From LAXMAGAZINE.COM
Your Edge: Hound for Pound
by Justin Ward, as told to Corey McLaughlin | LaxMagazine.com | Twitter
This article originally appeared in the August 2014 issue of Lacrosse Magazine. Join US Lacrosse today to begin your subscription.
What I Do
Play with Hounds (x2)
There's four of us from Loyola on the Charlotte Hounds: Josh Hawkins, Pat Laconi, Mike Sawyer and myself. We all played on the 2012 national championship team at Loyola. It was very comforting my first weekend in Major League Lacrosse, flying out to Denver and not knowing anyone. I flew with Laconi, who has been my roommate for the last three years. I was very fortunate.
There's four of us from Loyola on the Charlotte Hounds: Josh Hawkins, Pat Laconi, Mike Sawyer and myself. We all played on the 2012 national championship team at Loyola. It was very comforting my first weekend in Major League Lacrosse, flying out to Denver and not knowing anyone. I flew with Laconi, who has been my roommate for the last three years. I was very fortunate.
Coach 'Em Up
I'm going into coaching at the Division I level. I'm currently interviewing and surveying some opportunities. I've been contacted by some Division I schools to become a young assistant. I'm figuring that out. It's sort of a recruiting process, but this time it's coaching. In high school, for me the process was very quiet and simple. Loyola was the only school that offered me a scholarship. With coaching, there's a good number of schools approaching me with interest. It's forcing me to feel that pressure that a lot of my peers felt four or five years ago. It's funny how it's worked.
I'm going into coaching at the Division I level. I'm currently interviewing and surveying some opportunities. I've been contacted by some Division I schools to become a young assistant. I'm figuring that out. It's sort of a recruiting process, but this time it's coaching. In high school, for me the process was very quiet and simple. Loyola was the only school that offered me a scholarship. With coaching, there's a good number of schools approaching me with interest. It's forcing me to feel that pressure that a lot of my peers felt four or five years ago. It's funny how it's worked.
(MORE AFTER THE JUMP)
Work the StickWhen I was in high school, I wasn't the most athletic kid, and I developed later than everyone else. But I had good stick work. As a freshman in college, the coaches love playing the guys who can do things with both hands. To all the young guys that are worried about shooting the ball harder or lifting and doing trick shots, it always starts on the wall — committing yourself every day to getting 200 touches. If you can do things with both hands, you are more dangerous.
My Dream Job
[Loyola] coach [Charley] Toomey knows that I want to come back eventually. Ultimately, the dream job is to be the head coach at Loyola. Give Coach Toomey a couple more years and then I'll be ready to take over. He knows it's coming.
Loyola is a very special place. That university, that program transformed me from a boy to being a man. I learned so many things. It kind of gave me my own identity. Coming out of high school, I wasn't really sure what kind of person I was. Going through that Jesuit education and meeting professors that cared about you, and our coaching staff is the best coaching staff in the country, you can't help but fall in love with the place. [Editor's note: Ward joined the Georgetown coaching staff for this season.]
My Welcome-to-the-MLL Moment
My first game out in Denver our starting attack was Joe Cummings, Tom DeNapoli and myself. Out of those three guys, I'm the primary ball carrier. I really didn't know what to expect. At our first practice, the offense is in a huddle and coach [Mike Cerino] is running down who he thinks is going to cover who. He goes, "Ward, I think you're going to get Lee Zink." And then he pauses, looks away and comes back and says, "Welcome to the MLL."
I was more excited than anything to go against an unbelievable player like Lee Zink. Fortunately for me, I assisted the first goal. That really helped my confidence big-time. From there, the tips I got from my former teammates like Scott Ratliff and Mike Sawyer was to be aggressive, always attack your matchup. The rookies who struggle are the ones that almost look scared. I was just trying to keep it simple, dodge Zink as hard as I could.
My Wall Ball Tips
A lot of kids are just focused on getting on the wall. It's also important to do the wall properly. Don't just go through the motions. Get the most out of your wall-ball session. Position your feet perpendicular to the wall. Make a 90-degree angle with the wall. A lot of kids hold their hands by their waist. Get your hands high and away from your body. I'm trying to make a 90-degree angle with my triceps down the side of my body. You want your arm to be moving like a quarterback making a pass, a basketball player making a touch pass. You want to get your elbow high, hands away, snap your wrist and catch the ball behind your head.
No comments:
Post a Comment