June 23, 2008
by Matt DaSilva, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
Nick Myers wants to be the next head coach of the Ohio State men's lacrosse program.
When Joe Breschi announced his resignation last week to accept an offer from North Carolina, his alma mater, the rumor mill spun almost immediately to the likes of potential candidates athletic director Gene Smith might lure to Columbus with its rich resources.
A national search for Breschi's replacement officially commenced Friday, when the position posted on the NCAA's Web site and other outlets called for "considerable coaching experience at the intercollegiate level," but did not specify whether that meant as a head coach.
Myers, who just completed the third season of his second stint as Breschi's assistant, said he will apply for the position and stressed continuity in an interview Monday morning.
"I think the momentum that we've built here speaks for itself," he said. "They're going to hire the right man for the job, and I feel fairly confident that is me."
Myers' rising profile in the coaching realm might surprise some, but not him. His stepfather, Charlie Burch, has won eight state championships as a high school boys' lacrosse coach in Maine, and both of his parents are teachers and coaches.
A Division III All-American at Springfield College, a school with international recognition as a pioneer in physical education and that has produced several current college lacrosse coaches, Myers led the Pride to a 16-2 mark and NCAA tournament berth with 52 goals and 39 assists in 2001. He met Breschi through his younger brother, Pat, then an Ohio State standout and now an assistant coach at Bucknell.
Myers joined Breschi's staff as a volunteer for two seasons, left for a full-time job as the top assistant at Butler in 2004 and rejoined the Buckeyes as an offensive coordinator in 2006.
Asked what might be the benefits of hiring a young assistant in-house, as opposed to targeting a head coach entrenched elsewhere, Myers, who'll turn 29 in July, cited precedent.
"I expect nothing less than Ohio State to do a search to see what's out there," he said. "But you look at Jeff Tambroni, named the head coach at Cornell at age 29 after being an assistant for three years. Greg Canella was hired at 29 after he was an assistant for UMass. And Joe Breschi was hired here at 29 to be the head coach at Ohio State.
"It's hard to say, 'young assistant or experienced head coach?' It's finding the right man for the job."
For Myers, applying for the position has meant balancing his active duties as an assistant coach with preparing for a potential interview. Breschi left the program at its zenith. The Buckeyes are coming off their most successful season, which included a regular-season attendance record at Ohio Stadium, their first-ever NCAA tournament victory (a first-round upset of eighth-seeded Cornell) and four All-Americans, two of whom (Joel Dalgarno and Peet Poillon) return in 2009.
Among incoming freshmen for the 2009 season is Keenan Ochwat (Farmingdale, N.Y.), arguably the top defenseman in his recruiting class. Myers was Breschi's lead recruiter. He credited the leadership of individuals currently on the team for not panicking despite uncertainty at the helm.
"It's as strong as ever. I think the Ohio State program is as close as it's ever been," Myers said. "I've contacted the incoming guys, as did [Breschi], and e-mailed those that have made verbal commitments. At this point, it's telling guys that have verbal commitments to hang in there. They're excited. The Ohio State University is a very special place."
Conference talks continue
As reported in this space last week, the ECAC leadership and its men's lacrosse coaches held conference calls last week to discuss the future of the league.
The formation of a Big East men's lacrosse conference and the subsequent departures of Penn State and Massachusetts to the CAA, both effective as of 2010, has left both the ECAC and GWLL short of the six-team minimum for NCAA tournament automatic qualification.
According to Loyola head coach Charlie Toomey, a new conference unifying Loyola, Fairfield and Hobart of the ECAC and Denver, Air Force and Ohio State of the GWLL appears imminent. But there's uncertainty regarding existing GWLL programs Bellarmine and Quinnipiac, as well as Detroit Mercy, a new program that debuts in 2009.
Bellarmine, located in Louisville, Ky., puts an additional wrinkle into team travel for the established East Coast trio, while Quinnipiac would be a lame duck, as it departs for the new Northeast Conference in 2011.
Detroit Mercy athletic director Keri Gaither, meanwhile, would not rule out the possibility of competing as an independent in men's lacrosse. The Titans previously committed to the GWLL for their inaugural season.
"It's still kind of up in the air. Obviously, the ECAC is an option and there's also an option to look into starting another league, to be a part of that," Gaither said. "It seems like some of this stuff is shaking out quickly. I don't anticipate us having to wait very long to see where it falls.
"Especially with starting a new program here, my concern is making a decision too quickly, though. Right now, we still have an agreement with scheduling. Starting a new program, the qualifier is not that much of a concern right away, but it would be nice to get this wrapped up, as it's of huge interest to recruiting."
Drexel's Max Brindle killed in accident
A Drexel University lacrosse player was killed last week in an auto accident.
The Drexel athletic department confirmed Sunday that last Wednesday freshman Max Brindle of Wayne, Pa., died in an accident, according to a report by WPVI, an ABC News affiliate in Philadelphia. Brindle was reportedly riding a bicycle at the time of the accident.
No further details about the accident were available Monday morning.
Contact Matt DaSilva at mdasilva@uslacrosse.org.
