Ivy, Uprooted: Q&A with Dartmouth's Andy Towers
by Matt DaSilva | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
Related:
* Q&A
with Brown's Lars Tiffany
* Q&As
with Jeff Cohen, Corey Winkoff, Ari Sussman and Brendan
Gibson
* Q&A
with Harvard's John Tillman
With Bill Tierney's blockbuster departure from Princeton,
three new head coaches, a first-ever postseason conference
tournament and top-to-bottom parity, the Ivy League has stolen back
some of its thunder from the new Big East and resurfaced as a
must-watch entity in 2010.
Lacrosse Magazine's Matt DaSilva examines the impact of this
tumultuous offseason in the publication's September issue. Check
out full interviews with Ivy League coaches and top players,
including this with Dartmouth head coach Andy
Towers. After five seasons as an assistant coach, Towers
embarks on his first season at the helm brimming with optimism.
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Of the three new head coaches in the Ivy League, you bring the most continuity, having
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Andy Towers takes over at Dartmouth after five seasons as a Big Green assistant. © Dave Adams |
been an assistant at Dartmouth. How do you assess the
league after these changes?
It’s the most competitive league in the country from top to
bottom. With the amount of new, young, hungry coaches in the
league, every game is really scary. I’ve been in the league a
number of years as an assistant. I’ve seen it change.
Obviously, Jeff [Tambroni] at Cornell has sort of separated himself
from the pack in recent years. But with Murph at Penn, Batesy at
Princeton and me, every school in the league has a coach
that’s dying to make his mark -- dying to get to the point
where Jeff has put himself.
It’s great to be a part of it. I’m grateful for the
opportunity. I’ve been looking forward to trying to make my
mark.
What do you think about the new Ivy League playoff
format?
It enhances the experience for the players on teams in our league.
It’s great news for our league in terms of creating a more
equal playing field and securing at-large berths. It improves
strength of schedule and all that stuff. If league tournaments are
going to be played in other conferences, it’s essential that
we have the same draw. It helps recruiting, too.
Why do you think Bill Tierney championed the cause for an
Ivy League tournament so vehemently?
He’s done as much for lacrosse as anybody in the history of
the game. I think he saw the value of having it. It’s the
best thing certainly for the league and for lacrosse in
general.
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What was your reaction, then, to the news that Tierney
had left Princeton for Denver?
I was shocked like everybody else was. He really sets the standard
in terms of what you want to do as a coach. To win six national
championships at a non-scholarship school is how you draw up being
a successful coach. Any coach would love their path to go that way.
Losing him out of the league is disappointing in that you lose
arguably the greatest coach in the history of the game, arguably in
all of sports. But with a guy like Chris Bates taking his place, I
don’t think Princeton’s going to miss a beat.
Not even the slightest sense of relief?
I think anybody that looks at it as relief is probably in the
wrong business. He’s set the bar as high as it can go.
Anybody who’s a competitor wants to compete against the best
and find out where they are. Again, with Chris Bates coming in, I
see a seamless transition. It might be a different type of
Princeton team, but I see them still as one of the best programs in
the country, and I think Bates will add his personality to the
program.
Dartmouth has struggled to keep up with the pack in recent
years. What are your immediate goals as head coach
there?
Our immediate goals are to make the experience a rewarding one.
Part of making it enjoyable is sacrifice. Let’s face it.
These players are already through admissions and not on athletic
scholarship. They don’t need lacrosse unless lacrosse is an
unbelievable experience. It’s my job to make it worth the
time and effort.
From a success standpoint, we want to be successful as soon as
possible. It’s not measured in wins, losses or championships
as it is reaching your potential as a group each year. If that
translates to 6-6, it’s 6-6. If it translates to 12-2 and an
appearance in the final four, it translates to that.
With that said, I want to win an Ivy championship first and I want
to win a national championship, like everybody else out there.
Was Jon Torpey (former Denver assistant now Towers’
top assistant at Dartmouth) a steal?
No question. Jon’s one of the best coaches in the country.
It’s an incredible shot in the arm for our program. To have a
guy that is cutting-edge X’s and O’s and has a tireless
work ethic in terms of recruiting, administrating and evaluating
players on the road, his reputation precedes him. [Former Denver
head coach] Jamie Munro is a very good friend of mine from our days
at Brown. Everything Jamie said about Jon is true and more.
It’s an awesome get for us. We feel very fortunate to have
him.
Do you think the Ivy League is wide open this
year?
I do. I think it’s hard not to say Cornell would be the
preseason No. 1 team in the league just based on what they’ve
done in recent years. But look around the league. Certainly Lars
Tiffany has done a good job at Brown. Being an alum, that makes me
happy. Being a guy in the league, that makes me not as happy. I
feel the same way about John Tillman at Harvard and Andy Shay at
Yale.
Hopefully, we can hold serve. I know the league’s going to
have a different look to it. I hope it’s green.
How do you plan to raise Dartmouth in the Ivy League
ranks?
Recruiting is the backbone of any college program. For us
geographically, we’re unique. We’re in a different
setting compared to everyone in the league, with the exception of
Cornell. The other schools are in urban or suburban environments.
People are either completely into where we’re located (in
Hanover, N.H.) or completely out. Either way, it evokes
emotion.
The ability of our juniors to get real-life experience during fall
semester is a plus. The high school game is exploding on a national
level. We’re one of the programs that benefits from this.
We’re one of the best academic schools in the country. Marry
that with our uniqueness geographically, the way the curriculum is
structured and commitment to athletics here, the time to be
considering Dartmouth has never been better. I really believe we
have a great opportunity to move this program.
