Michigan Announces Recruiting Class

from press release
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan men's lacrosse head coach John Paul has signed 18 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to comprise the program's inaugural recruiting class for 2012-13. Two players rank among ESPN Rise's Top 100, while two more were rated as Top 25 players within ESPN Rise's positional ratings. Additionally, Inside Lacrosse rated one player as the No. 2 Canadian prospect for the Class of 2012.

"We're thrilled with this group," said head coach John Paul. "This is a talented class, but even more importantly as the first ever Division 1 recruiting class at Michigan, these 18 young men represent something very special. They are making history, and each of them has the potential to leave their mark on the program. We couldn't be more excited to welcome them to the Michigan lacrosse family."

U-M added men's lacrosse as a varsity sport on May 25, 2011. The Wolverines will play their first season at the Division I level in 2012.

By position there are five attackmen, four defenders, four midfielders, three long-stick midfielders, one faceoff specialist and one goalie.

Chase Brown (Annapolis, Md./Severn School) -- A 6-1, 210-pound longstick midfielder, Brown has received three varsity letters for head coach Brian Wood. In 2011, Brown scooped up 57 ground balls, forced 27 turnovers and chipped in a goal and two assists as Severn placed second in the county. Brown was also a member of the Maryland Freestate team last summer. He has been named team captain for his senior season in 2012. Brown has earned three letters on the football field.

For More please go to:

http://laxmagazine.com/college_men/DI/2011-12/news/111811_michigan_announces_18_man_recruiting_class

Men's Duke Lacrosse Coaching Clinic Live at 7 p.m.

Men's Lacrosse Coaching Clinic Live 7 p.m.

Assistant Coach Gerry Byrne of Notre Dame Mens Lacrosse on "Dynamo" Passing Drill

Congratulations to Towson University Mens lacrosse coach Shawn Nadelen for being inducted into the US Lacrosse Greater Rochester Chapter Hall Of Fame

http://www.towsontigers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=21300&ATCLID=205330263

Few nice days left till Winter

The summer as flew by and the fall is going even quicker before we know it there will be snow on the ground.  As I am sitting in my office looking outside I noticed how nice today is and I am looking forward to getting on the lax field in a couple of hours to do some lacrosse training.

So my question to you is how many of you guys and girls will be getting outside today, tomorrow and this weekend to practice some lacrosse?  I know we are in the off season but if you only do four minutes lefty and four minutes righty with a buddy or against a wall you will be better then your competitor.  Cherish these next couple of nice fall months and get outside and play some lax.

Good luck and enjoy these last couple of nice months and get out there and play some lacrosse...

See you on the practice field.

FALL BALL

Ok so reading IL and LAX.COM at work when im not trying to pitch trade ideas, i am also following lax(probably more than the market :) ) that being said my favorite coming out of fall ball is VIRGINIA with MR. MAN OF STEELE* himself STEELE Stanwick. Kid is a beast.

Now im obviously partial to Hofstra and i know Tierney has something up his sleeve and will surprise everybody maybe Connor English = Hofstra?????

7.13.11 - The off-season shennanigans of a college lax bro PT. I

Allow myself to introduce...myself.

Kyle Bergman, Drexel University Senior Midfielder (See action shot below).

If you were wondering...yes, the hair is real.

This off-season is all about redemption.  Being named to the All-CAA is nice, but it doesn't mean diddly when your team doesn't reach the post-season.  That's why my attitude this summer is all about getting better.  Actually, that's always my attitude.

Speaking of getting better, here's what I did today to improve:

7:45am - Vinyasa Yoga

10:00am - Beast Mode lifting session with Ryan O'Donnell
  - Continous Warm Up (High Knees, Butt Kickers, Lunges etc.)
  - Plyo Lateral Jumps 2 x 1:00
  - 17's x 2 (25 yd sprint up and down 17 times)
  - 17's shuttle x 2 (5 yd shuttle back and forth 17 times)

  - Hang Clean & Jerk 3 x 4
  - Incline Dumbbell Bench 3x12x10x8
  - Bulgarian Deadlift 3 x 10
  - Dumbbell Lunges 3 x 12
  - Inverted Bar Row 3 x10
  - Med Ball Sit Up & Throw 2 x 12
  - Med Ball Side Throw 2 x 12

7:00pm - Summer League Game @ Columbia University.

Check back weekly for workouts, lacrosse tips, and the occasional lady advice.

Stay Conditioned and Strong My Friends,


- #43

is there any sport Boston doesn't dominate?

The Cannons begin the quest for their first MLL championship this year. And pick up a win WITHOUT one of the best lacrosse players on the planet, Paul Rabil, who will be back after the NLL season ends. May as well hand us the crown already...

http://www.laxjournal.com/news/2011/05/15_cannons_defeat_lizards_in.php

Coach Crowe

Stop it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=01hohLlrdas

Amounted to the only road win of the first round.

Coach Crowe

Hofstra/Hopkins kick off the tourney today

8 teams square off today. Another 8 go at it tomorrow. It's win or go home with a ton of great matchups. Right now Hofstra's high powered offense is in a battle with Hopkins suffocating defense. Who moves on? Check out all the games on the ESPN networks.

First round games

Saturday, May 14Hofstra at No. 3 Johns Hopkins, noon (ESPN2/ESPN3.com)
Penn at No. 4 Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Delaware at No. 5 Duke, 5 p.m. (ESPNU)
Hartford at No. 2 Cornell, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Sunday, May 14
Maryland at No. 8 North Carolina, 1 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3.com)
Bucknell at No. 7 Virginia, 3 p.m. (ESPNU)
Villanova at No. 6 Denver, 5:15 p.m. (ESPNU)
Siena at No. 1 Syracuse, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Coach Crowe

May Madness

The field is finally set. Who will walk away a winner come May 30th? Here are my predictions for the bracket and also a link to see the actual bracket (http://insidelacrosse.com/sites/default/files/2011_DI_Bracket.pdf).

Final Four Prediction
#2 Cornell - I see Cornell moving on from their corner of the bracket facing little resistance from Hartford and then overpowering either VA or Bucknell, who has a good chance to upset an undermanned VA team (http://insidelacrosse.com/news/2011/04/30/virginia-coach-dom-starsia-bratton-discipline-a-challenging-week).
#6 Denver - Riding a ten game win streak and only posting losses to #1 Cuse and #4 ND isn't a bad way to enter the tourney. DU will advance but will face stiff challenges in both the first and second rounds.
#1 Syracuse - Not much of a reach here but Syracuse, a senior laden squad, should easily dispose of Sienna. In the second round they'll have a tough ACC opponent but the Orange have the pedigree and experience to advance to another final four.
#4 ND - why? Defense wins championships and I just hate Duke.

Finals
#2 Cornell vs #4 ND - I think all the final four teams have a great shot but I'll take the best player in the tourney in Rob Pannell and the country's best defense at ND.

Champion
#2 Cornell figures out ND's defense and brings some pride back to the Ivy League.

Let me know how much of an idiot I am or how spot on these picks are in the comments.

Exciting times for the sport.
Coach Crowe

Focus on the Fundamentals

Lacrosse at all levels can be boiled down to a few simple truths. Especially at the lower levels, fundamentals play a crucial role in every game. Groundballs are today's focus. You can't win games without possession. And possession boils down to GB's and throwing and catching. The team that wins the GB battle will usually win the game. So if you want to start racking up wins get low and scoop through. Here are a few things coaches want their players to focus on (more pertinent to youth leagues and HS):

1. Don't rake - this is a cardinal sin and a wimpy move. If you really want the possession, get low and power through.
2. Communicate - if you have an advantage, who has the man and who has the ball? Make sure your teammate can hear you.
3. Bring the ball up to your ear - after you gain possession bring the head of your stick right up to your ear. This way, if you are stuck in a pile, there is a good chance you draw a penalty from an aggressive defender.
4. Look up - once you possess the ball, quickly scan the field and see if there is anyone open. If not, and you are on offense, settle it down. If you are on defense, start the clear.
5. Don't give up - don't quit on GB's. There is nothing worse than giving up on a GB. Possession is sacred. Don't cheat yourself or your team by letting someone else steal your GB.

Coach Crowe

Huge HS games this saturday

4/30
Greenwich HS (CT) @ Ward Melville (NY) - Ward Melville is currently ranked #3 nationally. Greenwich has faced stiff competition all year and battled valiantly. Is an upset in the making?
Manhasset HS (NY) vs. Garden City (NY) - Manhasset, undefeated and ranked #6 nationally, faces off against a tough Garden City squad.
Haverford HS (PA) vs. Conestoga (PA) - The #1 and #2 ranked teams (respectively) square off this weekend in what will be a battle for Pennsylvania.

Go Cards!
Coach Crowe

UPDATE: Greenwich went down 11-5 to a powerful Ward Melville squad. Manhasset ends its 45 game undefeated streak with a 10-6 loss. Haverford should hold on to it's #1 status after defeating Conestoga 11-6.

Welcome to the M|11 Blog

Spring is here and Lacrosse season is in full swing. M|11 coaches will be blogging anything and everything about the game with a focus on ways to improve your game. M|11 coaches are extremely qualified having played the game at every level and coached at many different levels as well. One goal of the blog will be to keep you up to speed on new trends in the game and update you on events, teams and scores from around the country. M|11 has strong ties to the Tri-State area but we are hoping to expand our following.

I am Coach Crowe and will be contributing to the blog often. I played at the high school (Newton South, MA) and college level (CU Boulder) and currently coach for a youth program (Greenwich, CT). Today I wanted to get everyone up to speed on the upcoming college playoffs. For those of you that do not know, the NCAA playoffs work like college basketball March Madness tourney. In Lacrosse there are 6 Automatic Qualifiers (AQ's) and the remaining 10 spots go to At-Large teams.  The 6 AQ conferences are: America East, Colonial Athletic Association, Eastern College Athletic Conference, Ivy League, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Patriot League. Many of the races for the AQ bids are extremely tight. As well, the 10 remaining At-Large bids will be hashed out over the last few weeks of the college season. There is a ton at stake. To find out more about the races to finish check a great resource that I use: Inside Lacrosse.

Article link here: http://insidelacrosse.com/news/2011/04/27/may-madness-mens-di-bracketology-april-27

It's all about hustle!
Coach Crowe

Lacrosse News and Updates

Check out www.millerlacrosse.com for upcoming camps and ways to improve your game!