Le Moyne Athletics : No money, no problems (by Dave Rahme) Syracuse Post-Standard

No money, no problems

With few scholarship dollars, Dan Sheehan grew Le Moyne lacrosse into a juggernaut.

Friday, May 26, 2006
By Dave Rahme
Staff writer, Syracuse Post-Standard www.syracuse.com

Direct Link: http://www.syracuse.com/sports/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/114863385119760.xml&coll=1

The maximum number of scholarships allowed by the NCAA for Division II men's lacrosse is 10.8. Le Moyne College won the 2004 national championship with less than three.

You read that correctly. Dan Sheehan has built a team that is 61-2 over the last four seasons and has been to the D-II final four each time. It will try for national title No. 2 at 5:30 p.m. Sunday against Long Island school Dowling at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

"When I go to lacrosse camps what I preach to the kids is there is more money in reading books and solving math problems than playing lacrosse," Sheehan said. "I know there are a lot of moms and dads in the stands who think their kids are going to get full rides someplace. You do what you can do, but this is not college football or basketball. The sport of lacrosse is just not there."

Not yet, anyway. So, how has Sheehan attracted talent capable of competing for national championships with pockets that are nearly empty?

"You look not at Le Moyne the lacrosse team but Le Moyne the college community and how they treat kids in the classroom," Sheehan said. "It's a great spot for a family to send their children."

True, true. But come on, Coach, there has to be more to it than that. Plenty of schools can rightfully make the same boast.

"I love the recruiting aspect," Sheehan said. "From August through November, that is the first season. The second season is January to May. I don't mind putting in the countless hours you have to put in to get these kids to come to school."

Still, the best recruiter in the world will usually strike out if his wallet is thin. There are 44 players listed on the latest roster. Divide that by "under three" scholarships, and you will see exactly how thin. Yet, there is no denying the excellence of the product on the field.

Sheehan said the foundation was laid with his recruiting pitch. Here it is, in Sheehan's words:

"I'm not long for this job if we go 8-8. I'm not here to go 8-8, I'm here to compete for national championships. I'm going to do my end, you will have everything you need to be successful and I will prepare you to the best of my ability. Now all I need is players."

The floodgates opened, senior captain Travis Tarr and Sheehan agreed, when Henninger High School star Justin Kohlbrenner left Loyola and enrolled at Le Moyne prior to the 2000 season.

"I mean, I follow high school lacrosse, and I knew what a talent he was," Tarr said. "I knew he went to Loyola and came back here and, really, you started seeing Le Moyne more in the paper, more on TV. They're winning some big games."

"He was a household name here in Central New York," Sheehan said. "He paved the way to make it OK for the best talent here to stay home and go to someplace other than Syracuse."

Accomplished players such as Ryan Spillett, Brandon Spillett, Paul Isgar, Bob Tulowiecki, Justin Wnuk, Rob Trowbridge and Matt and Dan Holdridge followed, and suddenly Sheehan's recruiting pitch had teeth. If he could not offer a prospect a ton of financial assistance, he could now legitimately offer him a chance to play for the national championship.

"That's the biggest reason I'm here," said Tarr, the Auburn High School product who was named the D-II player of the year last season. "People can say whatever they want about Division II, but we're still playing for a national championship while some of these other (D-I) guys, all they have to look forward to is their league championship and then they're going to be playing a Virginia or somebody like that in the first round.

"They'll tell you they think they have a chance, but I know lacrosse. They really don't have a chance. You don't have a chance unless you're a Maryland or a Syracuse kind of team."

An informal poll of the team's seniors was unanimous in agreement. They enrolled believing they would compete for a national title every year.

OK, the "why" has been addressed. What about the "how?" How did the current 44 players on the roster get there? Here are the main avenues:

Family ties. Senior faceoff specialist Chris Moore's mother works at Le Moyne, and his older brother played there. So did the brother of All-America close defender Chris Doran. Ryan Lewis, a high school All-American, is Moore's close friend and cousin. All three attended East Syracuse-Minoa High School together.

Senior midfielder Craig Rosecrans, an Empire State Games player from the Albany area, had a brother who went to Nazareth, so the family was familiar with lacrosse in these parts.

Through the cracks. Tarr was recruited by several D-I schools but wanted to play right away, and few coaches at that level would make that promise. Sheehan did, and Tarr has been a four-year starter.

Sophomore Mike McDonald, the team's leading scorer, was another ESG star from the Albany area, a prospect Sheehan called an "Ivy League tweener."

"Every time you call one of those Empire kids he is waiting for Syracuse or Johns Hopkins to come knocking," Sheehan said. "In Michael's case it was Penn. We just kept hanging around, and the next thing you know he's here."

Genny connection. Sheehan played for legendary West Genesee coach Mike Messere and still lives in the school district. He knows that Genny is so stacked that players often have to wait until their senior year to see the field. By that time, the D-I recruiters have come and gone. There are seven West Genny grads on the roster, and each plays a significant role on the team.

The waiver wire. Senior attackman Jason Longo (Cazenovia) transferred to Le Moyne from Limestone two years ago. Junior midfielder Matt Cassalia followed from Loyola last year. That is 59 goals combined this season coming from what Sheehan jokingly calls "the waiver wire."

The look test. Junior close defender Matt Juriga was a 6-foot-3 option quarterback at Chenango Forks who played in the Governor's Cup, the annual New York-New Jersey all-star game. Junior defensive middie Kevin Kohl (6-2) was an accomplished basketball player at Liverpool. Senior longstick middie Ted Rund (6-2) was an EGS alternate. Senior defensive middie Nate Evans (6-3) was big, strong and fast.

In each case Sheehan saw size and all-around athletic ability and made his pitch.

Dumb luck. Assistant coach Kevin Michaud was on the coaching staff at Washington College and was helping recruit a goaltender from Bridgton Academy, a prep school in Maine. Michaud, a Le Moyne graduate, called Sheehan and told him another goalie was there who deserved a look. It was Jared Corcoran, who turned out to be an All-American and the 2005 D-II goaltender of the year.

Sheehan also called the addition of freshman longstick middie Marc Cizenski (West Genny), the co-CNY high school player of the year in 2005, a fortunate development.

"I think we lucked out," he said.

There has been nothing lucky about Le Moyne's rise to prominence, though. Sheehan and his staff worked hard scouring the region for talent that will fit their system. The carrot is the chance to play for the national title.

It is no longer a goal, but reality.



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No money, no problems With few scholarship dollars, Dan Sheehan grew Le Moyne lacrosse into a juggernaut. Friday, May 26, 2006 By Dave Rahme Staff writer, Syracuse Post-Standard www.syracuse.com Direct Link: http://www.syracuse.com/sports/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/114863385119760.xml&coll=1 The maximum number of scholarships allowed by the NCAA for Division II men's lacrosse is 10.8. Le Moyne College won the 2004 national championship with less than three. You read that correctly. Dan Sheehan has built a team that is 61-2 over the last four seasons and has been to the D-II final four each time. It will try for national title No. 2 at 5:30 p.m. Sunday against Long Island school Dowling at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. "When I go to lacrosse camps what I preach to the kids is there is more money in reading books and solving math problems than playing lacrosse," Sheehan said. "I know there are a lot of moms and dads in the stands who think their kids are going to get full rides someplace. You do what you can do, but this is not college football or basketball. The sport of lacrosse is just not there." Not yet, anyway. So, how has Sheehan attracted talent capable of competing for national championships with pockets that are nearly empty? "You look not at Le Moyne the lacrosse team but Le Moyne the college community and how they treat kids in the classroom," Sheehan said. "It's a great spot for a family to send their children." True, true. But come on, Coach, there has to be more to it than that. Plenty of schools can rightfully make the same boast. "I love the recruiting aspect," Sheehan said. "From August through November, that is the first season. The second season is January to May. I don't mind putting in the countless hours you have to put in to get these kids to come to school." Still, the best recruiter in the world will usually strike out if his wallet is thin. There are 44 players listed on the latest roster. Divide that by "under three" scholarships, and you will see exactly how thin. Yet, there is no denying the excellence of the product on the field. Sheehan said the foundation was laid with his recruiting pitch. Here it is, in Sheehan's words: "I'm not long for this job if we go 8-8. I'm not here to go 8-8, I'm here to compete for national championships. I'm going to do my end, you will have everything you need to be successful and I will prepare you to the best of my ability. Now all I need is players." The floodgates opened, senior captain Travis Tarr and Sheehan agreed, when Henninger High School star Justin Kohlbrenner left Loyola and enrolled at Le Moyne prior to the 2000 season. "I mean, I follow high school lacrosse, and I knew what a talent he was," Tarr said. "I knew he went to Loyola and came back here and, really, you started seeing Le Moyne more in the paper, more on TV. They're winning some big games." "He was a household name here in Central New York," Sheehan said. "He paved the way to make it OK for the best talent here to stay home and go to someplace other than Syracuse." Accomplished players such as Ryan Spillett, Brandon Spillett, Paul Isgar, Bob Tulowiecki, Justin Wnuk, Rob Trowbridge and Matt and Dan Holdridge followed, and suddenly Sheehan's recruiting pitch had teeth. If he could not offer a prospect a ton of financial assistance, he could now legitimately offer him a chance to play for the national championship. "That's the biggest reason I'm here," said Tarr, the Auburn High School product who was named the D-II player of the year last season. "People can say whatever they want about Division II, but we're still playing for a national championship while some of these other (D-I) guys, all they have to look forward to is their league championship and then they're going to be playing a Virginia or somebody like that in the first round. "They'll tell you they think they have a chance, but I know lacrosse. They really don't have a chance. You don't have a chance unless you're a Maryland or a Syracuse kind of team." An informal poll of the team's seniors was unanimous in agreement. They enrolled believing they would compete for a national title every year. OK, the "why" has been addressed. What about the "how?" How did the current 44 players on the roster get there? Here are the main avenues: Family ties. Senior faceoff specialist Chris Moore's mother works at Le Moyne, and his older brother played there. So did the brother of All-America close defender Chris Doran. Ryan Lewis, a high school All-American, is Moore's close friend and cousin. All three attended East Syracuse-Minoa High School together. Senior midfielder Craig Rosecrans, an Empire State Games player from the Albany area, had a brother who went to Nazareth, so the family was familiar with lacrosse in these parts. Through the cracks. Tarr was recruited by several D-I schools but wanted to play right away, and few coaches at that level would make that promise. Sheehan did, and Tarr has been a four-year starter. Sophomore Mike McDonald, the team's leading scorer, was another ESG star from the Albany area, a prospect Sheehan called an "Ivy League tweener." "Every time you call one of those Empire kids he is waiting for Syracuse or Johns Hopkins to come knocking," Sheehan said. "In Michael's case it was Penn. We just kept hanging around, and the next thing you know he's here." Genny connection. Sheehan played for legendary West Genesee coach Mike Messere and still lives in the school district. He knows that Genny is so stacked that players often have to wait until their senior year to see the field. By that time, the D-I recruiters have come and gone. There are seven West Genny grads on the roster, and each plays a significant role on the team. The waiver wire. Senior attackman Jason Longo (Cazenovia) transferred to Le Moyne from Limestone two years ago. Junior midfielder Matt Cassalia followed from Loyola last year. That is 59 goals combined this season coming from what Sheehan jokingly calls "the waiver wire." The look test. Junior close defender Matt Juriga was a 6-foot-3 option quarterback at Chenango Forks who played in the Governor's Cup, the annual New York-New Jersey all-star game. Junior defensive middie Kevin Kohl (6-2) was an accomplished basketball player at Liverpool. Senior longstick middie Ted Rund (6-2) was an EGS alternate. Senior defensive middie Nate Evans (6-3) was big, strong and fast. In each case Sheehan saw size and all-around athletic ability and made his pitch. Dumb luck. Assistant coach Kevin Michaud was on the coaching staff at Washington College and was helping recruit a goaltender from Bridgton Academy, a prep school in Maine. Michaud, a Le Moyne graduate, called Sheehan and told him another goalie was there who deserved a look. It was Jared Corcoran, who turned out to be an All-American and the 2005 D-II goaltender of the year. Sheehan also called the addition of freshman longstick middie Marc Cizenski (West Genny), the co-CNY high school player of the year in 2005, a fortunate development. "I think we lucked out," he said. There has been nothing lucky about Le Moyne's rise to prominence, though. Sheehan and his staff worked hard scouring the region for talent that will fit their system. The carrot is the chance to play for the national title. It is no longer a goal, but reality.