Oct. 6, 2006
So, you think you can play professional lacrosse?
It's not quite reality TV material yet, but the Portland LumberJax -- a year after finishing atop the National Lacrosse League's West Division with an 11-5 record -- are not alienating options. For the second consecutive year, anyone who fashions himself a pro lacrosse player can audition for Portland's training camp and a chance to make the team's active 23-man roster for the 2007 season when it hosts open tryouts Nov. 4.
According to Doug Fritts, the NLL's vice president of communications, most teams will host unsigned and non-roster players during training camp, but by invitation only. Portland, however, remains committed to the come-one, come-all approach to tryouts.
Sure, the `Jax will get a few rock heads who are there on a bet or some ill-conceived notion that they actually belong. But then again, they may wind up finding the next Brandon McKinnon.
McKinnon, a 24-year-old from Burnaby, British Columbia, toiled in the Canadian club ranks for three years after being drafted by the now-defunct Vancouver Ravens in 2002. A three-time Minto Cup participant with the Burnaby Lakers who, outside of lacrosse, does demolition work with his father, McKinnon was cut consecutively by Vancouver, Anaheim and San Jose.
"It was a process," McKinnon said, "but I was determined."
An open tryout last fall with the Edmonton Rush -- which, like Portland, was an expansion team during the 2005-06 season -- did not pan out. A week later, McKinnon took his act south for a more public audition with the LumberJax, where he and about 40 other players were culled into an arena of determination.
Among them was Danny Ernst, a four-year field lacrosse player for a nearby club team at the University of Oregon. The `Jax took him on a flier with a late-round draft pick, but did not sign him.
"I never even saw what a D-I athlete looked like, never mind a professional box player," Ernst said. "The speed at open tryouts was three times faster than the speed at training camp, because it was just no holds barred. You have nothing to lose. In that situation, people are just going crazy...It's cool."
McKinnon and Ernst found diversity among the players. Some belonged; some didn't. Some figured it was an opportunity just to say they had the gall to try out for a professional lacrosse team; others went with redemption in mind. Only two were with the team when the season started in December: McKinnon and Ernst.
McKinnon was the last player signed to the active roster. It was his first professional contract. And though he only appeared in one game during the season, McKinnon's teammates and the community at large have taken a liking to him because of his arduous path.
Classic, Dennis Quaid stuff.
"Guys were shunning me at the beginning, but grew to accept me for who I was," says McKinnon, who cited Ryan Powell and Brodie Merrill among those who helped change that. "It quickly reversed."
"McKinnon is from the Vancouver area and is constantly helping with the community outreach in Portland. Even when he is out of season he volunteers his time to help teach the game of lacrosse and loves doing player appearances," Emily Corcoran, the Lumberjax's public relations coordinator, wrote in an e-mail. "Last [spring], McKinnon drove all the way from Burnaby to Seattle for a one-hour clinic and then drove all the way back to his hometown that day. He's a young good ball player that really just enjoys being on the team."
Ernst, meanwhile, made the practice squad, as the only Oregonian with the team in any capacity. Though Ernst is a forward, he said the best way to get noticed in an open-tryout setting is to showcase versatility.
"You've really got to be able to play both sides of the field," Ernst said. "Right now, they have specialized offensive and defensive players in the league. But I'm noticing more guys coming back as transition players. Those are the guys that stand out."
The open tryout is as much a marketing tool as it is a talent search, generating interest among locals. It is also an opportunity for LumberJax head coach and general manager Derek Keenan, a known innovator, to find a role for players other organizations may have deemed misfits.
Like McKinnon.
"You've got to come to consensus with yourself as to what you're good at and what you're not good at - but, by the same token, be able to adjust," McKinnon said of open tryouts. "For example, you think you're a defensive player but they're running an offensive drill. They may want you to go out there and be a pick setter for a top goal scorer. With the knowledge Derek Keenan has, he's always coming up with new ideas, new concepts, and new functions to keep opponents guessing. It is crucial that you're open-minded."
Click here for information on how to register for an open tryout with the Portland LumberJax, which will be held Nov. 7 at the Tualitin (Ore.) Indoor Soccer complex. Click here for a recap of, and Dennis Keenan's sentiment's on, the 2005 tryout.
