Total posts: 58
Blog URL: http://laxspot.e-lacrosse.com/blogs/endless_lacrosse
By: Douglas

Thoughts and Insight through the eyes of Doug Shanahan that will take you through the MCLA (University of Illinois) and the MLL (Chicago Machine) seasons and back.

Crazy Busy In South Florida

Laxers, Hope Everyone is Well! The last couple months have been super crazy. In September I lost my Pops to a brain tumor, sucks,  I miss him everyday and its been a long road for my family. On a positive note my brother is David, who is the Head Football Coach for John Glenn HS is playing for the Suffolk County Champioshipo against Amityville tomorrow Sept 19th.  John Glenn is undeafeted and has a chance to win the RUTGERS CUP which is LI's most prestigious team award. The team has dedicated their season to the passing of my father. Wish them luck!

South Florida has been full of work, teaching a PCS, Coaching football (finished 6-4) and I started a FALL BALL PROGRAM called TOP TEAM, basically we are a tournament team. The fall season has provided an opportunity for many South Florida Laxers to increase their skill and knowledge of the game, I hope it will transfer over to PINE CREST season. Next, just put the finishing touches on the MVP Lacrosse Winter Break Camp Dec 28-30, 2nd year. Lastly I am attempting to put together a Spring Youth Program called the FT LAUDERDALE LIGHTNING, the program will run from JAN-MAY. I am attempting to start kids playing at the youngest possible age kindergarten. We are looking to fill 4 team and k-2, 3-4,5-6,7-8 grades to compete against already existing youth programs.

The NLL is about to start up and the NY Titans have become the Orlando Titans, people are very excited to see the game played with the likes of Casey Powell. Should be interesting to see how they develop their fan base. Lastly, I hope the MLL is returning next year, I haven't heard anything to contrary. As always support lacrosse, attend any game and every game you can. We have the best sport in the world. Thanks

www.topteamlax.com

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Lizard/ Machine

Hell All Laxers, Hope all of you have been enjoying your summer so this year. Right now for me it is HOT down here in South Florida, we are currently in the middle of two-a-days. The first week we were at Pine Crest working our butts off, the kids have been giving a good effort. I don't know if could have hacked it in high school during two-a-days in this heat, its hard enough Coaching. This week we are at Iron Man Camp at the Bucky Dent Baseball School in Boca, this is the week we separate the men the from the boys. The kids have been competing all week trying to earn starting spots, it should be an interesting year we have a solid line and very good skill players. However, we are playing better competition in football this year as we move back into districts.
The MLL Summer
If you haven't been following what has been going on with me I started the summer with Chicago then the Long Island Lizards picked me up. I played a game with them in Denver and was on the active roster before I was placed on the practice squad for a game. The same week they placed me on the practice squad the Machine picked me back up for the last three games. Funny how things work, I was happy to go back since I thoroughly enjoyed playing with Levielle, Gabel, Deane and company. When I went back to the Machine we had a logit shot at making the playoffs since LI kept losing and couldn't get their 6th win. We beat the Bayhawks for the 1st time in franchise history but managed to squander our playoff hopes the following down in Annapolis in OT. The most exciting for me was the last game of the year, we played at Soldier Field in Chicago against wouldn't you know it the Long Island Lizards who needed a win to get in the playoffs. Funny how things work again, we had the Lizards on the ropes with 2 mins to go but as has been the story for the Machine we managed to squander the lead and the win when Sean Lindsay hit a two pointer.
It has been a strange but humbling summer for me, I hope the league can manage to stay around for the little kids I teach and Coach so they will have an opportunity to play professional lacrosse; plus I love it too. Please show your support for the league by either attending Championship Weekend or watching the games live on ESPN 2 this weekend. A special good luck to the Lizards and my Hofstra boys Miller, Spallina, and Polanco.

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Lizards

Hey All Laxers, Today is Father's Day! A day were all Dad's are celebrated and showered with love by their families.  This being my 3rd Father's Day as a Dad it keeps getting better. Yesterday and today are soggy days up in Long Island where I have been since Friday, for those of you who have been following the US Open you know the weather I speak of. Last night at Hofstra the Lizards hosted the Chicago Machine, my former team. For those of you who don't know I am now a Lizard, after a decently successful US TEAM tryout I was picked up the following day. Although I didn't make the 40 man travel team I was happy with how my tryout went. Since then I played with the Lizards in Denver, the stats didn't reflect at all what type of game it was the penalty box did though. The league handed down suspensions and fines to a few players. Check the transactions on Major league lacrosse.com. So last night the rain fell heavily at times but it could have been worse, the Machine came out of fire and opened up a 6-2 lead by the end of 1st quarter. We were able to battle back and tie it by half. It was a well hard fought game but we were able to prevail by 1 goal. Bitter sweet, the Lizards move to 4-2 and the lonely Machine fall to 1-5.

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Team USA Tryouts

Hello All Laxers, Greetings  from soggy Rhode Island, Bryant University is a beautiful campus and the dorms are ok too.  The food has also been surprising good for campus food, kind of feels like I am 12 years old and at camp again. Its been fun being around the players and coaches the past two days, there has been plenty of time for catching up with old friends. I Had a chance to grad dinner with Nicky Polanco and Brian Spallina last night and it didn't take long before the Hofstra stories were flowing across the table. It was great seeing those guys again, its been along time since we have had the chance to sit down and chat.  The tryout has been extremely competitive as you could imagine, putting the best 84 players in the country together  will have that affect.  Today, the rain was pretty intense in the morning session, both games were at a much slower pace and the scores reflected that with either of the four teams breaking more than 10 goals.  Hopefully the weather will break here for the evening sessions, the format has changed since prior tryouts in 06' and 02' were we had 3 sessions a day. This time around we have only two but the games are much longer, 38 minute halves, thats alot of lax. Its hard to believe that we have only two sessions left, tonite and tomorrow morning. The 40 man roster will be announced tomorrow. Wish me luck!

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Crazy May

Whats Up All Laxers, Hope all of you are enjoying your spring. It is already summer down here in South Florida with temperatures already reaching the 90's. This past weekend I went to Machine training camp where it was cloudy and in the 50's on Friday, being so spoiled with the weather down in South Florida you forget how early it still is in the Spring especially in Chicago. Training camp was awesome, so many talented players at every position it reminded me of when the league had the original 6 teams before expansion. The Machine have added alot of new faces but players with strong back rounds and experience. Striebel and Rotelli should be really nice additions, and Driscoll on D should make us a solid. 2009 should be a really interesting year for the MLL, if your a FAN and love lax, try to attend atleast one game no matter what city you are in. Everybody wants the league to prosper for future generations but we need to see the MLL through this tough economy.  The talent is unbelieveable and the product on game day should be worth the price of admission. Hope we will see many new faces in the stands this year.
Spring football has started which has made my schedule crazy down here, plus I have signed on with Florida Selects to help coach, which is run buy Jeff Goldberg and Lacrossewear. Jeff is the Head Coach of national ranked Saint Andrews program. Spring football consists of roughly 20 practices and 1 game, I know crazy. Being from up north we never had such a commitment until summer, I know now why they call Florida a football state.

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Exciting time

Hey All Laxers, This past weekend was a very special time for my family and myself. Hofstra invited my back to have my jersey retired during half time on North Carolina game. The moment was made more special since my father was able to attend. Over the past few months my Pops has been fighting cancer, he was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. This was all discovered in January after a car accident, that we now know was caused by the tumor. The tumor was removed and he is recovering but the chemo and radiation has taken its toll on him. This is why it was so special to see him make it out on the field during half time. The prognosis isn't great for brain tumors but we are hopeful.
            Pine Crest, the season finished on a sour note for us down here during our District Final when we lost 9-7 to St. Thomas. We finished with a 12-6 record which is good, but it could have been better. It took me a little longer to get the kids to BUY IN to playing my style of lacrosse but once they did they really played well. It was great to their growth as a team and something all coaches appreciate. We look to have a solid squad returning next year, we are only losing 3 seniors and all of our leading scorers are returning.

           MLL, the season kicks off for some teams this weekend. The Machine have decided to start next weekend. Details to follow......Wish me luck!

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This weekend.....

This Saturday, April 18, during halftime ceremonies of the #7 Hofstra-#10 North Carolina game at James M. Shuart Stadium, Hofstra Athletics will retire the jersey numbers of two all-time lacrosse greats, Doug Shanahan and Jerry Simandl. They will become the first two Pride lacrosse players to have their numbers retired.

In an effort to acknowledge the outstanding accomplishments of numerous former student-athletes during the University's nearly 75 years of existence, Hofstra University announced last summer that a group of 20 former Pride athletes would have their jersey numbers retired.  "The honoring of these 20 former student-athletes is a celebration of the outstanding history of Hofstra Athletics," commented Hofstra University Director of Athletics Jack Hayes.

Simandl (#10) lettered in lacrosse at Hofstra from 1952 through 1955 under legendary coach Howard "Howdy" Myers. He earned All-America second team honors as a senior in 1955 after leading the nation in scoring with 102 points and assists with 58 while placing second with 44 goals. He was also an all-conference Laurie Cox Division selection as a senior and was named to the USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game.

Singled out as one of the top ten players that he ever coached by Myers, Simandl still holds the Hofstra records for most points and most assists in a single season, most assists and points in a career, and is third in goals scored in a career in Pride history. His finished his Hofstra career with 119 goals and 119 assists for 238 points. All four of his Hofstra teams were nationally-ranked, including the 1955 team that was ranked third.

Shanahan (#26), who played at Hofstra from 1998 through 2001, was a two-sport All-American athlete in both football and lacrosse. While a standout as a defensive back in football and leading the Pride in interceptions as a junior and senior, he excelled in lacrosse over his four year career at Hofstra. As Hofstra's most honored lacrosse player, Shanahan was a three-time All-America selection earning honorable mention in 1999, second team honors in 2000, and first team accolades as a senior. In addition to his first team honors in 2001, he also earned: the Lt. Donald McLaughlin Award from the USILA as Division I Midfielder of the Year; the Lt. Ray Enners Award as USILA Division I Player of the Year; and the inaugural Tewaaraton Trophy as college lacrosse's Player of the Year.

Shanahan also earned All-America East honors four times, picking up first team honors as a freshman, as well as Rookie of the Year honors in 1998, as a sophomore in 1999 and as a senior in 2001 when he was also voted Most Valuable Player honors. He was voted to the second team as a junior. He was named to the 2001 USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game where he captured the Most Valuable Player award. During his Hofstra career, he tallied   95 goals and 44 assists for 139 points, a school-record 450 ground balls while winning 528 of 868 face-offs for a .608 winning percentage. In 2002 Shanahan was named to the United States National Team for the ILF World Championships and earned the ILF's Best and Fairest Award, which is the equivalent of the Championships' Most Valuable Player Award. He was also voted to the All-World Team

To purchase tickets online for the Hofstra-North Carolina contest this Saturday at 7 p.m. go to www.hofstra.edu/athletics or call 516-HOF-TIXX.

-30-

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March Madness

Hey All Laxers, Sorry for the long gap since I last blogged but times are a little crazy with the high school season down here in Florida in full swing. Just for a quick update Pine Crest is 7-5 and really starting to shown signs of a higher level of consistent play. Consistency is something we have struggled with all year, but last Friday we had our first big win of the season beating St. Thomas Aquinas 13-9. I was really proud of the effort the kids gave.
          The MLL season is just weeks away a preseason training is going well. I have begun conditioning and lifting as this year will prove to be a tough training camp with the revamped rosters. It will be really exciting to see the level of play the MLL puts on the field this year. Every team is an all star team. 
           Hofstra Lax, as an alumni I feel it necessary to point out the HOT start the Pride are having this year. The last two years of losing close games, seems to have turned into winning 1 goal games this year. I wish Seth Tierney and Joe Amplo the best of luck the rest of the way. Good job guys!!!!!
         Anyone dominating the NCAA brackets? 13 out of the SWEET 16...not bad

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Finally

Hey All Laxers, Well the news as final been made public as we all have been hearing rumors for weeks upon weeks. With the MLL contracting from 10 teams back to the original number of 6, the 6 remaining are not all original teams. Chicago and Denver have survived expansion and now contraction, the remaining four are Boston, Long Island, Washington and newly relocated Rattlers from Rochester to Toronto. Toronto should be a really interesting location for lacrosse since the Rattlers already have so many Canadians on their roster.  Hopefully Toronto will prove to have a better fan base then Philly, LA, San Fran, and NJ who all had to fold. It still astonishes me that LI and Baltimore who everyone calls the two meccas of the sport can't get fans to their games, come on lacrosse fans! 
     Have you seen the rosters, one word, SICK! Every team is an All Star team. Lacrosse should be amazing this summer. Chemistry will as always be a huge factor. I am looking forward to the upcoming season, it should be a blast.

Down here in South Florida, we find ourselves at 2-0 and winning ugly but a win is a win. We have lost some seniors to injury and academics this year. Leadership has been somewhat of an issue but I am hoping that our younger players will assume bigger roles as we move along. Tonight and tomorrow should prove to be a great learning experience for our team. North Broward Prep, a district opponent, comes to our house tonight at 6pm  and St. Andrews tomorrow at 11am at their place. Just in case you have been living under a rock St. Andrews has grown to super star status and is currently ranked 12th in the country according to inside lacrosse. Wish us luck!

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Slow Process

Hey All laxers, I hope all of you are enjoying a safe winter. The NCAA Lax season is in swing with practices and scrimmages currently happening. It is always interesting to see who just might develop as the years cinderella team. As I am biased, Hofstra is my hopefull team. I am also extremely interested to see what Coach Pressler is going to be able to pull off at Bryant this year with it first Division 1 schedule in school history. I wish him luck.
       On a personal note we have been practicing down here in South Florida for 3 weeks now, the process has been some what slow.  The stick skills to which I am used to are far off across the board, however there are a few gems to which I can polish throughout the year.  The one thing Florida has to offer is alot of athletes, hopefully soon to be called lacrosse players but time will tell. We have our first game in little over a week, so it will be interesting to see our development euring that time. A further look into the future we have huge games against St. Thomas and St. Andrew's who I believe is ranked in the top 10 in the country this year. We have alot of work to do before that comes to pass. Wish us luck! Shanny

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New Beginning

Hey All Laxers,   Time for a new beginning in our Nation's histroy as President Obama takes office, with that said on a personal note I am also entering a new age........30 yikes, Today is the first day of the high school season for us here at Pine Crest. It is so much earlier than I am used, but that is what you get for living in a place with unparalleled  weather, plus high school spring football doesn't help.   I am looking forward to seeing what athletes I have and will try hard to build some gems. The beginning of a season can be overwhelming as you look ahead at the grand scale of how much needs to be done.  The best thing I find to ease the anxiety is to take one day at a time. Wish us Luck!

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Happy New Year!

Hey All Laxers, I trust that the New Year is treating you all well. It has been an event full past couple of weeks with the holidays, camp, and the first ever professional lacrosse game in Florida.
Between Christmas and New Years I conducted my first ever Florida Camp. I have been running camps for 8 years in Ilinois and New York but I wasn't sure what to expect since this was my first winter camp, although it was 80 degrees. The camp turned out better than I hoped for with good camper turn out and a great staff.  Guys like Bo Lamon, Kevin Finneran, and Josh Etzion a two time HS All American who currently plays at Dartmouth help round up the staff.
January 3rd at the Bank Atlantic Center was a great night for lacrosse as the NY Titans battled the Toronto Rock in South Florida. The game was great as the Titans were nipped by the Rock. The game seemed to be a success as there was over 5,000 reportedly at the game. Perhaps with a little ground work you could see an expansion team in south florida.
       Next up the season, start Jan 20th

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Thanksgiving......

Hey All Laxers, Happy Thanksgiving. This is the time of year when families come together from all parts of the world to be with loved ones and celebrate the holidays. Thanksgiving to me is the celebration of all good things in your life past and present. The ability to recognize and be greatful for the people, experiences, family and friends that make your life what it is, is  important. So with that said I would like to say "Thank you" to my family, friends, and fans for being apart of my life and contributing to my happiness. 
           I am currently celebrating Thanksgiving in Key West, Florida, with my daughter Riley and my wife Jessica. We are enjoying the beautiful weather while we are staying with her parents and her brother Michael's family. It is great because Michael and Sarah have two young daughters Riley's age. The day should be great spending time with loved ones. I hope you all enjoy a happy and safe holiday.

OH, I almost forgot.....I am Thankful for being apart of a great close nit community of LACROSSE fans, coaches, teammates, and players who help make our sport what it is. THANKS

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Dedication

Laxers, for those of you interested in paying your respects to Will Barrow the family has posted a website with information about the services.

http://williambarrow.tripod.com/

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Barrow

Hey All Laxers, It is with a heavy heart I am writing to you on this Monday morning. Over the weekend the news circulated the lacrosse community like wild fire that Will Barrow had passed away. The news was of course  a shock to us all and our deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends, teammates and loved ones he leaves behind. For those of you who didn't know Will, he was fun loving, energetic and played lacrosse with a great passion. I only briefly had the privilege of getting to know Will  and he is already deeply missed. I ask all of you to say a prayer for Will and his family as the coming time will be very difficult. Rest in Peace Will Barrow, you will be missed......Shanny

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Flamingos.......

Hey All Laxers, The holidays are quickly approaching and many fall sports are coming to an end, this past Friday was the final game of the year for Pine Crest. Less than 12 hours later I was in a car packet full of other laxrats headed for St. Petersburg, which is just south of Tampa. I was fortunate enough to find a solid club when I moved to Florida. The Fort Lauderdale Flamingos run Coach Rich Barba are a solid bunch of guys. The ride was long but was full of laughs. Once we reached the west side, we had only a few minutes since everyone knows when you take a group trip someone is always late to the rallying point. Thankfully it was me, when we arrived it was beautiful out a great day for lax. With two games on Saturday and one on Sunday it was fun filled weekend of lax. It was great to get out and move around and play with a new bunch of guys which is always interesting. The weekend finished with the Flamingos going 3-0 and finishing with a barn burner 23-22 victory over Hogstown. 

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lax weekend

Hey All Laxers, This past weekend was the final weekend of the fall ball league that I have been coaching which is run by Lacrosse Wear. It was a fun filled weekend where we watched many great games. Over the past 8 weeks the players have been working towards improving their overall lacrosse skills all while competing for a fall ball championship.  After the games on Saturday the coaches and Bo the owner of Lacrosse wear and Finn the coordinator for the Florida Lacrosse Cup between the Titans and the Rock all enjoyed some football and appetizers.  It was great to see so many young players, the next generation, enjoying the game. I am excited to see the turn over as many fall sports are coming to an end down here, including football. We are currently 4-3 with 2 games left on the schedule.
      With football coming to and end lacrosse is back on the horizon, lacrosse starts much earlier down here than up north. Our start date is currently Jan. 23.  I know its crazy early. Next up is off season workouts and speed training. 

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Happy Halloween!

Hey All Laxers, The status of lacrosse continues to grow and being in Florida and previously in Chicago I believe I have been seeing the growth first hand. The next step is on the horizon as Florida is to host its first ever professional lacrosse game. On January 3rd, the New York Titans and the Toronto Rock will being playing in South Florida. This game is already receiving a lot of buzz as Kevin Finneran and crew are doing a great job with spreading the word.  I know many of the students at my school are very excited to see their first pro game. I believe it is the hope of all that this will lead to a professional team down here Florida, lets hope this venue is a great success as lacrosse continues to impact the lives of so many.

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Rules Change

Hey All Laxers, I hope the fall season is treating you all well. With the latest release in rule changes by the MLL it will introduce the LSM back into the game. The LSM has long been missed by many goalies and coaches who routinely see middies run by short sticks. The rule change will bring about little change in my mind, there are so many talented middies in the game. On any given week a middie can light it up and each team has several middies who are worthy of drawing the pole. I do however believe it will increase the coaches role in the MLL by bringing so more defensive strategy into each weeks preparation, regarding slide packages and personelle decisions. It should be interesting to see how coaches and players adapt to the added LSM and an extra spot on the game day roster. 

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Jersey to be Retired

Football

Marques Colston (#89)

* Seventh round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints who broke the NFL record for most receptions in a player's first two seasons

* Finished third in the voting for NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2006
* Also broke the New Orleans Saints-record with 98 receptions for 1,202 yards and team record-tying 11 touchdowns in 2007
* Four-year letterman and three-year starter at Hofstra, who finished his collegiate career by breaking Hofstra's career receiving yards record with 2,834 yards (now second) in 44 games, and placed second (now third) with 182 receptions
* Currently holds the Pride single game receiving yards record with 267 on seven catches at Liberty in 2003
* An All-Atlantic 10 first team selection as a senior (2005)

Dave Fiore (#74)

* Starter on the offensive line from 1992 through 1995

* First team All-America selection as a senior by the American Football Coaches Association, the Associated Press and the Walter Camp Foundation

* As a senior in 1995, Hofstra was 10-1 during the regular season and advanced to the NCAA I-AA Playoffs for the first time

* Named to the All-ECAC team and received the Hempstead Mayor's Trophy

* Anchored an offensive line that paved the way for the team to average more than 200 yards per game rushing in 1994 and 1995 with 1995's 261.7 yards per game average ranking as the third best in program history

* Signed as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers and went on to enjoy an eight-year career in the National Football League

* While a member of the San Francisco 49ers, he received the NFL Unsung Hero Award in 2001

* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007

John Schmitt (#77)

* Member of the offensive line for the Pride from 1961 through 1963

* Named to All-America team as a senior

* Member of Hofstra's 1962 Cement Bowl team

* Enjoyed an 11-year NFL career, winning a Super Bowl with the New York Jets in 1969

* Was an All-Pro selection in 1968-69

* Inaugural inductee into the Long Island Sports Hall of Fame

* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006

Men's Basketball

Craig "Speedy" Claxton (#10)

* Finished his career with 2,015 points (sixth all-time), while setting Hofstra records for career assists and steals

* Two-time America East Conference Player of the Year

* Earned the Haggerty Award as a senior

* Led Hofstra to the NCAA Tournament as a senior in 2000

* First round draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers

* Member of the 2003 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs

Rich Laurel (#21)

* Finished his career with 2,102 points, fourth in program history

* Led the country in scoring as a senior (30.3 ppg), a Hofstra record which still stands

* Earned the Haggerty Award as a senior

* Led Hofstra to its first two NCAA Division I Tournament appearances

* First round draft pick of the Portland Trail Blazers

Steve Nisenson (#13)

* Scored 2,222 points during his three-year career, which ranks second all-time

* Held school scoring record for 43 years

* Named to All-America Team in 1963 and 1964

* Holds school record for free throws made in a season (230) and free throw percentage (.915)

* 26.8 career point per game average is second in program history

* Career free throw percentage of .879 ranks second in Division II record book

* 1965 fifth round draft choice of the New York Knicks

Bill Thieben (#93)

* Finished his career with 2,045 points and 1,837 rebounds in three seasons

* Ranks as Hofstra all-time leading rebounder and is the fifth all-time leading scorer

* Career scoring and rebounding averages of 26.9 and 24.2, respectively, are tops in program history

* Was an All-America selection in 1955 and 1956

* Won the Haggerty Award in 1956

* Drafted by the Fort Wayne Pistons of the NBA in 1956

* Suffolk County Hall of Fame inductee in 1990

* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006

Men's Lacrosse

Doug Shanahan (#26)

* Two-sport athlete who earned three All-America awards in lacrosse and two in football
* 2001 Tewaaraton Award winner as College Lacrosse's Player of the Year after posting 43 goals and 13 assists and leading the Pride to the NCAA quarterfinals
* Also named to All-America first team and received the Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award as Division I Outstanding Lacrosse Player of the Year in Division I and the Lt. Donald McLaughlin Jr. Award as the Division I Midfielder of the Year in 2001
* Tallied 95 goals, 44 assists, a school-record 450 ground balls, 347 shots and won 528-of-868 face-offs (.608) in 63 games at Hofstra
* During his Hofstra Football career he recorded 15 career interceptions, returned five interceptions or fumbles for touchdowns and was among the team leaders in tackles all four seasons. First team All-America in football in 2000.

Jerry Simandl (#10)

* Scored 99 goals and added 107 assists during his three-year playing career from 1953 to 1955

* Led the nation in scoring with 102 points (44 G, 58 A) in 1955

* His 58 assists in 1955 also led the nation

* Named to 1955 All-America team and was a North-South-All Star Game selection

* Holds school records for points (102) and assists (58) in a season

* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007

Men's Soccer

Gary Flood (#5)

* Led Hofstra to three straight CAA titles and NCAA Tournament berths

* Set school record for games played

* First team All-CAA selection as a senior

* CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2005

* Currently plays for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer

Michael Todd (#9)

* Named first Division I All-American in program history

* Scored 40 career goals, third in Hofstra history, and had 101 career points, second in Hofstra history

* Led Hofstra to three straight CAA titles

* Two-time Academic All-American

* Earned CAA Player of the Year Award as a senior

Softball

Stacy Jackson (#19)

* Four-time all-region selection

* Four-time all-conference selection

* Holds school record for wins in a season (26 - twice) and career (96)

* Helped Hofstra to its first NCAA appearance in 1993 and its first NCAA win in 1995.

* Played professionally in Europe after graduation

* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007

Alicia Smith (#23)

* Second team All-American selection

* First team Academic All-American selection

* Holds school record for career hits (271) and ranks third in pitching victories (71)

* Four-time all-region selection and four-time all-conference selection

* Played professionaly for the New York Juggernaut

Volleyball

Sue Gades (#14)

* Team Most Valuable Player in 1984 and 1985

* Four-time All-East Coast Conference selection

* 1985 ECC Most Valuable Player

* Hofstra's all-time leader in four categories (block solos-397, block assists-386, total blocks-783, blocks per game-2.05) and ranks in top 10 in 11 categories

* Holds six single season records

* Team was 111-48 with three ECC titles during her tenure

* Career hitting percentage of .392 ranks 10th in NCAA history

* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006

Shellane Ogoshi (#4)

* Recorded 4,597 assists and 1,660 digs during her Hofstra career

* Holds school records for career assists and digs

* Helped lead Hofstra to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history in 2006

* Was a two-time CAA Setter of the Year (2005 and 2006), the 2005 CAA Player of the Year and the 2004 CAA Rookie of the Year

* Named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team on two occasions

Wrestling

Nick Gallo

* 1977 National Champion at 126 pounds

* 1977 NCAA Championships Most Outstanding Wrestler Award recipient

* Posted a 104-14 record in his four years at Hofstra

* Alternate on the 1976 U.S. Olympic Team

* Coached the Pride for three years, compiling a 34-19 record

* Member of the Suffolk County Hall of Fame and received Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame

Women's Basketball

Liz Irwin (#14)

* Hofstra's all-time leader in assists (828)

* Ranks sixth on career scoring list (1,455) and fourth in steals (219)

* Holds record for most assists in a game with 13

* Two-time Metropolitan Basketball Conference All-Star

* Four-time Team Most Valuable Player

* Team posted a 92-40 record in her four years and were Eastern AIAW Division II Champions in 1982 (Pre Division I era)

* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006

Dia LaBella (#15)

* Played basketball from 1978 through 1982

* Career leader in points scored with 1,840 and ranks 10th in free throws made with 279

* Ranks in the top 10 in four single season statistical categories

* Team posted a 92-40 record in her four years and were Eastern AIAW Division II Champions in 1982 (Pre Division I era)

* 1978-79 New York State Tournament Most Valuable Player

* Inducted into Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007

Women's Lacrosse

Stephanie Clarke (#47)

* Played lacrosse from 1994 through 1997

* Three-time All-America selection (1994, 96, 97)

* Four-time team Most Valuable Player

* Two-time Regional All-American

* 1996 North Atlantic Conference Player of the Year

* Hofstra's Outstanding Senior Women's Athlete in 1997

* Starting goalie in the North-South Senior All-Star game

* Ranks second all-time in career saves (909)

* Member of the US National Team from 1996 through 1998

Women's Soccer

Sue Weber (#20)

* Two-time All-American selection

* Three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year

* Led Hofstra to its first two conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances

* First team Academic All-American

* Guided Hofstra to its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory in 2007

* Earned Defensive Player of the Year Award in her first season in the women's professional league

-30

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Football is Back...

Hey All Laxers, Hope school is going well for those attending classes.  Football is back in full force and I am sure  all of you are enjoying it as much as I am. This past week was our opening game of the season at PC, we won 58-20 over Pope John Paul. We had a very talented 9th grader score 5 td's, pretty sick. Sunday was another great day. I went to the Dolphins v Jets game in Miami and had a great time tailgaiting and watching Favre in the Green and White. With the potential year ending injury to Brady, the Patriots might find themselves in the thick of it with the Colts, Jets, Jaguars and whoever gets hot during the year. Alot of possibilites have opened up if Brady doesn't return.......

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School back in Session

Hey All Laxers, Congrats to Rochester on winning the Championship! 

School has officially started down here in Florida, and our first football game is right around the corner.  In fact we have our first contact scrimmage versus another opponent tomorrow. Should be exciting to see how we do. I have been in Florida for over a month and experienced so new things already. I have even made it through my first tropical storm (FAY), which came right in the middle of our two a day football camp. I am looking forward to re-establishing my relationship with Kevin Finnernan who originally drafted me to Chicago, and by some strike of dumb luck we both moved to Fort Lauderdale in the same week, weird...

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Post Season

Hey All Laxers, Congratulations to Philly, Rochester, LA, and Denver and good luck to those teams in the post season. The Machine finished 3-9 on the season, with many new faces throughout the year and improved rookies we were much more competitive this year than last year. We again will have the 1st overall pick in next years draft, with that we should become even more competitve.  
            With the MLL season over, I have already started my next season. I am living in Fort Lauderdale now and working at Pine Crest. In florida football is known as king, so two a days have already begun.  I can't tell you how much I have missed football, which I truely didn't realize until I started coaching. It has beens 6 years since I was with the Jets. Time truely does fly.

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Last Game Preview....

Hey All Laxers, entering the final week of the MLL season the Machine find ourselves out of the playoffs and with a 3-8 record. This week we face the best in the east, the Rochester Rattlers. Last year the Rattlers hammered us at their place, this game will be played on our home turf were we seem to play better. The Rattlers roster is full of All Stars and will pose many matchup problems for us. Personally this will be the first time I go against Smith at the "X' for a full game. Everyone  seems to believe that he is the best, so I looking forward to the challange of competiting against him. He currently has the best face off % in the league that is over 60% which is pretty sick for the MLL. I had a chance to watch him go against Valhakis this past weekend, who is second in the league in %.  Both a very good so it was hard really to pick anything up, plus the coverage on tv often misses the face off. Wish the Machine Luck this week as we have a chance to effect the seedings for the playoff and get the most wins in our franchis history.

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BYE Week!

Hey All Laxers, In week 11 the Machine have a bye week, which is probably good since our next opponent in Rochester. Rochester is the best team in the East and it looks like there is a great chance of Denver and them meeting in Championship game in late August.  The Machine have a chance to get to 4 wins by winning which would be the most in any one season but it is going to take a serious effort to accomplish that.
    In the past two weeks I have finally relocated to Fort Lauderdale where I am pretty much all moved in. The crazy thing is I have already starting doing the summer workout with the high school football team where I am teaching at. Everything starts a bit earlier down here than up North but I am looking forward to starting a new chapter. Thanks

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Finally!!!!!!!!

Hey All Laxers, We WOOOOOOOONNNNNN! and beat LA for the first time in our franchise history. We were getting killed in the first half by like 8 but managed to cut the lead to 4 by half. Then in the second half our D and Gabel shut it down.  Offensive began to feed of the defense. There were some crazy hits in this game, Bigas, Rob Smtih, and Whittenberg were laying the lumber all day.   As for me I did my part and played my role 17-30 against A train and 1 goal.

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San Fran

Whats up Laxers, Well we now are 2-7 with 3 games left. At this point in the season we are playing for pride. The Machine are still without a road victory in our franchise history, I know not good. That was our motivational tool going into the San Fran game but it still wasn't enough.  Looking ahead to LA this week, this team seems to be playing the best lax of late. They have the most athletic midfielders in the game and provide many difficult match ups for any team. With that said we have been competitive both times so maybe 3 times will be the one we break through.

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LA to San Fran

Hey all Laxers, for those of you who didn't follow the scoreboard the Machine managed to squander another game after being up late in the game. We are now 2-6 with 4 to play, playoff picture is looking real bleak. This year really seemed like it was going to be the year where we were going to make a push and change the moto of our franchise but it seems to be going totally opposite of what I had hoped.
  Looking ahead to San Fran, this seems to be another great opportunity for us to get a "W"....the flight to San Jose where the Dragons now play is going to be brutal. I leave Islip NY, where I am for mly camp, thn make stops in Chicago and Las Vegas all before landing in San Jose. Wish us luck! 

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2nd win....

Laxers, Hope this July 4th holiday weekend finds everyone doing well. My brother is currently spending his first fourth of July in Afghanistan, so this is a special fourth for my family and I. He has been there since mid March of this year.
    Getting back to the season we put another "W" in the win column. It is only our second win but it was a big one against league leading Denver. If we hope to get back in the mix of things we need to get another "W" this week against LA.  Should  be a good challenge for us and me personallly to go up against the West Respresentative in  the All Star Game at the Face off X, Anthony Kelly.
  Congrats to Levielle, Gabel, and Brooks who all were announced to the All Star Team this week.

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update

Hey ALL, It been awhile since my last update with you all....I have since moved from Illinois and I am on my way to Fort Lauderdale Florida in July. I have made a pit stop back in Long Island for some family and Camp time until we complete the move.
The Machine, we find ourselves in familiar territory as a franchise....1-4 not good...we have had a few heart wrenching losses in OT this year and lost another 1 goal game earlier to LA.  I have been pretty much relagated to face offs duty this year...some time you gotta due whats best for the team and since Danny Kallaugher broke his hand last week, this were I am need most....should be a good battle this week against Denver if we hope to turn our season around we will need this one.....Wish us luck

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Stupid Pipes

Hey, Hope everyone enjoyed the final four and championship game... I know I watched a total of 5 minutes of all the games. Between getting to the airport and flying back and forth to Los Angeles most of the Machine guys didn't get to see much. Unless your name is Leveille who managed to fly in and out of LA all in one day from Boston and play in his own game after watching his brother beat Virginia in double OT. Not a bad weekend for that family...
           The Machine game was another great battle this weekend we just fell a bit short, I know I hit 3 pipes on the day.....so annoying.  Our defense and Gabel in the net have been awesome this year we just need to find our swagger on "O".
         The draft tomorrow should be exciting for the Machine, with the #1 pick overall we have so many options that we could go with and plenty of talent to choose from, also heard about some possible trades for our # 1 pick so it should be interesting.

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1st Game Review

Hey, Sorry for the late post report on the 1st game of the year but I was in Fort Lauderdale all week. I have taken a job down there and was looking for a place to live. I have already told the team at U of I that I would not be returning next season.
         So by now everyone probably has checked the stats and win/loss column for the MLL. It was a great game that we pulled out in the fourth quarter. The scoreboard see sawed back and forth, I was 6-14 at the X with one assist. I look to improve those numbers this week at LA. This is a huge game for us to see where we are really at as a team. LA is loaded with talent but that doesn't always translate to a great team. Chemistry is a huge factor in the MLL and everyone's ego has to mesh. So far this year the Machine have seemed to have found a good balance but it is early and anything can happen. Plus the college draft is next week so there is a great chance that the roster will look tremendously different. My money is on us grabbing Danowski...but wouldn' t be shocked if that changed to Rabil or Levielle.

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Here we Go...

Well, its time to officially put down the coaching whistle and strap on the helmet and #26 jersey for another adventurous season in the MLL. The Machine open up this Sunday at home in Toyota Park  against the San Francisco Dragons, it should be an action packed game and hopefully an opening day win which the Machine have yet to accomplish in there short tenure in the MLL. Feels like a good weekend to get it done.....Wish us luck!

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ILLINI LAX

Whats Up Laxers, The season has come to an end for the ILLINI after a heart breaking loss to Lindenwood our arch rival 14-13. We had our chances to tie and even the game up, I know we hit like 4 pipes throughout the game and their goalie played well. The game was the fourth straight year that Lindenwood has managed to beat the Illini in the GRLC conference championship game.
              The season in my mind was still a succes, we truely became a team a battled plenty of adversity (1-6 record, coaching change...) just for starters and managed to keep together and finish 11-7 and 1 goal away from competing in Nationals. For those of you who followed the Illini season, thanks!
         Looking forward to getting back to the Machine this weekend and getting back in a team atmosphere. This will be the first weekend that we will have the whole team there, and the final weekend of training camp. That means all new gear which is always nice.

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MLL Opening Weekend

Hey All Laxers, This past weekend the machine opened up our training camp for the season. It was a great first weekend, however the numbers were a little low because some players are still playing in the NLL. It was great to be back on the field with the team and getting after each other.
        The Illini are getting ready for the GRLC Conference Championships this weekend at Lindenwood University in St. Louis, Missouri. We are going in as the #1 seed, we went undefeated in the conference during the regular season. If we can managed to keep our 9 game winning streak alive we will find ourselves with an invite to Dallas to compete in nationals.  Wish us luck!

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Onyx/Ridelle Team of the Week

Onyx/Riddell Team of the Week (4/25/08)

(4 votes, average: 3.25 out of 5)

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Back in the MCLA Top 25

#	LOGO	TEAM	POINTS	LAST POLL
1.		Michigan (37)	997	1
2.		Chapman University (3)	960	2
3.		Minnesota-Duluth	913	3
4.		BYU	881	4
5.		Simon Fraser	830	5
6.		Arizona State	813	6
7.		Colorado State	733	7
8.		Sonoma State	698	9
9.		California Santa Barbara	683	8
10.		Georgia	640	15
11.		Boston College	601	12
12.		Virginia Tech	575	14
13.		Florida State	517	11
14.		Oregon	435	10
15.		Texas A&M	429	18
16.		Florida	392	13
17.		Colorado	335	16
18.		Utah	234	19
19.		Claremont College	217	23
20.		Stanford	188	21
21.		Lindenwood	171	20
22.		Santa Clara	137	NR
23.		Cal Poly SLO	114	17
24.		Illinois	107	NR
25.		Loyola Marymount	99	22
Also Receiving Votes: Michigan State (70 pts), California (59 pts), Central Florida (59 pts), Auburn (29 pts), Montana (23 pts), Texas (22 pts), Indiana (13 pts), San Diego State (6 pts), Chico State (6 pts), Buffalo (5 pts), New Hampshire (5 pts), Southern Methodist (2 pts), North Texas (1 pt), Northeastern (1 pt).

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Article from Collegelax.us

Illini Continue Winning Streak At Home

(14 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)

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9-6

Hey All Laxers, Well it was a huge weekend for the Illini. We managed to beat Lindenwood this past Saturday by a score of 14-8. This was my first Lindenwood vs Illini experience and let me tell it was one of the most physical games I have every seen. The game had a total of 37 penalties which is probably the most I have ever heard of. Both teams fought extremely hard but the biggest difference happened in the first quarter when Lindenwood's starting goalie hurt his knee and left the game. The whole complexion changed from that point on. Chances are we will see Lindenwood in two weeks for the GRLC conference championship, the winner will get the AQ to go to nationals in Dallas.
      We also played a game today vs Nebraska, the final score was 25-5. We currently hold a record of 9-6 with 1 regular season game left. 

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Circus Time

Hey All Laxers, Well its the morning before the big game and wouldn't you know its supposed to rain tomorrow. The weather here in Champaign has been less the cooperative. Last week rec. services closed our fields for the weekend, so we had to play at a local high school. I hope they are not planning on doing the same thing, that is the one thing that stinks about being a club sport. You don't get preferential field time.   Practice today will be short and sweet, we had all week to prepare for Lindenwood. Who by the way beat Illinois St. 16-4 lastnight. So they will be ready for us as well.
    Two things, for those of you who don't watch the news there was a earthquake here in Illinois last night. I always have been told that I could sleep through a earthquake since I was a kid, now I know for sure.  Lastly, today is a special day. My wife Jess and I are taking are 19 month daughter Riley to here first Ringing Brothers Circus tonite. Thats the great thing about being at a huge university, everything comes to you.

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Above .500!

Hey All, Well we finally managed to climb out of awful start and get above .500. This past Saturday the weather was a mess again here in Champaign. We played Central Michigan in 35 degree temperatures with rain and snow falling throughout the game. It was a messy game to say the least and footing was pretty terrible. We managed to score 13 and only give up 8. This week is a critical week for the Illini, we have Lindenwood coming to town who is ranked in the top #20 in the latest MCLA poll. Just so you a feel for how critical this game is our seniors are 0-6 against them.  The weather is supposed to be nice this week which will allow for a good solid week of practice, which we desperately need.
       On a side note the MLL season is just around the corner and I am looking forward to strapping on the helmet again with my brothers in arms. I hope to stay healthy this year, last year I pulled my hamstring something awful.

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Big Changes!

Hey Everyone, Sorry for not keeping up with blogs the last few weeks, but it has been pretty crazy here in Champaign. With the resignation of Stevens and my job upgrade it has been a pretty strenous middle of the season shift for the team. I believe when I last left you guys we were 1-5, but now we find ourselves at .500 with a 6-6 mark with 4 regular season games left.
          Since I have taking over the reigns the practice structure and intensity has severely changed. We hustle in and out drills while working a ton a transition, an aspect of our game that critically hurt us in the beginning of the season.  After a blow out lose to # 1 ranked Michigan, we have recovered nicely with a double OT win at Michigan St, and 4 wins in the last 7 days against Illinois St, Texas Tech, Kansas, and Missouri.
      As the regular season winds down here, the Illini still have post season hopes with the conference tournament around the bend. Which will hopefully lead to Nationals in Dallas. However we need to get past Lindenwood to do that. Illinois arch rival who have managed to beat us 3 years straight in the conference championship game.

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Coaching Change

Stevens Leaves Fighting Illini Lacrosse

(16 votes, average: 2.75 out of 5)

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MICHIGAN

Hey All Laxers,  The fighting Illini recently took a trip to Arizona for spring break to play two quality opponents in Arizona St. and Arizona. We played hard and got better but the best thing about the trip was the weather. We left as we arrived, with 1 win on the season. We played a tough schedule thus far this season, a schedule that is much tougher than in years past. Despite our record I am still confident with the team we put on the field. We have yet to play a 60 min game, our break downs have been a different positions each game.
  With all that said we need to play a 60 min game this Friday, with a 6 hour bus ride to Michigan and a # 1 MCLA ranking we will need to be prepared for the task ahead.  We are currently giving the kids a grueling week of practice, we need to keep them focused and believing in each other.

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Growth

Hey All, The weekend wasn't  all that we had hoped it could be. We lost both games this weekend but did show signs of improvement with both loses. We are currently 1-3 and have much to work on, but the improvements are being made. The biggest aspect is our overall lacrosse IQ which involves all aspects of the game for the ILLINI. We are finding ourselves in the box up to 10 times on average a game, obviously way to much. Offensively we are forcing the ball into situations that are not beneficial and in turn we are losing alot of possesions.
      How to get better? This upcoming week we are taking a spring break trip to Arizona and Arizona St.. If we use our time wisely this will be a real opportunity to build and further inhance our team chemistry. Also we have yet to get outside a really practice, we have had indoor facilities and some throw arounds but not the day in and day out practices needed to grow. Look for the Illini to get it together.

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Big Weekend!

 Hey All Laxers!    This weekend will be a great couple of days for travel down to St. Louis to hook up with Texas A&M on Friday, and Simon Fraser on Sunday. We leave  tomorrow at noon for Lindenwood, and play at 9 pm. I know its late but its just another challenge for both teams.  From what we have seen both teams are big and athletic, which also push the ball. You know the old saying everything is bigger in Texas. Simon Fraser is stacked with Canadians who can handle rock and play a different style then what we have seen so far this year. Both teams will be a huge game for us as they both are currently ranked ahead of us. GO ILLINI!

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Getting There

Wassup All laxers,
                   I am happy to report that the ILLINI recorded our first WIN of the season versus Marquette Universtiy by a score of 17-6. Obvioulsy the offense was much improved from the game against Indiana. We were able to handle the ball pretty successfully all through the game, we also looked much better on man up. We still need much improvement in all areas but we took a huge step forward with our effort this weekend.   It was good to see our chemistry build this weekend, we reshuffled some of our lines due to poor decisions and it work out for us. 
                 Defensively we continue to impress with 6  goals against average in both games, it would seriously be at like 3 but we are struggling a bit with our decision making on defense and getting costly penalties.

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Character Test

Hey All, Well its just past mid week down here in cold as can be Champaign, IL. The weather has yet to break here, but we found ourselves outside anyways yesterday in frigid temperature on top of 2 inches of frozen snow. The coaches felt we needed to atleast get some stick work in and the long break between practices were killing are stick skills. As we already know what happened against Indiana.
         This weekend presents another interesting scenario where its not a home, or away game. We are playing in a neutral site at an indoor facility.This Sunday will be a character test for us as a team, will we show up sluggish as we did against Indiana? We are team leaders step up? I hope the Illini show up with a killer instinct this weekend, this is what were missing in our first game. Will we learn to appreciate each and every contest? I hope so......

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Day in the Snow!

Hey All, Well the first game is in the books and we certainly didn't perform up to par. I have seen alot of lacrosse in my time and this is the first time I have played on a turf field that had over two inches of snow on it. I mean I have played with snow coming down and slowly building up over the course of the game. But to our surprise after the snow had stopped the night before and our game was scheduled for 2 p, when we arrived  the field was still covered. The had just actually started to use a snow blower on the field, not a plow. Well I guess somewhere along the line someone had the bright idea of just clearing off the endlines, sidelines, winglines, and restraining box lines. Like I said this is a first for me, to show up to a field they had all day to clear and it wasn't.
   Getting past the conditions on the field was a little tough for our boys coming off the bus. This was our first game and it showed for the first half, we were unable to control the ball on offense and had many turn overs. After being down at half we showed some heart but it was to little too late. We had our opportunities to win but we just fell short after putting ourselves in such a whole. Positives to take away from the game: Everything is fixable

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Machine

With the start of the NCAA and MCLA lax season I can' t help but start to think about the upcoming 2008 MLL season.  I know the Machine have been at the bottom of the pack each of the last two year, we even posted an embarassing 0-12 mark in 06. This year just might be the year the Machine scratch and claw our way out and impact the league. You may think I must be nuts to even say that, but I am not predicting an undefeated season or even winning the championship. With last year successful draft we added much needed balance, with another quality draft in 2008 which looks to be a good one.  We can perhaps make a playoff push, obviously every team has high hopes coming into the season, and every teams goal is to win the championship. Look for the Machine to make strides in the standings this year.

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Game WeeK!

Hey All, Game week is upon us and with a big test in our opener this Saturday at Indiana. This past weekends practices didn't go as smooth as the coaches would of like but we did get some more valued full field time. The scariest thing about Saturday is that the game was moved from an indoor site to their outside field. I believe this heavily favors Indiana, after all they have played a number of  games outside already, and we haven't even practiced outside yet. So it should be interesting to see how our guys handle the elements, it will be cold and windy for sure. 

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Count Down

Hey All, well the count is on to our first game. We only have 3 practices left to prepare for Indiana, which to their credit already have 2 nice wins and are scoring in double figures. So we as a whole have to prepare for a battle of a first game.
         During this past weekend of practices we installed two new offenses to make our attack more dynamic. The biggest aspect of the game we are trying to relay to the team is the understanding of when and where to attack the cage. Obviously certain offenses attack from different angles, understanding how to use those angles and put the most strain on the defense as possible will determine how successful we are during the year.
    The bitter cold here in central Illinois prevents us from getting more practice time to preapare the team. Indoor time so scarce we have been limited in our preseason, currently it is 9 degress. Maybe in the next several years as Michigan goes varsity we will see a Big Ten Conference. I mean is it really a stretch, Penn State and Ohio State are already there. If Michigan goes prehaps we the bitter rivarly with Michigan State will bring them back to Div.1 where they were in the 90's.  Northwestern girls lax have  won 3 straight national titles, their program hasn't  been around for that long. The administration has to be looking into the possibility of beginning a mens team. Here at Illinois, we already have a solid coaching staff, have Nike contract, and run the program as close as we can to a varsity program as possible with out the administration's backing.  Michigan going varsity just might really change the face of lax in the midwest, just a hypothetical but wouldn't it be sick!

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BRING ON THE SNOW!

Hey All, With up to 12 inches of snow fall already on the ground and dozens of offices and schools already closed in the area. Practice seemed to be in jeopardy for tonite, since if U of I closed that meant practice would automatically be cancelled.  I must say a big thanks to who ever made the call to stay open today, being that it is probably the only school open for a 100 miles. We truely needed to get a solid practice in tonite since we have already given the kids off for the Superbowl!

        We are only roughly about 10 practices out from our first game and full field time is worth its weight in gold.  In the next several practices we are looking to sure up our understanding of our offensive, defensive, and clearing concepts.  Personally I am very excited about tonites practice since I missed the first weekend of practices, when I attended the USA ALL STAR CHALLENGE down in Walt Disney World against Duke. I throughly enjoyed my time down there with my family and the team but a small part of me was itching to get back to the team, as I know the value of each of the preseason practices. GO ILLINI!

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What a weekend!

First I must apologize for one of my earlier blogs in which I wrote we were playing two games down in Disney but in fact we only played one against DUKE.  Before I get to the weekend itself let me tell you about the horror show that went on while traveling to Disney.
     This past Thursday morning my wife jess, my 18 month old daughter Riley and I all woke up at 3:30 am for a 6 am flight out of Bloomington Illinois. We arrived in plenty of time for check in but for some reason the line wasn't moving at all, and we had only 3 people in front of us, a half an hour goes buy and we still haven't moved. Now it is getting pretty close to the cut of time to check in luggage which is usually about 45 minutes before take off.  Finally the people in front of us moved, we get to the desk and they tell us that the cargo hold on the plane is sealing right so they can't take any of our bags. The light bulb should have went off right there, but in our haste to get down to Disney especially traveling with a infant we decided to push on. The airline said our bags would be on the next flight. We get to the gate after all the trouble of getting checked in and another bomb shell the airline wants to take our stroller and send it down later, anyone who travels with kids knows a stroller is a necessity since we also had a lay over in Atlanta which is Delta's hub, and is a huge airport. No way was this going to happen, after a few bloods cells popped in my wife's brain they let us take the stroller directly on the plane since it wasn't full.
      Just when we thought it could not possible get any worse, I mean how could it. We almost missed the plane at check in, we don't have our bags, almost lost the stroller and we are traveling with an infant who is not happy about waking up at 3:30 in the morning. So we take off with out a hitch, and get in the air but something doesn't seem just right. We have been flying for like 15 minutes but not really gaining altitude. Finally the Captain gets on the PA and announces that our flaps are not working and that we needed to make a emergency landing...you have got to be kidding me! That is rated G version. Here is the kicker we can't land at the same airport we took off from because the runway is not long enough, that right there should tell you everything you needed to know about how serious this was. I went on to later find out that the flaps control the airspeed after we had safely landed in Peoria.  
       We finally make it to Orlando after basically wasting a whole day in the airport, and the nightmare was over. We had two solid practices on Friday and Saturday, for our game on Sunday which US Lacrosse held a huge clinic for about 100 kids which turned out to be alot of fun.  Before the game I had a few minutes to catch up with Coach Danowski, and also talk to Matt about his injury. He is well on his road to recovery but felt it best not to play in the game.
      The game itself was a blast and Duke has a great team, Matt Striebel played outstanding and had a great day shooting the ball.  We had a three goal lead going into the finally three minutes of the game but let is slip away. We managed to hold off their last push of the game and won 13-12.  Duke should be well on their way to competing for a National Championship.

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Recruiting!

Hey All, This upcoming weekend all of the U of I coaches will be attending the Chicago Machine high school recruiting combine.  This will give us a great opportunity to evaluate the Chicago land talent. The combine will be held at the McCook Center which is an exceptional facility, equipped with plenty of playing space.

The hard aspect of recruiting in the MCLA is the absence of scholarships, then thrown on top of that U of I is an extremely challenging school with high academic standards. So recruiting is not all peaches and creme.  I expect it is tough at any program trying to evaluate talent and then deal with admissions. The biggest thing we can sell as coaches, which is a great thing, is the education you receive at U of I, which many parents and athletes know and understand.

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FEEDBACK

Hey All, Thanks to those of you who have been reading my blogs, much appreciated. Also thanks to those of you who have been living feedback and asking questions. 

I will do my best to be interactive as long as continue writing blogs, instead of writing several different responses back individually I have decided to do a general responses  in the blogs since other people may have the same questions. So here it goes, this question is from Glen:

Q: Doug - I'm curious who's on the US roster for these games. Was an invitation extended to the entire 2006 US World team? Who's filling in for guys that are playing in the NLL and not able to make it?

A: When a player makes the USA TEAM is commitment is not just for the year of the World Games, it actually last until the next team is picked. Each player is expected to be present at a certain amount of events whether it be clinics,games,etc, things of that nature. When tournaments are put together obviously the invitation is extended to the current team first, after players have decided if they are going to play or if they can play; then US Lacrosse sends out secondary invitations to players who were not on the USA TEAM in 2006 but are still held in the highest regard, such as MLL players or perhaps club players. Here is the roster for Florida:

U.S. Men's Team Roster

Attack
Nicholas Bonacci (Long Island Lizards/Dartmouth '07)
John Christmas (Boston Cannons/Virginia '05)
Tim Goettelman (Long Island Lizards/Loyola '01)
Sean Morris (Chicago Machine/Massachusetts ‘06)
*Joe Walters (Rochester Rattlers/Maryland '06)

Midfield
Stephen Berger (Long Island Lizards/Washington College '04)
Ben DeFelice (Boston Cannons/Towson '04)
*Kyle Harrison (New Jersey Pride/Johns Hopkins '05)
Sean Lindsay (Los Angeles Riptide/Syracuse '04)
*Blake Miller (Long Island Lizards/Hofstra '96)
*Doug Shanahan (Chicago Machine/Hofstra '01)
*Matt Striebel (Philadelphia Barrage/Princeton '01)

Defense
*Christian Cook (Washington Bayhawks/Princeton '98)
*Ryan Curtis (Washington Bayhawks/Virginia '00)
*John Gagliardi (Long Island Lizards/Johns Hopkins '97)
Zac Jungers (Denver Outlaws/Princeton '07)
Brett Moyer (Philadelphia Barrage/Hofstra '07)
*Todd Rassas (Notre Dame '98)

Goal
*Chris Garrity (Washington Bayhawks/Penn State '03)
Michael Levin (Rochester Rattlers/Brown '04)

* Member of 2006 U.S. men's team

Mark asked....
Q:  How do you guys look this year in the MCLA? Any predictions? Who will be your biggest opponents in the league?

A: Being that this is my first year of college coaching in the MCLA I was pleasantly surprised with the talent of our team. I believe that we have a very positive outlook this season. We have plenty of tough games on the schedule such as Michigan, Lindenwood, Simon Fraser, Arizona, and Arizona St. just to name a few. We will be battle tested come the end of the year, hopefully we will be on the upside our tough games. Our toughest league opponent is Lindenwood, there is no lose of love between these two programs as I quickly found out this fall during a tourney in St. Louis. Lindenwood beat Illinois last year in the league championship game in OT. Look for a rematch this year again come May. As for predictions, look for us to be competitive in everygame and to compete for a league championship. That is the most I can say without giving teams posterboard material.

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USA TEAM ALL STAR CHALLENGE

Hey All, With the USA TEAM ALL STAR CHALLENGE a little more than a week away anticipation is beginning to build. After being out of the college for 7 years now I wonder how, if any the game has changed. Obviously I have been playing in the MLL and with TEAM USA since college, but the rules have changed some and I wonder if the athletes have continued to improve. I assume since we are playing Duke and Hopkins we will be playing by the NCAA rules, which right off the bat gives the college teams an advantage. Plus they have had all of fall ball to become a close knit group, and obviously the most important they all will be in shape. We as a team (USA ALLSTARS) arrive in Disney World next Friday were we will have two days to prepare as a team, then play that Sunday.

The challenge is clear, adapt to new rules, new teammates, new coaches, oh and use brand new equipment/sticks against the two top rated teams in Div. 1. I always like a good challenge, plus the chance to get to play alongside some of the games best is always a great experience in and of itself.

Entering the last week I have been preparing for the task ahead as I hope all of the team has been, with 2 games against the best they have to offer at the college level we all will need our legs. Most of you know it is much easier to train when you are in the team atmosphere, the challenge is being self motivating especially those of us who work on a daily basis, or have kids.

Only time will tell if we have all prepared enough for these tests ahead. Remember we are going out there as a representative of the best in America. It would be a shame if we went out looking flat and out of shape.

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BACK TO THE GRIND!

ILLINI LACROSSE
1/11/08  BACK TO THE GRIND!

With new years well in the rear view mirror, the season is literally right around the corner. We expect to start by the middle of next week, the first order of business is the conditioning test. I know the kids hate it, heck I used to hate it too. The reason for the test is to ensure that they are not just sitting on the couch playing video games the whole break, which most would probably do if there was no test. So we as coaches are hoping that everyone took their break seriously and comes back in relatively good shape. 

Other orders of business include battling the weather getting out when and where we can, obvioulsy we have indoor time scheduled but outdoor time especially early in a season is invaluable.  Over the course of the next 5 weeks there is a ton of work to be done, especially by the team.  The next few weeks the creme will rise and fall, they will be challenged and by the end we will have solitified a starting roster and a full team that is ready to compete. 

Our season outlook is a positive one, we expect to be competitive in every game and by the end of the season compete for a league championship.

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