|
|
Post by rooster on Oct 23, 2023 9:48:43 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by rooster on Nov 1, 2023 12:36:34 GMT -5
Fall ball: Providence wants to grab the ‘success’ that’s eluded it
The fall of 2022 marked Bobby Benson’s introduction as the head coach of the Providence men’s lacrosse team. He compared that first fall to “drinking from a fire hose” and “swimming upstream.”
In his second fall, he said the players have more of a sense of what’s going on and where the team should be, making it a little more relaxing in terms of needing to teach the entire team at one time.
That being said, Benson said his second fall has also come with higher expectations, and the team has a lot of work to do.
The 2023 season ended with the Friars playing four ranked teams in their final six regular-season games, and the team lost all four, including an early-April contest against Georgetown by two goals. Almost a month later, Providence met the Hoyas again in the semifinals of the Big East tournament and lost by 11 goals.
As Benson said, there’s a lot of work to be done.
“While I think we took steps forward last year, I don’t think anybody would say it was a successful year,” he said. “We were 6-9. We ended up fourth in the Big East and we lost in the first round by (11) goals. So I think it was a step in the right direction, and there were some really good things that occurred, but I’m not one for moral victories, and just because we were maybe more competitive, I don’t think that necessarily classifies as success.”
Providence plays through a five-week fall where it practices four days a week. The team held its annual Alumni Weekend on Saturday, Sept. 30, and then concluded its schedule on Oct. 21 traveling to Syracuse to play scrimmages against the host and UMass. Benson said the plan in those scrimmages was to play their base offenses and defenses, and even try some guys at different positions to test what is best for the team come the spring.
Benson called the incoming freshman class “awesome” and said he is pleased with how the players are acclimating to the team and in the locker room. The team also has two transfers Benson is excited about: Luke Jaber (Milton, Mass.) and Ryan Reilly (Hingham, Mass.). Jaber was an attackman at Division 2 Bentley who led the team in goals (36), assists (19) and points (55) last season. Reilly was an attackman at D-3 Salve Regina who led his team in goals (47) and points (62).
What’s been the biggest pleasant surprise, however, Benson said, is seeing the work the returning players put in on their own during the summer.
“There are a few individuals that really have come back and just done a great job (and) worked hard,” he said. “We make great strides in the offseason in the weight room, with some of our guys … (and) the lifting numbers going up, speed numbers going up. Guys gaining weight that needed to gain weight, guys losing weight that needed to lose weight, guys really stepping up their numbers in the weight room; they were probably the best surprises.”
As the Friars’ fall season comes to a close, the players will need to continue putting that individual effort in as they prepare to come back in January.
“The next few months really determine, collectively and individually, where you’re going to go as a team,” Benson said. “The strides that you make during that time, especially individually, really pay dividends in the spring.
“There’s a saying: ‘Champions are made in the offseason.’ It couldn’t hold more true. That’s the message of what we’re kind of been talking about. What are our goals and expectations, and how do we get there? What’s our plan to get there and then how do we work to accomplish them?”
|
|
|
|
Post by johnnypc on Nov 1, 2023 12:51:20 GMT -5
Thanks for the article. Soundslike coach knows what he is doing.
|
|
|
|
Post by rooster on Nov 22, 2023 18:11:28 GMT -5
Trent Yelton - a highly rated goalie for the 2025 class. From St. Xavier in the Cincinnati area.
|
|
|
|
Post by rooster on Dec 14, 2023 12:27:15 GMT -5
2024 schedule is up - tough non-conference slate....
|
|
|
|
Post by rooster on Dec 17, 2023 12:50:26 GMT -5
Another very good pick up for the 2025 class - Luke Jaeger, from the Dallas area but plays prep school lax at Western Reserve Academy in Ohio - which is a very good program. Other schools like Maryland, Denver, Notre Dame were interested in him, before he picked PC.
|
|
|
|
Post by rooster on Dec 30, 2023 13:56:07 GMT -5
|
|
thefriarman
Administrator 
Global Moderator
Posts: 5,794
|
Post by thefriarman on Dec 30, 2023 15:11:39 GMT -5
Interesting pulling a lacrosse player from Denver backyard. |
|
