Google AdSense
Hewitt on Oregon vs. Washington Lacrosse
Submitted by walax on Thu, 2006-03-09 00:19.
After the game last week, I took the opportunity to see how Erik Hewitt was adjusting to Lacrosse in Oregon. Erik, is a former Mercer Island coach, Starz coach and played a huge role in walax.com before moving to Portland. He was more than happy to expresss his thoughts, so have a look as I catch up with Erik Hewitt on the similarities and differences...
So Erik, how is life post-Seattle Lacrosse Scene?
- It’s good!! Things are going really well here in Eugene. The lacrosse community in Oregon has really taken me in down here and I have had a great time coaching the Ducks. It has been a great experience coaching at this level and I have learned a lot from the players and Joe Kerwin the head coach.
Great to see you have hooked up with Joe to coach U of O, what are some of the similarities to the Washington Style of Lacrosse?
-Yes it has been a great experience getting to know Joe and work with him on a daily basis. He has done wonders for the University of Oregon and Oregon lacrosse in general. He is very involved in the university and spreading the game to the youth levels here in Eugene.
-There are many similarities between WA lacrosse and OR lacrosse. The amount of kids getting involved in both states is amazing. It seems like everyday the game is growing and growing. I worked a clinic down in Eugene the other day and the level of talent was great to see. It’s great to see the kids getting involved at the youth level.
-As far as the high school level goes, the Portland area has some great players. I have been to a few clinics/games for the Starz program in Portland and they have some great players in the system. Many of the players we have here on our college team for the University, are from the Portland area. I feel that these players are just as good as many of the high school players in WA. Both states have amazing athletes and great coaches teaching the game to these players
What are some differences?
- I think the main difference between the two states is opportunities for the kids to play. It seems to me and I may be wrong, but there seems to be more teams, more leagues and more clinics in the state of WA. Both states have great athletes and are picking up the game of lacrosse at an unbelievable level, but WA seems to have the step on Oregon at the moment.
How do you react when PNCLL fans suggest U of O Lacrosse players are “spoiled” with the amount of sponsorship they receive?
- I kind of laugh because this team does get some nice stuff. They get almost as much stuff as some teams back east. Although, I think the biggest misconception is that we are just given all of this stuff. Teams see that we have all brand new Brine gear and Nike apparel, but most of the stuff we receive we fundraised for in order to pay for it. The players work hard during the season and the off-season to fundraise and work clinics to get money for the program so we can get the gear we have and to be able to afford the amount of travel that we do during the season. We travel all over the west coast and fly to a couple of places. Being that this is a club team, we must fund most of these expenses ourselves and the players work hard to fundraise and find sponsors to subsidize our costs. Our players are also very dedicated to this program. All of our players are involved in a weight lifting program that is run by the Strength and Conditioning coaches who train all of Oregon’s Division 1 teams. So, it helps being at a school where we can get some of the resources that our athletic department has to offer, but the players do deserve more credit than they get.
What is the hardest transition you had to make from coaching Starz and Mercer Island to coaching a college club team?
- The hardest thing I had to adjust to was the age of the players I am coaching now. It is extremely hard to coach kids that are only a year or two younger than you. As much as I want to be these guys’ friends and go hang out with them, I have to find that fine line between being their coach and being their friend. The level of commitment is much higher as well. From my experience at CanisiusCollege we are run just like a NCAA college team. We watch film on all teams we play, we prepare for each team we face just like I did at Canisius, and we practice or weight lift everyday. One day we hope to be at the level as some of the east coast teams. Oregon is really the only college club team that I am familiar with, but I was surprised on how serious this team is, and how big club lacrosse is out here on the west coast. It’s amazing to see the dedication and the desire to win a national championship that these guys have.
One of the challenges I have noticed with the UW team is the total number of players we have to work with. You seem to have the opposite side of the same problem. How do you play all of your players and how many do you travel with?
- We carry over 40 guys so it gets tough trying to play all players. We had over 70 kids try out for the team. It was tough to make cuts and turn away 30 guys who were all good high school players and wanted to play for the team. Its tough because for instance at the moment we have four midfield lines and two defensive middie lines so it’s very tough for Joe and I to get all the players equal playing time. We travel with all of our players so it makes for a crowded bus on road trips but it is a lot of fun. Practices are also great with 40 players because we can have some very productive scrimmages.
How deep does the talent go and is that a decision making factor for you in games.
Talent plays a big role in who plays and who doesn’t. We play to win and we coach to win. Our players all know that at the beginning of the season that this is our goal; we will do what we have to do to win our league and make the national tournament. This year the national championships are in Texas and every kid on the team has given a 100% dedication to the team and the goal of making the tournament, and ultimately winning that national championship. In close games we only play our top players and at times only 20 or so players will see the field. In those games though our team is great, everyone is supportive of each other and the kids who don’t play know that we are just doing what we need to do to win that championship. The one thing I have noticed on this team is that if a kid does not play one game or only gets one run he is the first kid out on the practice field come Monday playing wall ball or working hard to try to get more playing time. It great to see that we have 40 guys on the team and at any given time I feel very comfortable playing any one of them.
How would you categorize your experience at U of O as a new coach?
It has been a great experience for me. It’s funny because I never thought I would coach at this level. I was talking to Randy Mearns my coach at CanisiusCollege at the Lake Placid tournament in New York last summer and we both agreed that I was the last person from my team that we thought would stay involved in lacrosse like this. I never saw myself coaching, but I truly have found a passion for coaching and for the game. I have learned a lot from coaching this team, and feel very fortunate to be a coach here.
…and now the big question… When are you coming back to Seattle Lacrosse??
HAHA, I would love to come back to Seattle. Seattle was great to me. I made some great friends and coached some amazing players. I will be back in the spring to play with the Crease Monkeys again. After all we have a PNLA title to defend!!!