NLL Insider

Q&A

Q&A with Minnesota Rookie, Craig Point

Craig Point is one of the league’s top players. He’s also a great guy with a focus on his family. In this Q&A, Craig talks about the person behind the gear and his largest lacrosse influence.

As the No. 3 overall selection in the 2007 NLL Entry Draft, Point’s lacrosse accomplishments have been well documented. He led Onondaga Community College (OCC) to its first ever National Championship and helped capture the Minto Cup with the Six Nations in 2007. Point also led the Iroquois Nationals in scoring at the last World Indoors.

The right-handed forward from Ohsweken, Ontario, has looked really solid thus far in the pro league as well. Playing within Minnesota’s team-offense, Point’s fit in right away and has been a key contributor to the Swarm’s quick start. 

The 22-year-old tallied eight points in his first ever NLL game, and now sits third on the team in points scored with six goals and 14 points.

Minnesota sits atop the East Division standings in a tie with Philadelphia who are also 3-0 to start the season. READ MORE »

Back in the Day

Kickin’ it 1974 style

You remember 1974, right? Yeah, right. Most of you reading this weren’t even born yet, but believe it or not, fellas were playing lacrosse back then.

And get this: They did it without off-set heads, shafts that were made of (gasp!) wood, and shorts so tight that it’s a complete mystery as to how anyone even moved in those things.

With all praise to the internet, we are blessed with this clip of the 1974 Philadelphia Wings, who were led by John Grant Sr. This 20-second video shows Grant Sr. playing against the Rochester Griffins and if you want to know a little more about the NLL back then, click on the “read more” tag after you watch this video.

READ MORE »

The Ballers

Build up to my 1st Game

I didn’t think I’d be nervous. I played in big games before. All week, I told myself it was like anything else. But it wasn’t.

This was my first NLL game.

It was something I had been waiting a long time for and the moment was almost here. It was time to take the floor.  Waking up that day it seemed like any other day. We went to shoot-around and film before the game and I felt good. My shot was on, my stick was throwing great and I felt calm and collected. I even got a chance to talk to the Insider’s own Brian Shannhan before the game and talked a little about this and that.

READ MORE »

NLL Insider

In focus

Josh Sims

Just because the TV coverage this season is limited doesn’t mean your appetite for lacrosse is.

No worries.  We’ve got your back here and thanks to Assistant Art Director Keely Knopp, your eyes don’t have to starve from a lack of lacrosse action. Knopp put together a package of photos from games this past weekend.

There’s the San Jose-Colorado game, which has a most righteous shot of Josh Sims diving the crease for a shot, courtesy of Dave Gottenborg’s camera. The Minnesota-Rochester game is up there, too, along with the New York-Toronto game. We’ve also got the Calgary-San Jose game.

To see the photos, you can either click here, or click on the big blue button that’s over to the right of this very sentence. Enjoy.

The Buzz

Merrill or a package of players?

This week’s column is brought to you courtesy of Saturday’s Roughnecks/Lumberjax game.

The lopsided 13-6 Calgary win gave me plenty of things to talk about.

The first was the opportunity to revisit a debate that raged 2 1/2 years ago when Portland won the expansion lottery and received the coveted first-overall pick.

READ MORE »

NLL Insider

Top 20 NLL Player Ranking: Week Five

The Colorado Mammoth’s somewhat quiet undefeated 4-0 run hasn’t been talked about much while the rest of the league is drooling over the likes of Minnesota and Philly doing the same, but really, no team has looked as dominant as Colorado so far this year. And a big reason for that? Gavin Prout.

Prout continues to run the ship in Denver, setting up both the tying and then OT winner against Portland and then throwing down one of this year’s sickest single game performances against San Jose, which included a stunner from behind the Stealth cage!! So while most of our previously hyped top draws are all kinda hot-and-cold right now, Prout has been the definition of consistent while he leads a Mammoth club that looks like anything outside of a Champ Cup crown will be considered a failure in 2008. READ MORE »

NLL Girls

NLL Girl of the Week

megan

I spy a Spy Girl.

Megan, captain of the San Jose Stealth’s Spy Girls, admits she wasn’t very familiar with lacrosse when she tried out for the dance team, but is that really what’s important here? She’s the reason I’ll be humming “I wish they all could be California girls” for the rest of today.

All joking aside, Megan’s dancing abilities are just part of the reason she’s the NLL Girl of the Week this week. Besides cheering on the 1-2 Stealth, she’s a full-time student at San Jose State and works four jobs. Still, she finds time to volunteer for Make A Wish and a local shelter for women and children.

Be sure to check out her profile.

The Beat

Unfair playoff system?

knighthawks

The Rochester Knighthawks are facing an uphill battle to qualify for the NLL playoffs, and Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle columnist Bob Matthews says the Knighthawks aren’t being helped by an unfair playoff system.

Granted, a 1-3 start to the season isn’t very becoming of a defending champion. Still, the Knighthawks have their work cut out if they want to be a playoff team for the 14th consecutive season. 

With the top four teams from each conference making the playoffs, ” … the Eastern Conference has seven teams (each team has a 57 percent chance to make the playoffs) and the Western Conference has only five teams (each team has an 80 percent chance to make it),” writes Matthews.

Let the debate begin, but don’t leave out Rochester’s 30% success rate on the power play as one of the bigger reasons the Knighthawks aren’t winning games.

• This time, Tavares witnesses NLL record: Mississauga News
• Busy NLL weekend is all summed up right here: NLL.com

Inside the Huddle

Man-Short, or Man-Down Defenses

Last week I talked about the macro systems that most teams use in today’s NLL. This week I’m going to begin discussing some of the micro systems that operate within the overlaid macro system templates.

Let’s start with the man-short defense (called the “short man” by most Canadian box players) or man-down defense (called MDD by most American field players). Players and coaches in the hybrid NLL use either terminology.

READ MORE »

NLL Insider

Armchair QB: Week Five

Checking out the league team-by-team at what they’re doin’ well and what they’re not lookin’ so hot in. Going in order of Shanny’s Power Rankings, which got a mild shakeup this week.

Colorado Mammoth (4-0)
The Mammoth have been as close to perfect as you can get. They kicked San Jose around the court, punkin’ their lunch money and then handing out one of the year’s most one sided beatings to date. Even in games when they fall asleep for a bit like they did against Portland, the Mammoth still managed to comeback and take it in OT. These guys are playing championship caliber ball just four games in. Not once this year have they closed up shop and got run over. Bottom line, they’re damn good and obviously need no tinkering during their week off. Think Bob McMahon is influencing this team more than people thought he would. READ MORE »