CHAMPIONSHIP COACHING - By: Joe Beninati
You can’t underestimate the value of a good coach. Remember back when you were in Little League baseball or youth league lacrosse or Pop Warner football, the parent who signed up for coaching duty helped shape your love or, in some unfortunate cases, your dislike for the game.
I think we can agree that coaches at the professional or major college level influence their sports to varying degrees. In college football, the head coach is king; in the NBA, not so much. If you have watched a good chunk of Major League Lacrosse over the past eight summers, you recognize that it is undoubtedly a “players” league. The players, and their extraordinary talents, cast a large shadow. And more often than not, the MLL head coaches are wise to know how to manage their situations without being in the spotlight.
The four teams that will head to Boston for the NB Zip Championship Weekend later this month will be guided there by four extremely competent head coaches.
Four guys it’s been a pleasure to get to know through the years.
Brian Reese doesn’t pull any punches. He didn’t when he was a hard-nosed, All Star defenseman in this league, and he doesn’t now that has the control in Denver. Back in July, his team traveled to Los Angeles for a key conference match-up with the Riptide televised on ESPN2. They came out flatter than milk on a plate in the first half. When the half was complete, the Outlaws didn’t head for a dressing room. They switched sidelines for their breather. It got them away from the LA crowd, but put them within earshot of our TV booth. Quint Kessenich and I were treated to a classic Brian Reese tirade.
His words were harsh that day, but I have also seen him interact with his players in a much more good-natured and playful way. You see it from him during airport delays or in social settings. He’s not afraid to pat his players on the back in the media either. Earlier this year he matter-of-factly said that “Benson Erwin is the best in the game at his defensive midfielder position” and that Lee Zink is “the most underrated player in the league.” Reese’s club won the West this year for many good reasons; explosive offense, impressive 2nd-year goaltending from Jesse Schwartzman, and great depth. We should include the head coach on that list.
John Tucker prowls the sidelines in Los Angeles, but whenever our cameras focus on him, I get the sense for how much he would like to jump back in between the lines, back to the days when he was an All World-caliber midfielder.
Well organized by general manager G.W. Mix, the Riptide always give the impression that they are buttoned-up. With great attention to detail, Tucker is the man most responsible for getting his team to execute its gameplan. He knows what challenges await his team in the semifinals against Denver. And while most of us would instantly think it’s a matter of stopping the Outlaws formidable offense, Coach Tucker quickly turns the equation around.
“Denver has had success against us over the past three seasons because they’ve defended us so well. They play their best defensive games against us.”
Expect Tucker, a coach very much in tune with his players, to be preaching that message to his offensive horses on what could be a “two-a-day” practice session on August 22.
Moving east, if you had the league’s most lethal offensive weapon and a team of sharpshooters to compliment him -- wouldn’t life be grand. B.J. O’Hara is the head coach in Rochester and he brings that type of firepower with him to each and every game in Major League Lacrosse. With names like Grant, Jr., Powell, Walters, Zywicki, and Merrill on the roster, it’s easy to see why a head coach could be overlooked. But give credit where credit is due. O’Hara is the man who has to mesh all those talents (and egos). He’ll be the first to say “the organization has done a great job piecing together a quality line-up.”
Sure G.M. Jody Gage deserves accolades for building around John Grant and for shrewd drafting, but O’Hara is the one who provides motivation on game day and perspective for championship weekend.
“We felt a huge disappointment last year in the playoffs when we lost at home we felt like we let a lot of people down.”
Whenever I’ve called on Coach O’Hara for insight, he’s quick with the answers and he delivers them in a way that makes you smile. You just know he’s enjoying himself surrounded by this group of Rattlers, and he knows the time to strike is now.
“We’re not the youngest team, and we know we can’t keep this group together forever….but this team knows how special it can be.”
Any discussion of special MLL teams has to include the Philadelphia Barrage and their consummate professional on the sidelines, Tony Resch. Without a home-base this summer, Resch has steered the two-time defending champs back into championship weekend against long odds. For that, and many other reasons, he should be given strong consideration for another Coach of the Year award.
“We have great character and great characters on this team,” Resch admitted. “They have such a tight bond. We knew that they would look upon this as an exciting adventure.”
It was a bit of a roller-coaster in late May and June, when the Barrage were anything but their stingy selves, allowed 20+ points three times. For a coach like Resch, so enthralled with the defensive side of the game, two subpar defensive performances against Rochester were tough to swallow. A rematch in the semifinals with the Rattlers offers a shot at redemption.
Tony tells us he doesn’t like to micromanage his MLL team. It’s easy to see that that have a great understanding of what it is they do well. No team in the league knows how to translate a fourth-quarter lead better into a 60-minute victory. That’s called very good coaching, and it’s something Resch has been synonymous with for years.
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