lost at first, but he eventually adapted. Now he’s a deadly force inside for Jacksonville. “I couldn’t imagine not having [box] as my background,” he said. In lacrosse, innovation tends to come from college coaches
and trickle down to the high school and youth levels. (Watch 12-year-olds play, and you’ll probably see some version of Tierney’s quick-sliding defense.) As Division I programs continue to invest in guys with soft, box-styled hands, the cross-pollination the Canadians use has begun to take root in the U.S. Munro took over as Denver’s head coach
in 1999, recruiting at a school that had just transitioned from Division II and was nowhere near East Coast hotbeds. He began combing Canada’s junior leagues for talent, recruiting guys like Matt Brown from Burnaby, British Columbia and Geoff Snider from Calgary, Alberta. From 2003 to 2008, Denver won four
regular season GWLL titles, made the NCAA tournament twice and transformed from Division I outpost to focal point of the box-hybrid revolution in college lacrosse.
‘It Takes Real Teaching’ Munro still advocates the small-sided
approach, but he also believes field-trained players can develop box skills. 3D Lacrosse provides instruction on how to play box (it’s not field lacrosse under a roof), has club teams in Denver and New England that train indoors and hosts “immersion camps” in Colorado, Southern California and Ontario to expose American kids to two days playing exclusively on a stripped rink. “The right environment can do a lot for a
player,” Munro said. “You could do shooting drills [on box goals], say nothing, and kids would get a lot better.” In 2010 Mouradian and college pal Bill Shatz established the American Indoor Lacrosse Association (AILA), which runs clinics, tournaments and sanctioned indoor leagues in New York and Florida. “Even though Canadians had great stick skills, most American field players didn’t see the interrelatedness or how they could benefit. We saw a tremendous opportunity to teach true box,” Shatz said. The AILA also provides certification programs
for coaches and referees to learn box lacrosse. “It’s not the fairy dust principle — that all you
44 LACROSSE MAGAZINE March 2012 >>
JEREMY NOBLE, DENVER Hometown: Orangeville, Ontario Sophomore midfielder was named to 2011 NCAA All-Tournament Team after averaging five points a game in the playoffs.
Youth players show off their box lacrosse chops Jan. 14 at the US Lacrosse National Convention in Philadelphia in a demonstration orchestrated by Johnny Mouradian, head coach and general manager of the NLL’s Philadelphia Wings.
have to do is add some glass and boards and play for eight weeks in the winter,” Mouradian said. “It takes real teaching.” There are other organizations pushing box programming. The
MADE IN CANADA
US Box Lacrosse Association operates leagues on the West Coast and runs a travel box team. Tierney’s Denver Elite squads incorporate hybrid training. US Lacrosse also is aware of the benefits of
box, encouraging younger divisions to implement small-sided seven-on-seven lacrosse. The new Level 3 Coaching Education pilot program for men’s lacrosse covers “inside finishing” and the “two-man game,” staples of any box offense.
Back to Basics The hybrid approach isn’t the only way to
develop quality field players. Baltimore’s Steele Stanwick and Long Island’s Rob Pannell are the top players in the college game and never needed confined space or a small goal. Just because the American skill set is different doesn’t mean it’s not vital. If a team had three Canadians on attack, it might finish the ball more proficiently, but who would initiate or draw a slide? And what about goalies? Hovering over the
ZACH PALMER, JOHNS HOPKINS Hometown: Oshawa, Ontario Junior attackman dished out a team- leading 25 assists last year.
goal with a stick under the armpit doesn’t develop better hands. “Our youth coaches need to know how to teach
the basics of field, the game we play most, first,” said Adam Mueller, a former NLL player and coach who now coaches his kids in Avon Grove, Pa. “Box leagues will be a great addition but the same can be accomplished with technique and drill work at any level with simple practice.” Most important, lacrosse, especially at the
LOGAN SCHUSS, OHIO STATE Hometown: Ladner, British Columbia Crafty All-American lefty can finish in tight spaces but also has the ability to find the open man.
youth level, is meant to be fun. Hybrid training shouldn’t resemble some Soviet model, where the best kids have a grueling, year-round schedule. US Lacrosse wants kids playing multiple sports. Tierney can get great players whether
they’re from New England or Newfoundland. But he believes that box lacrosse creates more technically sound players, “It’s time we got smart,” he said. “We need to give our kids chances to develop.” LM
A Publication of US Lacrosse
©OHIO STATE (LS); ©JOHN STROHSACKER (ZP); TREVOR BROWN (JN)
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