John Tillman has been busy building the Maryland men's lacrosse program into one of the most dominant in all of college lacrosse, but he doesn't forget his roots.

Tillman, who grew up in Corning, N.Y., learned the value of toughness from his older brothers. He brought that mentality to the sport of lacrosse, where he used his tactical skill to make up for differences in physicality. Tillman eventually took his talents to Cornell, where he competed with greats like Paul Schimoler.

After his Big Red career, Tillman quickly realized he had a passion for coaching. From Ithaca to Navy, Harvard and now Maryland, Tillman has dedicated himself to his players and has reaped the benefits. He's made seven of the last 10 final fours with Maryland, and he wants to keep learning.

He let players like Matt Rambo and Colin Heacock lead, and he took notes. He also allowed himself to enjoy the ride, leading to the 2017 national title.

“[Heacock and Rambo were] ultra competitive on the field, but they just had this way about them," Tillman said. "They made everything fun. They knew when it was time to compete and do things the way they needed to be done.”

Tillman talks with Paul Carcaterra about his beginnings in the game, and what he's doing now that the sport has been put on pause.