyed him. I I could definitely see myself playing for him. Yeah. And you know what? And I did a little bit more research on Lees McRae after speaking with Coach Dunn. And it's kind of like a unique school. It's up in the mountains, up in North Carolina, and it's kind of like a unique place. And I think, you know, it's it's an up-and-coming uh school that can really uh with with a good you know with a good recruit class could really do something.

SPEAKER_03 2:38

Yeah, I I agree. I mean, I I equate it to Frostburg State when you look at where they are in the mountains, the type of uh different and unique uh uh majors they have, they've got all these outdoor management type majors at Lees McRae. If you like the outdoors and you're a lacrosse player, you gotta look at the school. And I think Josh, let's talk about him for a second. Coach Singleton is an alum. Just like uh Coach Dunn was, and he has been the assistant there for two years. He's coached at Tusculum and Young Harris, so he has a lot of D2 experience. And he comes into a situation in which the team was I feel was starting to build under Coach Dunn and like trying to build something really strong. They still need to be build depth, but I think Coach Singleton could be that person to do that.

SPEAKER_04 3:31

Let's see what happens, you know. I think you know, at least McRae was a numbers thing, it's deaf, you know, it's about you know how many kids they have on their roster and how how how competitive they can be. But I think with the right coach and a good recruiting class, like I said, you know, now you have an alum in Coach Singleton. And and and uh with that comes familiarity with the A D, with the school's professors, uh, and the players. So you know they've hopefully they don't skip a beat and they can and continue on uh moving in the in the right direction.

SPEAKER_03 4:05

Yeah, and he's hired uh uh an assistant, uh Garrison Wotis. Uh it's uh spelled W O J T A S. I say that because I'm not sure how to really pronounce it. But he's got an assistant, he's he's brought someone in. This guy's a former D coordinator, William Penn. He was an assistant coach at at SUNY Delhi. It's his first time at D2, but look at they're already building something where they've got help. We've talked to some other coaches that they're the sole sole proprietor. And that's tough to do. And so it's good to see that, and I really wish Coach Singleton the best and and hope he can continue to build for the Bobcats.

SPEAKER_04 4:50

Me too. I hope everything works out and uh continued success there. Hope it leaves me cry.

SPEAKER_03 4:57

Okay, Danny, now let's move a little north to the CACC, and that's Caldwell. Caldwell has a new coach, Alex Lopes. He takes over for the only head coach that Caldwell's ever had, and that's Matt Clank. But that's because the program's only been around really uh since 2020. So yeah, it's a young program, and it's obviously right in it started right in COVID in 2020. So he was hired in July. Uh Coach Loebs was. He had four seasons at Keane University as an offensive coordinator. He has uh coaching stints at NJIT, Jacksonville, and Fairfield. And he played at St. Joseph's. So he has a really good experience. A lot of Division I pedigree there. A lot. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:51

And he comes from the area. Another big plus for Caldwell. A big plus for Caldwell. He's from the area, knows New Jersey back and forth. Um he's in a big hotbed close to Long Island. New Jersey puts out great players. Philly. Philly puts out good teams now and and uh in the high school. He's near, you know, Pennsylvania's putting out good teams, so he's in a really uh good place as far as uh recruiting is concerned.

SPEAKER_03 6:21

Yeah, and it's a new program that he gets to shape because uh realistically this is maybe their third year if you really look at it based on COVID and everything. Yeah. So I'm excited to hear what he has to say. So why don't we just bring him on? Let's do it. Hey coach, how are you doing tonight? I'm doing very well. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_04 6:43

Hey Coach Alex Lopes from Caldwell, thank you so much for taking the time to come on the In the Creek show with the two knuckleheads. We really appreciate it. You know it's been kind of busy with fallball and midterms going on and everything, but we really appreciate you coming on the show tonight. Thanks.

SPEAKER_00 6:58

Very excited to be part of it.

Coach Lopes of Caldwell

SPEAKER_03 7:01

So let's start off, Coach, and Mark, just tell us what drew you to Caldwell and to take over that program and what is it like to almost be back home?

SPEAKER_01 7:12

Yeah, well, I think you kind of hit the nail on the head there. Being back home is kind of the what really drew me to Caldwell first and foremost. So I grew up in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, right down the street from Caldwell. Um, and I've known about the campus and everything. Um and pretty committed to living in New Jersey. I don't want to be moving around the country anymore at pet stops in Connecticut and Jacksonville, back up to Jersey. And my wife and I are very happy where we are. And when jobs are popping up in New Jersey, you got to take a look. And I was really fortunate and really excited to have the opportunity to uh take over this program.

SPEAKER_03 7:47

That sounds awesome. And you know, Caldwell, it's really you're really only in your third season if you discount really COVID. That COVID year only shortened season. You're only in your third season. So what is it like to take over such a young program like this?

SPEAKER_01 8:02

It really feels like we're starting fresh. And um, you know, I think the the kids haven't really had a fair a fair chance. You know, you got the seniors on the team right now who've had a freshman year where they played one game and then two pretty abbreviated years and contact tracing and masks and this and that. And unbelievable. Um just you know, without going down that path too much, they really haven't had a fair start to their program. So this really feels like, in a lot of ways, year one, and that's in no way to speak ill on um what has happened the last three years. It's just it's fresh, it's new, and it's exciting, and we're really trying to um have fun with it, grab the bull by the horns and then have as successful a year as we can.

SPEAKER_04 8:46

How's it going so far?

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Uh great. You know, I think um you know there's some there's some hurdles, you know, um that every new coach has to go through. I think uh I started uh July 5th was my first day in the office, and it felt like the whole summer was just getting ready for the fall. Um you know, we're we're in a great place right now. We're in our last week of fall ball. We scrimmage at the end of this week on a Friday night. Um, we're excited to go see another uh see another color jersey, play another opponent. But our focus is us just continuing to get better, continuing to learn to play at the pace that we need to play at to uh to be successful at this level and keeping it fun. You know, we have uh a group of guys that really want to be good and they want to compete and they want to get after each other, but reminding them that you know it's still a game. We're still supposed to be leaving here, smiling and enjoying ourselves, so mixing a lot of games, a lot of box, a lot of different concepts like that uh has really made it a successful fall so far.

SPEAKER_04 9:48

How many got on the roster this year?

SPEAKER_01 9:50

We're up to 25. So that was one of the hurdles when I when I came in. Uh we were in the high teens. Um, so fortunate to wrangle in some transfers uh over that last six weeks of the summer heading into the fall, uh working on a couple more heading into uh the spring. Um might sound like coach speak, but I got the right 25 guys. And you know, I think it's a group that you know continues to get better, continues to compete and push each other, they get along really well. Um I'm very happy with the group that we have and I think that we can be competitive with it.

SPEAKER_03 10:25

And how has the how has the team embraced you coming in and you coming in probably, I would assume, with a little bit different philosophy, maybe a different scheme? How have they embraced all that?

SPEAKER_01 10:36

Uh they they seem excited. You know, I think uh I don't want to speak for them, but I know that you know when we start practice every day and the music's playing and you know they're they're throwing the ball around, they're getting ready. Um, the energy's there, and that's all we ask for. There's things you can control and you know how you uh carry yourself and how you approach practice, making sure you're there on time. They're doing all those things the right way. And you know, I told them if we if we do everything the way that we're supposed to, we'll be in and out in 90 minutes, and we've pretty much stuck to that all fall because they're they're using that entire time. We're not spending time between drills, sipping water, hanging out, chatting, flipping jerseys around. We're just flying from one drill to another. I think the first week their heads were spinning a little bit. They weren't used to that pace. Um but now you know we have a we have a small catalog of drills. We don't believe in a million different things. We believe in coaching players, not coaching drills. Um, so now that we're in uh you know our last week of fallball, we can say, hey, we're gonna go do this, and they know what it is, and we're just going from one thing to the next and we're flying through. So I think they're excited about the pace. I think they're excited about the direction that we're going, and they're starting to see that there's a method to everything that we've done, you know, from the beginning of fallball to now and how it's all built up and how it all connects. And you know, they're excited to put it on the field against somebody else at the end of this week.

SPEAKER_04 11:59

Well, coach, you're bringing you're bringing a division one type you know philosophy to your you know, you played at St. Joe's, and then you get coaching stops at NJIT. Jacksonville, Fairfield, you're Division I. You're bringing in the Division I pedigree, and it's a pretty sweet pedigree. Jacksonville was a pretty darn good team last year, and they've been growing, they've been growing exponentially. And NJIT, you know, relatively new program, four or five years out there now. But you're bringing a Division I mentality to the team. How is the team uh uh embracing that?

SPEAKER_01 12:34

I think um, you know, I think it gave me a little credibility off the bat, uh you know, for for better or worse, I don't know if that's fair or not. I I do hope that I've backed up what their expectation, and it feels like I have. But you know, I'm very fortunate that the stops that I've had and the people that I've worked with, um, you know, Andy Copeland, who's coaching the uh PLL championship water dogs right now, is you know, I've been two years with him. Uh, you know, Guy Van Arsdale, who was my boss at Jacksonville, who's up at Colby uh college up in Maine now. I mean, I can't tell you how much I've learned from Guy and then Travis Johnson and NJIT, who uh is one of the smartest people in lacrosse. I mean, I I'm very fortunate to have been around those guys. And, you know, everyone says, hey, D1, D1, D1. Every school's got their struggles, every school's got their hurdles, this and that. So, you know, at the end of the day, you're coaching lacrosse, you're coaching kids who want to get better, who want to compete. Um, when you're in between the lines, it's all the same. So um, you know, I think that's kind of what we're trying to bring is you know, why not us kind of mentality, and as long as we work in and do what we're supposed to. And, you know, I'm not saying I have all the answers and that everything I'm doing is right, but if we all believe it and we go in the same direction, we got a pretty good chance.

SPEAKER_03 13:50

It's excellent. I I think, coach, you just said a phrase that I've heard from other coaches, and usually the coaches I've heard it from, their teams play at a different level, and that's the why not us. Why not us at this time? A young program like Caldwell, who really, if you look at it, it's like you said, the first year starts, fits and starts before that. So I think that's a great way to kind of set the stage for your players. But if if you could pick, what were what would be some of your top priorities that you want to see maybe this year and then in the next couple years for you and your program to get to that top of your conference?

SPEAKER_01 14:37

Yeah, I think um adding a few more bodies is definitely essential. You know, roster sizing be important. I've talked to my AD about this extensively. I don't want to do it in one year. I don't want to bring in 25 kids just for the sake of bringing in 25 kids. I want to do it the right way and build it up piece by piece. Uh bringing in 10 to 12 2023s, uh, a couple transfers. I think a couple of our seniors are having conversations about you know, staying, doing their extra year, getting an MBA, which is an awesome perk that we have at Caldwell, plug that in there. There we go. But uh, you know, so I building up the roster so that we can, you know, go full field, get up and down, play 10v10, um, I think is really important. Um, you know, but you know, one of the things that our focus going into this fall was was just showing the pace that that needs to that be needs to be played for us to be successful at this level. And we're not totally there yet, but we're we're progressing towards it. And I think that us flying from drill to drill and doing everything, free flow on offense, letting defenders take chances and go try to take the ball away. I think that that has them excited and that's gonna keep them uh keep them driven and keep them wanting to put the work in, especially as we get to the dark months here, you know, where it's just eight-hour stuff and a lot of lifting, conditioning, a little stick work here and there. So um, you know, kind of being like, hey, we dangled that carrot in front of you for that month. You know, we we we're gonna do this in the spring, we're gonna do it the right way, but we've got to keep putting the work in.

SPEAKER_03 16:14

Yeah, you gotta love the grind at the same time in those those dark months, like you just said.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, but we're for you know, D2, it's you know, we're it's we're fortunate that we have that opportunity to still be with them in in that in that time period. Without a doubt.

SPEAKER_03 16:29

I I think that's one of the benefits of D2.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

Yep, I agree with you totally. And uh it's not the full, you know, throttle that the Division I is. I think you can kind of back off a little bit and let college kids be college kids, but at the same time, you know, you're still asking them to be thinking about lacrosse four or five times a week, even in those uh even in those stretches where you're not practicing every single day.

unknown 16:55

Right.

SPEAKER_04 16:56

You know what, coach being in Jersey, you're really close to so many hotbeds of of great lacrosse play in Long Island. Philly is put you know puts a lot of teams out. Look at what Rumpson Fairhaven High School did last year. They just, wow, you know. Yeah um just there's a hotbed where you guys are. And um how's recruiting gonna be in the in the future? Are you gonna stay in the Northeast? Are you gonna look elsewhere to bring players in?

SPEAKER_01 17:23

Yeah, I think I think uh I I've always believed that you've got to win your backyard first. And um, you know, you know, your your roots need to be in your surrounding area. So, New Jersey, you mentioned Long Island. We already have a strong contingency of Long Island kids on the roster, and that's something that we definitely hope to continue to cultivate that path. Um, but you know, you go down to Philly, you go into Connecticut, maybe up to New England a little bit. I think that's important. But you know, going down south, I think having the two years of Jacksonville and and you know, still knowing so many people down in North Florida and down into Central and South Florida, and how many kids are playing down there now and are looking for opportunities. Um, you know, so I've already spoken to a couple kids from North Florida and I'm excited about getting them up to campus and seeing if the cold weather is for them or not. But I but I think that you know Caldwell can offer things academically and then we can offer things athletically, that makes it appealing to kids um both nationally and hopefully in the future internationally as well.

SPEAKER_03 18:28

So on that, just you being from the area, do you think that will give you a distinct advantage in your backyard, as you say, protect your backyard?

SPEAKER_01 18:38

I hope so. I think it has so far. Um, you know, once I took the job in July, like you know, unfortunately my focus couldn't be recruiting for the future right away, you know, just with um getting some transfers in the door and trying to build up that roster for this year. Um but yeah, I'm I'm excited about where we are where we are in the recruiting process right now. I think um we'll have a we'll have a handful of hopefully signing in LIs in November, but I think um heading into that spring signing period, we should have a pretty good number. And you know, my connections in New Jersey have definitely helped there, but also just being a college coach for now this is year 13, um, and you know, the the the club coaches all over, the high school coaches all over. Um, I can start having those conversations again. And you know, I think I've always felt like you got to recruit club coaches too, you know, like high school coaches, get them to campus, show them around, you know, talk to them about what we have to offer. So if a kid mentions, hey Caldwell, reach out to me, they at least they have something in their oh, I know you know, Coach Lopes, you know, mentioned they have this, they have that, you know, that's I think that's important.

SPEAKER_03 19:48

Yeah, without a doubt. I can I can see that really would help. I hadn't thought about that before too much, but I I definitely see without the advantage. And geez, you know, Danny and I try to talk up every D2 school we can, so we'll we'll, you know, obviously Caldwell's on that list. And I I can just say this, coach. You know, the CACC is a young, really cool conference, and we're really excited and looking forward to watching your team play this year, both in conference and out of conference, and see what you can do and see what you can do in the years to come because it it, you know, like I said another time, Rome isn't built in a day. It's gonna take some time, but we really appreciate you coming on tonight. It's been great.

SPEAKER_01 20:29

Yeah, I really appreciate it. And uh, you know, I think Caldwell, like uh like I think we know it has a lot to offer. A lot of these schools have a lot to offer, and I think that you guys, you know, doing this and just getting the word out about D2. Um, I'll I'll be honest, I didn't have enough of uh understanding of it before getting here, and now just seeing you know the kids that we have and the kids that we're competing with, um it's it's really strong and it's really exciting, so I'm excited to be a part of it.

SPEAKER_04 20:57

Well, again, you're right in the hotbed, you're right in the northeast there where you can start banging in them players. And coach, I I wish nothing but success in the future. I think Caldwell's got a good coach in him and you bringing that D1 pedigree, you know, playing at St. Joe's and playing with guys like Jack Spallone and you know that, you know.

SPEAKER_01 21:17

Jack Spallone played with me. Come on.

SPEAKER_04 21:21

That's great. He's gonna love this podcast.

SPEAKER_03 21:25

Okay, that's that's all I want to see is uh a Caldwell AIC game. That's what I want to see.

SPEAKER_00 21:31

February 25th. We'll once the contract signs, we'll still we'll see. We'll do a live podcast from the game.

SPEAKER_04 21:42

I'll do that. Coach, thanks so much for taking the time to come on with us. We we really wish you the best of luck this season and and the and coming seasons. And uh it's it's a great thing for Division Two to have a coach like you with all that division one pedigree. We Kevin and I, we we really I think that Division II has a lot of Division I caliber players. Um, you know, there's players that just, you know, fall through the cracks, didn't go to the right high school, maybe wasn't on the right tournament summer team or whatever, but be that as it may, I think uh Caldwell's got a good one in you, and I I wish you the best of luck.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

Thanks, guys. I really appreciate that.

SPEAKER_03 22:22

All right, Danny. Just like last year, we finished off the coaching series with the new schools, and we're doing that this year. Both of these coaches were hired about a year ago for their new programs, and and so they've had about a year to get under their belts, but you know, with a new program, that's like two days. And and they're they're in two different conferences. So let's start off with one in the CACC, just like Caldwell's there. We just talked to the coach there. Bridgeport University, the Purple Knights, they've hired in Steven Tempone as their new head coach. He coached and launched Palm Beach Atlantic back in 2017. Prior to that, he was offensive corner for NYIT for five years. So he has a lot of D2 experience at the highest level and also starting a new program.

SPEAKER_04 23:20

Yeah, Coach Tampone, he's gonna bring some pedigree. And what Bridgeport? Connecticut.

SPEAKER_03 23:27

Yeah. Wow. Well, let me tell you what he said. This is really interesting. I found this on a press release. Like, why did he come there? And this is a quote from from Coach Tampone. He said University of Bridgeport has a strong reputation in NCA Division II athletics, and I could not pass up this opportunity to come launch a collegiate lacrosse program back in the Northeast. I'm anxious to begin building up my coaching staff and start recruiting the first Purple Knights men's lacrosse team.

SPEAKER_04 23:59

Sounds like a man who's ready to rock and roll, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_03 24:02

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'll tell you what, he did a good job down at Palm Beach. They're a team that that's always always in the mix. Um and so I you know, I think uh I think this will be really fun to watch. Really fun to watch in the CACC. We we talk about the Peach Belt a lot, but this this conference is really young with yeah, with Bridgeport now and Caldwell and Wilmington, and even Jordan Court is fairly new.

SPEAKER_04 24:33

I mean, that's it's a new Georgian court Georgian Court's schedule last year was sick. They played an unbelievable schedule. Yeah. So I I like the CACC. And and you know what? Coach Tampone, he's got Long Island routes. Yeah. So, you know, when you come to Long Island and Bridgeport's not very far from Long Island, it's not very far at all, an hour drive. You know, so I expect in a couple of years for that team to be pretty decent.

SPEAKER_03 25:06

I would I would bet you it is. I bet you it is. It'll be really fun. I've talked back and forth with Coach Tempone. He can't come on right now. We're hoping to get him on.

SPEAKER_04 25:17

He's scared to come on with us guys. No, he's a busy guy. I know. He's a busy guy.

SPEAKER_03 25:23

He he hopes he said maybe later, late fall, so maybe we can get him on for the conference preview. That's what I'm hoping for. That'd be great. That'd be great. We'll see. But let's move on to the other new team, and that's the Malone University Pioneers. They're going into the GMAC. And their new head coach is Michael Campbell. Obviously, he's brand new. He was hired a year ago, like I said. But he's got some good uh coaching experience. You know, he played at a manual and then he coached at a manual. So he he knows D2. He knows D2, and this is a program that he gets to shape. The other thing I find really interesting is he's in a tough conference, but he's got a built-in crosstown rival with Walsh. They both they're like 10 minutes apart in Canton, Ohio.

SPEAKER_04 26:12

Wow. Can you imagine just starting a new program and having a rivalry already? Like your crosstown rival. That's pretty cool. It is and you know what? LaCrosse and Canton, Ohio, who would have thought? Who would have thought?

SPEAKER_03 26:25

I I know not only just one, but two schools. That's crazy. It's crazy. That's great.

SPEAKER_04 26:31

And and I always so phenomenal.

SPEAKER_03 26:33

Yeah, and I always love hearing about what it takes to build a program from scratch. So why don't you say we just bring Coach on and see what he has to say and get it, get the scoop from him? I'd love to hear what he has to say.

SPEAKER_02 26:47

Hey coach, how you doing? Doing well, thanks for asking. How about you guys?

SPEAKER_04 26:52

Hey coach, we're doing great. Thanks for coming on, taking the time with us to be with the two knuckleheads from In the Grease. We really appreciate you taking the time. And we want to be the first to congratulate you on the job. Thank you. New program and everything. So how how are you feeling so

Coach Campbell of Malone

SPEAKER_04 27:09

far?

SPEAKER_02 27:10

Feeling good so far. So came in, got hired uh at the end of October, able to pull in 21 guys here in the program.

SPEAKER_03 27:18

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 27:19

So uh we're we're building it up brick by brick, if you will, with the guys we have right now. Uh we're playing, we just played this weekend, so had a pretty good showing for us, played against some guys uh at the D3 level. So we got the chance to really see where we are, and of course, a lot of things to work on, but a lot of bright spots as well.

SPEAKER_03 27:37

Yeah, we're gonna get into that. That's one of my questions. I actually looked at the schedule and then I looked at the scores that were posted. So you competed really well against those schools. We'll get to that to a second, but walk us through what it's like to start a program. From you were here, you're here for basically a year. You were hired last October, got up there in November. So it's almost been a full year. What are the kind of things that you had to do when you first got there and get going?

SPEAKER_02 28:05

Right. So obviously I had to pick up and move. Uh, so that was that was always tough. So my wife actually stayed down in Georgia for a bit and then our lease was up. So she went back down to Florida. I went up to Ohio in November and kind of took off from there. As you guys know, recruiting is a big part of what all we coaches do.

SPEAKER_03 28:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:23

So, you know, trying to get up here and hustle and hustle and hustle and really try and get guys, you know, interested in the newer program, which is sometimes tough. Uh, I played for a newer program. I played uh down in uh Georgia for a program called Emanual College. Uh that was a startup program. So I kind of had uh some of my coaches to lean on uh as mentors. So Coach Johnson down at Kazu University helped me out a lot, gave me a lot of pointers on hey, this is how you do it, this is how what we did when we when I was there. So I believe we only had like we had 18 guys on the roster, and like not to downplay any of the guys I played with, but I think we had like 14 that could play. Right. So that was that was tough to deal with. But you know, I had a lot of great mentors, and I, you know, every coach I reached out to answered almost right away with, hey, you know, how'd you build it? You know, how are some of the things that you did, so on and so forth.

SPEAKER_04 29:19

Interesting, because I find that the cut look, the coaches, you know, it's a small community, and all you guys know each other and help each other out in every kind of way, which is which is one great thing about lacrosse, uh, about the game of lacrosse. Uh, you know, that's it's the creator's game and all of that, but just the coaches, the camaraderie between the coaches. So you always have somebody to lean on. That's great that you had, you know, a background and a back, you know, somebody to back up, back you up and give you those pointers. That's awesome. That's what's great about the game of lacrosse, Kevin.

SPEAKER_03 29:50

Yeah. Yeah. But so the question I'd ask you there, though, is your experience, Emmanuel. First of all, you played when it was just getting started, like you just said. So do you think that actually does you think that experience helps you in what your position is now?

SPEAKER_02 30:06

I think so. So being a part of like that first team, being a part of that first class, it's kind of easy to spin that story because that story was told to me by my coach when I was playing in college. So it's a lot of parallels in the same things that we're asking guys to do. You know, you want guys to be four-year players, guys that want to stick to it, stick to the mission, be mission fit. You know, it's gonna be hard. Uh, it's not gonna be easy when you playing a really tough conference. And those are the type of things I tell guys you gotta be looking forward to those things, seeing how good of you are good if you are as a player, uh, you know, to measure up against the Mercy Hearst, the Seton Hills, Lake Erie's Walsh, so on and so forth. So you gotta find those guys that want to be the right fit. Because Malone is also a smaller Christian school as well. So you've got to be able to find guys that, you know, not saying we're all gonna be guys that have faith on our team, but guys that can respect that as well, want to get their education and play at a higher level as well.

SPEAKER_03 30:59

Yeah, Danny and I talk about this all the time with a school like Malone, new program. You can recruit kids. One of the selling points is you get to play year one. Year one in the program, you're on that field, versus going to an established one where you've got to maybe scratch and claw to get playing time. I think that is uh is a real benefit. What do you think?

SPEAKER_02 31:27

Right. There is some truth in that, and I always ask guys, that's one of the questions I I ask him is like, are you all right being with the newer program? Are you alright with getting in the trenches, working hard? Because whether you go to an established program or a newer program, you know, you're gonna have to fight and claw regardless. But here to have an opportunity to step on that field and earn your spot for four years. Nothing's guaranteed. Roles and responsibilities change each year, but you have a you have a chance to really leave an imprint here in Malone history and in Malone Cross.

SPEAKER_04 31:58

That's cool, though. I think that that's kind of cool, especially for a young younger guy that might not be the that Division I type player, you know, just that that next tier down. He gets to go to a small school, maybe close to home, maybe an hour or two away, and gets a chance to earn a spot on the field. Or, like Kevin said, some of the bigger programs, you know, the Mercy Hearst and Seton Hills and those types, you might have to earn that spot a little harder. But you know what? Going to a new program to me seems like an interesting thing, especially for a young kid. I think it would be interesting.

SPEAKER_03 32:35

Yeah, and I think what you said, Danny, uh and what coach said, the word that hits me is imprint. The imprint you can have on this program forever. You are the cornerstone of the program, or you could be as one of those players. So, coach, let me let me switch a little bit here. Let me just ask you, uh I love to ask this question, especially for a new program like this. What drew you to the school to take over this program and start this program from scratch?

SPEAKER_02 33:07

Right. So a lot of things that stick out to me uh really was like Emmanuel was a Christian school, so I wanted to kind of stay in that uh just because like a big mission for me uh is really helping guys uh figure out who they want to become and really transition from young men to men. So that was instilled in me uh at Emmanuel with my coaches, and I really want to carry that on because for me, lacrosse is way more than just four years. You know, it's a lifelong mentorship with these guys and really making sure that they know how much I care about them and how much I love them at the end of the day. So when I got up here at Malone, that was one of their things and their mission statement. You know, took the tour around campus, got to talk to some of the coaches here and really see that they're all sick, seeing that as well. You know, successes will come on the field, but for me as a coach, you know, I really want to see these guys grow at the end of the day, and it's gonna make them play harder for me. And I truly believe that, you know, making sure that they have an impact in the world and in their community is way bigger than lacrosse for me at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_04 34:08

See, that's fantastic. See, that that's a coach I'd like to play for, Kevin. Yeah right there, coach. That's a really, really admirable trait. You're talking not even about lacrosse, you're talking about life and and and what what the college experience brings and and helps you on through life. That's really cool that you that you're talking about that over lacrosse. I mean, at the end of the day, we're there to go to school, right? We're there to get an education. Coach, uh what kind of um uh assistance you got? Because you know, Kevin and I, we always say, you're only as good as your best assistant. So let's talk about some of your assistance.

SPEAKER_02 34:48

Right. So assistant-wise, we're still looking at how we can make that work. So got a graduate assistant feeler out there. So right now, uh it's just me and then uh one of the managers, she helps out. So she does great for us. So Zoe does a good job. So I can't complain. She just that in every practice, doesn't have to be, you know, and wants to help out any way she can. She really loves lacrosse. I always joke with her, and I tell her, like, you like lacrosse way more than I do. You can do my job any of the week. So she does a great job for us. What's her name? What's her name?

SPEAKER_04 35:20

Uh Zoe. Shout out to Zoe. There we go. Being a big part of the Malone program. You know what? That goes a long way.

SPEAKER_03 35:28

She is making her imprint on the program right now for years to come. 100%. Coach is going to remember Zoe.

SPEAKER_04 35:36

Well, not only that, but you think her at Christmas time, you know. Right.

SPEAKER_03 35:40

Well, you think about that, Coach, and tell me if I'm hitting this right. I mean, that tell me how that doesn't set an example for your players. Is here's the manager that doesn't have to be out there for every practice, and she is.

SPEAKER_02 35:52

Right, yeah. So she does a great job. She's actually over with the guys right now at study hall, because I can't be in there right now. So she's helping them with homework, you know. She, like I said, she does a great job. She's phenomenal.

SPEAKER_04 36:03

That's awesome. That's so you're wearing a lot of hats right now, huh? You're wearing a lot of hats. You got recruiting, you got study halls, you got practices and films, and then getting games together and and getting uniforms and stuff. How's it going? How how are your days? Are they that are they long days right now?

SPEAKER_02 36:23

Yeah, so they're they're they're pretty long days. So my wife is very accommodating right now. So that's good. We'll see how long that lasts. You know, I wake up, you know, we got lifts uh four days a week, so I go to every lift because you know I gotta set a good example for these guys because I've been in places where you know guys are like, hey, coach, where's where's our coach at? You know, and stuff like that. Why is he not at workhouse? He wants us to be there. So I really want to try and lead by example and be at everything I can be at because uh I want to show these guys if I can do it as a coach, you guys can do it as players, and you know, get in there and work hard. So that's pretty long. Pretty long for sure.

SPEAKER_03 36:57

That's awesome. You you touched upon it uh with your roster of about 21. Are they all freshmen, or do you have any that are coming in at with a few different years or maybe uh some other playing experience?

SPEAKER_02 37:09

Right. So I believe we have six transfer guys, and now the other guys are freshmen right now.

SPEAKER_04 37:15

Wow. That's good. You know what? The freshmen they're gonna get good quick. Right. You know, because they're thrown right into the trenches right away. So, you know what? That's a good thing. Again, kids get to go to school and they get to play, and that's a pretty good thing, you know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:33

So let me ask you this. When you touched on already, you played your first set of scrimmages this past weekend. How excited were you after a year of the grind of actually seeing your players on the field and getting to actually watch them play?

SPEAKER_02 37:52

Yeah, so it was it was great to finally get out there and finally coach, because like you said, it was like a year of like being off of work, it felt like, because coaching is is fun, and I I tell the guys all the time like practices and games, those are like the best times. You know, you get two hours of practice, then you get that game time, and the paperwork and all that in between is a little bit of a drag, but you know, you got to push through it, especially being a collegiate coach. Uh, but you know, being able to see these guys really succeed and uh really what they work on every day in practice is what excites me as a coach. I tell them all the time, you know, practices are really for me, but the games are for you guys. So you go out there, play your hearts out, and all I ask is that, you know, we got three big things. You know, we don't complain, we compete, and we bring the juice. That's all I ask the guys to do all the time.

SPEAKER_04 38:40

That's great. I love it. I love it. That's all right. Bring the juice. I'd play I'd play for you any day, coach.

SPEAKER_03 38:47

So, what'd you learn? Let's talk about the good things. What what did your players do really well or this past weekend?

SPEAKER_02 38:55

I think something they did well is like the first game they played, they had a little bit of jitters, right? All these some of these, even the transfer guys had a little bit of nerves.

SPEAKER_03 39:04

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:04

They settled in, you know, it was kind of up and down, uh, one-point game. So, you know, we're up, went down, up, went down, ultimately didn't get the result that we wanted, but they responded well throughout the day and uh really played well after that. So I'm really commending those guys to really, you know, sticking to it, you know, being even killed. I talk about that a lot. I'm a big Eagles fan. So Jalen Hurts talks about it from time to time. Uh, you know, staying cool, calm, and collected in any situations where I preach to these guys. I say we can't be flustered. You know, we got a plan, we got to stick to it.

SPEAKER_04 39:38

That's great. That's great. And you know what? Like I said, these freshmen are gonna get good. Every every scrimmage, every practice, they're gonna learn and they're gonna get better. And you watch, you know, you'll see in the beginning of the season might be a little, you know, maybe sloppy in some areas, but you'll see by halfway through that season they're gonna be tightened up, you know, and you'll see an improvement. And and wow, it sounds like Malone's on its way to doing something special right out of the gate. And I really uh look forward to seeing you guys play this year. I really do. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_03 40:09

Yeah, I uh in fact, I have to ask you this, because I already uh have in my mind a rivalry that's already started with the crosstown G Mac rival of Walsh. What do you think about that?

SPEAKER_02 40:22

Right. So like I tell everyone around here, like I guess Coach Alex and I don't really know what that rivalry means, uh, just because he's one of the first guys I met when we were down in the convention in Florida. Super friendly guy. I saw him as I was walking uh to our next game and we talked for a bit. So we'll see kind of where we butt heads. Obviously, you know, we're not going to each other going against each other right now, so we'll have to see once uh you know the rubber hits the road for where it takes us.

SPEAKER_03 40:50

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm putting that one on my calendar, Danny. I'm putting that one on my calendar.

SPEAKER_04 40:56

It's a tough conference, no doubt. I mean, 100% it's a tough conference, you know, and uh the boys, you know, at Malone are gonna get a taste of some real high quality, quality lacrosse quickly, you know, especially with in that conference. How's the weather up there so far? So far holding up?

SPEAKER_02 41:14

Yeah, so far so good. So I think we're 60s this week with a chance of rain. So it hadn't been too terrible. I don't know when the snow is gonna hit, but it ain't Florida. Hopefully not too late.

SPEAKER_04 41:27

It ain't Georgia and it ain't Florida. Right. No, Kansas, cool town, man. And uh Ohio, good blue collar. You're gonna get some gritty blue-collar type kids to come there. And I think good things are gonna happen right out of the gate, Malone. I really do. Sounds sounds phenomenal to me.

SPEAKER_03 41:47

Yeah, coach, we can't thank you enough for coming on. It's great to hear where you're trying to bring the program. We are excited to watch Malone this year and see what they bring, not only to the GMAC, but the rest of Division II. And, you know, you you're starting off getting 21 players out of the out of the gun, you know, when you got in there in November is is commendable. You I know you want to build off of that. 21 players is the a smaller size roster, but those kids, if they keep your your mantra going and they they just bring the juice, it'll be fun to watch. So thanks so much for coming on.

SPEAKER_04 42:20

Of course, thanks. Yeah, coach, thank you so much for coming on. We really appreciate you taking time. We we wish you the best of luck. Um, hopefully we get you back on and uh we'll talk some more, maybe during the season. And uh once again, congratulations on the job and we wish you all the best of luck. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 42:37

Thanks, Sandy. You guys.

SPEAKER_03 42:40

Well, Danny, I I have to say this. That was a great uh ending to this series of coaching changes with the new schools and with some fairly new programs like Caldwell.

SPEAKER_04 42:53

Yeah, you know what? It's been a busy couple of weeks with us uh doing all these podcasts with these coaches, but it's been interesting. I the season's here. I as far as I'm concerned, fallball's almost over. You know, uh the holidays are right around the corner, and then the season starts. So we're here. I'm excited for all these new coaches, all the coaching changes. I think the kids at these universities should be excited. And um, we're ready to go, man. It's it's it's it's go time.

SPEAKER_03 43:22

I'll tell you what, uh, Danny, next week we start our conference preview series and uh ten conferences. We'll go through that on the first episode. Ten weeks, but I'll tell you what, the ten weeks is gonna go by in a flash. A heartbeat, it always does. And then we're gonna be right in it, and I can't wait. Yeah, it's right here. It's here, it's here.

SPEAKER_04 43:46

You know, these teams are honing in, they're they're having their fall balls, they're it's you know, they're they're doing their scrimmages, they're running and lifting, and and and it's just they're full boat into it. You know, and now the the freshmen should be pretty close to acclimated to you know getting up early and doing their own laundry. Maybe not right, but at least doing it. Yeah, yeah. So, you know, it's it's it's go time and it's the you know, exciting time of year. I I love the coaching changes. I love speaking with the new coaches and seeing their perspectives, like you said, and where they tend to take to want to take their teams. And it's just it's just great. The division two is just growing and growing and growing. And and the the the quality of coaching is great too here in division two. Without a doubt. Without a doubt. You know, you see, you know, Coach Lopes, I call, well, you know, with stops at uh NJIP, Jacksonville, Fairfield, and played at St. Joe's, you know, these guys, these guys know lacrosse. They they're they're come from big programs and they're bringing it, they're bringing what they know to Division II. There's a reason. There's a reason, Cap.

SPEAKER_03 45:00

Yeah, and it's great, like we said last year, it's great to see a mix of new blood coming in as head coaches, and some other guys, like Coach Tempone, who's got some D2 background and has been a head coach before. I think uh it's just gonna be another fun year.

SPEAKER_04 45:22

Yeah, and like I said, Division II is growing and growing, getting up. What are we about 75, 76 teams now? I gotta count, I gotta figure it out. Because I'm not quite sure exactly how many teams there are right now. It's getting up there, and I think we're headed towards maybe in another couple of years, if it keeps growing like this, I think we're headed towards automatic qualifiers. Yeah. That's what I think. I I believe that. I could be dead wrong, but we'll see. But this has been a great couple of weeks with these coachings, uh, the new coaches coming on, and uh, I look forward to seeing what they do with your program. Exactly, Danny.

SPEAKER_03 46:00

And with that, that's a wrap. That's a wrap. Go ahead.