The Reverb: Protecting Our Assets

(Photo by Bill Pesci)

by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Not too long ago, lacrosse started to get its legs. The sport entered the American zeitgeist – mostly for good, some not so much – and it slowly started to trickle out of its northeast and mid-Atlantic lair. As the attention spans of teenagers contracted to the point where sitting in right field for two hours watching the grass grow or waiting 60 minutes in between track events became noxious, lacrosse provided a high-tempo spring-season fix.

As the ‘hot new thing,’ so to speak, lacrosse instantly attracted the grifter class. Websites arose boasting such magnanimous mantras such as ‘Grow the Game’ when their only purpose was to grow wallet sizes. Same for youth and high school club programs, fleecing well-intentioned yet unsuspecting parents of copious amounts of cash by maintaining the illusion that there are Division I scholarships dancing just beyond the next deposit. Parts of the camp circuit would make the most hardened Las Vegas con man shake his head in disgust.

The MCLA got burned along the way, too. We flushed plenty of cash in pursuit of notoriety, whether it be an eponymous magazine with the readership of grocery-store flyer (and I wrote for it!) or paying a national publication to give the association a whiff of high society. Fellow non-profits took advantage of our good nature to enrich themselves.

We’re wiser now. We know the landscape and we’re not beholden to anyone or anything. We no longer have to ignore programs who want to join us just because they have an NCAA representative. Our mission is still intact and we’re providing even more young men the opportunity to attend their school of choice and play our great sport. Our focus has simply turned inward.

In order to achieve smart growth in the future, the association has to ensure that our programs are in the best situation to succeed. The MCLA has always been volatile. Teams have come and gone for various reasons, including joining the NCAA ranks. There are also teams that have just folded up shop because of various headwinds. That’s mostly because we have mandated stringent requirements to be a part of the membership. It is at the core of the MCLA’s legitimacy.

However, there is a balance where we can keep our quality control while also fostering development of both new programs and teams that may have limited resources or geographical hurdles. I would argue that involves putting teams in the most competitive atmosphere, i.e., what division to which they are assigned.

There has been plenty of bristling in the past about the nature of our divisions and their purpose, and I understand the reasoning behind it. But mobility – whether upward or developmental – will be they key to the MCLA’s long-term prosperity.

My Top Fives

Division I

1. Liberty (11-1) – The Flames dismantled a good Tennessee squad. On all cylinders right now.
2. Brigham Young (10-0) – Need to stay sharp with only one game in 27 days.
3. Florida (11-2) – Gators get the winner of the UGA/FSU game in the semifinals in Jax.
4. Utah Valley (7-2) – One-goal Florida loss looking better. Still plenty of questions about UCSB.
5. Northeastern (9-2) – There aren’t a whole lot of options for this spot right now, to be honest.

Division II

1. UC San Diego (11-0) – Taking care of business, prepping for the trip to San Marcos on April 18.
2. UNC-Charlotte (10-0) – Kennesaw and Wake wrap up the season with optimism sky high.
3. Florida Atlantic (11-2) – Owls get a two-week break before a likely date with Vanderbilt.
4. Grand Valley State (9-0) – Honestly, my only question about the Lakers is how KSU got 13?
5. Cal State San Marcos (11-2) – Can the Cougs be the one to sink UCSD’s perfect season?

Slides & Rides

- Congrats to Liberty’s Keaton Mohs for eclipsing the 300-point mark in his career…congrats to Central Florida’s Jacob Thelan for hitting the 100-point mark in his career…congrats to Utah State's Cooper Williams for hitting the 100-point mark (56g, 44a) for the season.

- In what is becoming a bit of annual tradition, South Carolina is on a late-spring heater that has transformed them into one of the most dangerous teams heading into the postseason. The Gamecocks have won six straight after smashing No. 5 Texas, 13-6, on Saturday and will be heavy favorites to not only beat Clemson in the rivalry game conclusion to the regular season, but also in their SELC first round contest against Auburn. South Carolina, boasting one of the toughest schedules in the country, has the potential to play themselves right back into the Round Rock conversation.

- News was not as promising elsewhere in the SELC as two erstwhile national contenders were noncompetitive in rivalry games to conclude the regular season. No. 8 Florida State jumped out to an early lead against No. 3 Florida, only to watch the Gators score at will in their 21-14 victory. No. 7 Georgia was outclassed by No. 10 Georgia Tech, 23-13, handing the Jackets the bye into the tournament semifinals. With the Seminoles and Dawgs meeting in the first round of the SELCs, the loser will have to convince the committee they are worthy of a nationals invite.

- It ended up being a split weekend for Montana, but the Grizzlies did themselves some good in defeating No. 11 College of Idaho, 9-4, and being competitive with No. 4 Northwest Nazarene in a 12-8 loss. The defense, which was torched by St. Thomas, Utah State and Florida Atlantic, looked improved. With Tucker Sargent’s troops likely seeing the Yotes and Nighthawks in the semis and finals, respectively, of the PNCLL tournament, there should be some positive vibes in Missoula.

- TCU’s comeback victory over SMU gives the Frogs a chance at the top seed out of the LSA South when they face Texas on April 19…the clash between LSU and Texas A&M on Saturday will be an elimination game from the LSA tourney…big Friday night clash in Canada when Simon Fraser hosts Boise State. The Broncos could force a top-seed tie-breaker with a win…Chapman needed the win over Arizona and got it, 18-13. Loss could be devastating for the Wildcats if it comes down to a tiebreaker.

- Gritty win for Sonoma State over Cal, 8-7, which, with a win next Sunday at Nevada, gives the Seawolves a home game in the first round. The Bears could grab the other home game…USC jumped up and bit No. 20 Grand Canyon, 8-7. We’ll see if that comes back to hurt the Lopes in the SLC race…we have our CLC tourney qualifiers set, now they jockey for seeding.

- FAU wrapped up the top seed in the SELC South with a 19-11 defeat of No. 18 Miami…Nick McKenna and Matt McLaughlin both potted four goals as Bridgewater wrapped up the top seed in the CLC tourney with an 11-10 win over Rhode Island. All signs would point to a rematch with a nationals bid on the line…Grand Valley State rolled past St. Thomas in a Top 6 duel. We’ll see if the Tommies can make adjustments in the expected rematch in the UMLC finals.

- Head coach nominations for the PEARL Goalie of the Week and Warrior Player of the Week are due to info@mcla.us by noon on Monday.