Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. The Iroquois Nationals’ campaign for inclusion in The World Games received major mainstream media attention Friday with a feature in the Los Angeles Times.
Award-winning enterprise reporter David Wharton penned a “Column One” piece on the origins of lacrosse and how the Haudenosaunee Nation sees the sport as a vehicle to implement its sovereignty. The story is framed within the context of the fabled ballgame between animals, the oral history of which has been passed down through generations of Haudenosaunee people. If you missed it, it is a must-read this Monday morning.
The Iroquois Nationals issued a statement Sunday thanking the international lacrosse community for its support.
No one ever said this would be an easy journey,
— IROQUOIS NATIONALS LACROSSE (@IRQ_Nationals) August 23, 2020
but we’re glad you’re all with us.
Together we will see this through.
#TogetherAsOne pic.twitter.com/li2O2yHnXV
“You’ve let the world know that we belong in the 2022 World Games,” executive director Leo Nolan said. “It is a bright light that inspires all of our indigenous communities.”
The world’s No. 3-ranked team initially did not meet the eligibility criteria set forth by the Olympic charter and adopted by the International World Games Association, but the IWGA approved World Lacrosse’s request to allow the originators of the sport to participate on the global stage — a victory in light of an online petition that has more than 50,000 signatures. “This will require further agreement from other organizations involved in international sport,” the organizations said in a joint statement Aug. 14.
And just in case the lacrosse community needed a reminder about what the world would be missing out on if the Iroquois are not able to participate in The World Games when they come to Birmingham, Ala., in 2022, Major League Lacrosse posted highlights from its recently completed season featuring Chesapeake Bayhawks attackman Lyle Thompson.
This is how being #LyledIn must feel pic.twitter.com/kcRbHW1J5g
— Major League Lacrosse (@MLL_Lacrosse) August 23, 2020
2. Derek Keenan announced Friday that he is relinquishing his role as head coach of the Saskatchewan Rush.
Keenan, also the team’s general manager, is a three-time National Lacrosse League Coach of the Year. He led the Rush to three NLL championships and seven consecutive first-place finishes in the West Division. Longtime assistant Jeff McComb will take over behind the bench.
3. Inside Lacrosse unveiled the cover of its latest edition Friday. The powerful image features members of the Premier Lacrosse League’s Black Lacrosse Alliance posed at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah, wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts. The headline: “Taking a Stand.”
“In Their Words.” pic.twitter.com/Mli5QDnRcl
— Inside Lacrosse (@Inside_Lacrosse) August 21, 2020
4. It was move-in weekend on college campuses. Several men’s and women’s lacrosse teams posted images on social media of their masked student-athletes returning to familiar environs in unfamiliar ways. A photo of the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team’s first meeting was particularly poignant.
. First team meeting: edition. #RoarWithPride pic.twitter.com/WG9Nxiv1JA
— Hofstra Men's Lacrosse (@HofstraMLAX) August 21, 2020
5. Major League Lacrosse announced all of its awards for the 20th anniversary season. The winners are listed below and summarized here.
Coach of the Year: Sean Quirk, Boston Cannons
Rookie of the Year: Dan Bucaro, Denver Outlaws
Goalie of the Year: Sean Sconone, Connecticut Hammerheads
Defensive Player of the Year: Zach Goodrich, Boston Cannons
Offensive Player of the Year: Ryan Lee, Denver Outlaws
Faceoff Specialist of the Year: Max Adler, Denver Outlaws
SSDM of the Year: Zach Goodrich, Boston Cannons
LSM of the Year: CJ Costabile, Chesapeake Bayhawks
MVP: Bryce Wasserman, Boston Cannons
WHAT WE’RE READING
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How the pandemic gave former Maryland commit Michael O’Connell an opportunity to pivot to basketball and land at Stanford.
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About NYIT canceling all sports — including its decorated four-time NCAA champion men’s lacrosse team — for two years.
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Lacrosse All Stars’ way-too early mock 2021 MLL draft.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Lax Sports Network’s interview with Duke women’s lacrosse coach Kerstin Kimel on the Blue Devils’ return to campus.
"If on March 12 when our season came to a close if people had asked us are you willing to do A to Z, wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart, do all of these things in order to keep playing you would have said yes in a heartbeat.' -@DukeWLAX @CoachKimel. More: https://t.co/PyaO3myu8S pic.twitter.com/VSFFSJjvCq
— Lax Sports Network (@LaxSportsNet) August 23, 2020
A difficult but long overdue interview with Chesapeake Bayhawks midfielder and MLL Man of the Year Isaiah Davis-Allen.
A difficult, but long overdue conversation with David Huntley Man of the Year Isaiah Davis-Allen: pic.twitter.com/R0YDKcOjIn
— Major League Lacrosse (@MLL_Lacrosse) August 21, 2020
WHAT’S ON TAP
With so much news swirling around college football and other fall sports, what could be the trickle-down effect on lacrosse? Kenny DeJohn and Matt Hamilton caught up with college coaches to get their take on the potential ramifications.