LAX Sports !

Under the guidance of legendary coach Bill Tierney, the Princeton Lacrosse program has flourished. Bill Tierney first took over the challenge of bringing lacrosse dominance to central New Jersey back in 1987 and has since been referred to as the Vince Lombardi of lacrosse. It took coach Tierney just four years to bring the Tigers their first National Championship and he has since won five more, including three in a row at one point. With Bill Tierney at the helm Princeton has become one of the most prestigious lacrosse school in the country and is a place that any lacrosse player would be honored to attend and have the opportunity to play for coach Tierney. But what type of player does it take to play for Princeton and how does a high school lacrosse player go about making sure that the people at Princeton take notice of him? Who better to ask these questions of than the man himself- we recently sat down with coach Tierney and asked him about the recruiting process as well as a host of other questions. Here is a sample of what he said about recruiting, and then make sure to click on the link to here his entire interview.

Bill Tierney Interview

By Sean Connolly

That’s what I’m talking about! Finally, the most exciting season in MLL history is now being supplemented with an outrageously exciting playoff race that encompasses several teams in both the West and East. Let’s take a look at the table right now…

Western Conference

Denver 7-3-0

Los Angeles 5-4-0

Chicago 3-7-0

San Fransisco 2-7-0

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia 6-3-0

Boston 6-3-0

Rochester 6-3-0

Long Island 5-4-0

New Jersey 3-6-0

Washington 3-6-0

How great is this? We have a three way tie in the East between the Philadelphia Barrage, Boston Cannons, and the Rochester Rattlers. Don’t count out Long Island either as they’re just one game behind. The West is clearer to say the least but Los Angeles has been playing well and could sneak up on Denver…but don’t count on it. Denver has just dominated this season and has shown the Lacrosse world that they are the team to beat.

I predicted earlier in the season that it would be a match up between Rochester and Denver in the finals, but this race might be taking a toll on Grant and the Rattlers. Denver has been rolling along smoothly and I think they’re too strong to be taken down.

No matter the result this season will go down as the MLL’s best. Whether it’s Denver, Rochester, or my personal dark horse, Long Island Lizards who takes the crown it’s gonna be an absolute pleasure to watch.

By Sean Connolly

In front of his fans, on his turf, Ryan Powell put on an unforgettable performance yesterday as the West beat the East, 31-15, in this year’s MLL All-Star game. Powell scored a record 6 goals yesterday breaking the mark for goals scored in an all-star game and had 7 points which tied the record. Powell made this night what it was, entertaining and enjoyable.

What a perfect guy to put on such a perfect performance. The hometown performer in front the fans that come out every game and support him. Powell showed the utmost respect by putting on a memorable show that will stay with fans forever. Before this game I was looking for John Grant or Brian Langtry to step up and make the game enjoyable to watch, but as the game went on there was no doubt that Powell was the man to do it.

Another entertaining aspect of this game was the skills challenge that was held during half time. Chazz Woodson wowed the crowd with his jump over two kids while shooting and took home the trophy for the freestyle portion of the skills challenge. Los Angeles Riptide midfielder Anthony Kelly won the fastest shot event with a blistering speed of 109 mph. Jake Byrne of San Fransisco won the first ever two point shot contest as well. I really like how the skills challenge is during half time and not on a separate day, it doesn’t drag out the all-star festivities and even though the game was really entertaining, the magic during half time kept me seated.

Looking back at this game, the MLL has to consider this a success. They brought out over 10,000 fans to Invesco Field at Mile High. The game itself was entertaining and put several unknown players into the limelight. The skills competition showed these MLL players’ range and versatility and how fun the game truly is. This really is a big step forward for the MLL.

By Sean Connolly

Lacrosse is slowly getting there. The thing is though, it’s slowly getting there. What should the MLL do to improve the league and expand itself? For me it all starts with marketing.

John Grant of the Rochester Rattlers

After Syracuse beat Johns Hopkins, lacrosse was on a high. The championship was widely televised on ESPN and garnered the biggest audience for a lacrosse match. I think right there was the MLL’s chance to shine. And personally, I don’t think they did enough. It was a real legit chance in which they had lacrosse on the proverbial sports pedestal and they failed to hit the nail on the head.

They need to start marketing the big names. In every league in America, big names draw big crowds which bring in big money. Every league has an untouchable hero in which like him or hate him, you have to appreciate him. One player who I think can easily take that role is John Grant of the Rochester Rattlers. He is easily the best player in lacrosse and has been around for a while, so every one appreciates what he’s done. He won last year’s MLL MVP in both the indoor and outdoor league showing his versatility. John Grant should be made the face of the league.

Rattlers’ Attack Man John Grant

Also to develop a league, great story lines need to be developed. Now I’m not saying the MLL should go on making up stories but they need to really drive home the really good ones. They need to make a hero out of John Grant and he needs an adversary. Since Grant plays for Rochester, an East Coast team, his opposite has to reside on the west coast to really develop a rivalry. I think Brian Langtry is the man for that job. He plays for a well rounded hard to beat Denver Outlaws team and would fit the role perfectly. If they can market these two as enemies of each other duking it out it will definitely garner interest.

Brian Langtry of the Denver Outlaws

The biggest chance the have though is coming up a week from today. The MLL All-Star game. It is being held in Denver at Mile High Stadium and is a real opportunity for the MLL to strut its stuff. People will tune in to an all-star game if they don’t follow the league. It happens all the time in American sports. When the MLB has their all-star game next week I guarantee many people will tune in who don’t normally watch baseball. The thing I’m most excited for is the Skills Challenge. John Grant is a participant and it’s going to be so much fun to see what he can do. The MLL needs to realize what is at stake on July 17th when the All-Star game is being played, because if they don’t this league could crumble in a matter of years.