Gerry Byrne is Long Island born and bred — and he’s not hiding that fact. The Chaminade (N.Y.) high school product found his passion for lacrosse on the island, and it set the course for the rest of his career, and life.

He was a vicious defenseman at UMass before transitioning to the coaching world, where he made stops at Saint Anselm and Notre Dame. In South Bend, he led the Fighting Irish defense for 13 years, using his colloquial personality to connect with college players and navigate the challenge of high-level lacrosse.

Now as the head coach at Harvard, Byrne has another test on his hands. The Ivy League announced last month that it would not host spring competition on his hands, leaving Byrne and the Crimson without a schedule.

Byrne, one of the most personable coaches in men’s lacrosse, spoke with Paul Carcaterra on Season 4, Episode 4 of the “Overtime” podcast about what he’s doing to help his team cope with the loss of another season.

The conversation — which included leadership, coaching philosophy and why he decided to take the Harvard position — will be available Wednesday morning wherever you get your podcasts.