NLL Insider

I spoke to Sean Morris of the San Jose Stealth this past weekend at the IMLCA Convention in Philadelphia. Morris was there for STX (look for him in their new ads, along with Gary Gait and Joe Walters, in the new Face-Off Yearbook and the January issue of Inside Lacrosse Magazine), and he took some time out to sit down for this year’s two one-hour Inside Lacrosse TV specials, which air Feb. 21 and May 20 on ESPN2.

The former UMass star and current Chicago Machine attackman said he’s moved out to San Jose for the season to play for the Stealth. Originally planning on playing for his hometown Boston Blazers, Morris went to San Jose in the Dispersal Draft. Considering he has no boxla experience, it’s a big move by him to settle down in Silicon Valley and make a go of it this NLL season.

He said there’s a group of 14 Stealth players living out there (kind of a lacrosse fraternity compound), and it sounds like they get pretty nicely hooked up by San Jose — deals for meals at local restaurants, golf every week, nice living arrangements. It sounded like if San Jose didn’t treat their guys so well and make it so easy to live out there that Morris might not be playing this NLL season, instead waiting for the Blazers to start up in 2009.

Morris said it’s been quite a learning process so far — proof of that showed in the gash on his upper lip that required two stitches (our makeup crew couldn’t hide it so look forward to being reminded of that when you and 90 million other potential viewers watch those TV shows this spring). But he’s the prototypical American field player that should be able to learn the NLL game.

With guys like Colin Doyle, Luke Wiles, Eric Martin and his former UMass teammate Jeff Zywicki among the group living out there, Morris has some experienced guys from which to learn. Not the biggest guy (5-9, 190), but he’s quick, crafty and tough — he was a two-time all-state running back that ran for over 3,000 yards at Marshfield High in Massachusetts. He put 72 points for UMass as a senior in 2006, leading the Minutemen to the NCAA Championship Game and earning a spot as a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist. He’s put up 70 points in his first two MLL seasons.

He only really played a little bit of indoor lacrosse as a kid (basically field lacrosse played indoors on 6 x 6 nets), and he admits that he might not have a big impact right away. But he’s encouraged by the game, and fired up about the new venture. If he can pick things up quickly, this is a guy that could be huge for the Blazers in ’09 — a local guy they can market to the New England field lacrosse community.

Stay tuned on this one. I know I’m curious about at least one thing — how these guys swing the wrenches on the golf course. We might have to follow up and get some video of these hacks on the links.

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