[
BOYLE POINT] editorial
Match Stick to Style I
Play to your strengths with right choice of head, pocket and shooters hate your stick.
Get a new one.
Despite my success early in high school, John Tucker, my coach then at Gilman (Md.) and now with the Boston Cannons, demanded a change.
I wanted a flashy stick with a bold color. Painstakingly, I coated the white plastic of my Sniper with a metallic silver Paint Pen. I selected black leathers with navy blue nylon strings to align with Gilman’s colors. Given its flair, the stick affectionately became known as “Silver Bullet.” The Silver Bullet utilized a six-diamond arrangement, balancing the hold of a four- diamond pattern with the accuracy of an eight-diamond design. My game shared that balance statistically (goals and assists), but it also included an alarming number of turnovers. The stick had plenty of pizzazz, but it didn’t optimize my strengths nor facilitate the style for which I was best suited. I have one for you. He could have said, “Find another one,” or “Use your backup.” But Tucker knew better. He was a master of the game with the street cred to back it up. As a player, he earned All-American honors and won NCAA championships at Johns Hopkins, gold medals with Team USA, and NLL titles with the Philadelphia Wings. As a coach, he led three different schools to MIAA championships and won eight overall. He has
This aesthetic decision prefaces the chrome you see today. Credit Justin Smith, the successful Salisbury graduate, MLL veteran and metallurgy aficionado.
been an MIAA and MLL Coach of the Year. While I thought I knew what was best for me, I didn’t. Coach Tucker did, and he provided me with the right stick to match my strengths.
Inside Lacrosse featured this stick on the cover of its 1999 recruiting issue. John Robinson, later my Princeton classmate, said he and his Cincinnati friends used it as a template since they had little access to stringing tutorials.
His prescription: a white Edge with navy blue hard mesh and three flat, white shooting strings. My new stick was as wide as a boat oar and cradled like a pea on a knife. I had to alter my game to accommodate it, which was Tucker’s intention all along. Thus, my introduction to “KYP.” Know your personnel. Tucker recognized I would be more effective with a different stick. With a low pocket enabling a perpendicular one-handed cradle, I could protect my stick and evolve as a ball carrier. The smooth shooting string progression allowed more consistent and accurate passes, optimizing my vision and feeding capabilities. The lack of whip provided a quicker release, optimal for inside shooting that relies on fakes and placement. Tucker identified my strengths and
To put this in perspective, I had three pieces of autographed memorabilia as a kid: a leather football signed by Johnny Unitas, a life-sized Michael Jordan poster you could use to track your height and a lacrosse ball signed by John Tucker.
30 LACROSSE MAGAZINE July 2014>> A Publication of US Lacrosse
©JOHN MECIONIS (RB); ©JOHN STROHSACKER (JS, JT); ©SHUTTERSTOCK (JU, MJ)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84