NLL Insider

I was talking with Tuts this week after the jettison of the Rush coaching staff and we came to one giant conclusion. With all the talk of expansion over the next few years and a possible depletion and/or watering down of the player pool, did anyone ever think that we would possibly run out of quality coaches?

First let me preface the rest of this article with the fact that as great a coach that Bob Hamley is, in my opinion Chris Hall is the man for the job in Edmonton. He’s from the west, has countless connections in the BCLA, knows many of the players on the Rush roster due to his time in Calgary, and is an absolute lacrosse genius!

So back to the argument at hand; other than Hammer and CH, who else is out there with legitimate coaching credentials?

Brad McArthur – some summer coaching
Terry Sanderson – Asst. in Calgary, tons of experience but has some problems getting guys to play for him
Jeff McComb – Asst. in Portland, no real Head Coach experience and he hasn’t really shined with the Jax O this season
John Lovell – Head Coach of the Wellington Aces OLA Sr. B, time with the Rock
Matt Sawyer – former Rock Asst. Coach and time with Brampton in the OLA
Bob Salt – Head Coach of New Westminster in the WLA, lead them to the league title
Jeff Dowling – Asst coach to a few teams and asst GM. May not be a bad choice
Curt Malawsky – This is my long shot, but how can you go wrong with his JR track record? I’m just not sure he’s quite ready to leave the game yet though.

Sure this is just a hodgepodge list of all the names I could think off but really, other than TS, nobody has any legit NLL bench boss experience. So if next season the NLL adds two teams, they could be in dire straights to find somebody that can take the reigns and run the show.

I know the Rush did their homework, weighed-out all of their options and made sure the decision they made is the best one for the long run of the organization. Bruce Urban has put too much time and effort into the team to see it reduced to rubble by another poor decision. With the All-Star Game a month away, this team needs to reinstate the faith of the fans that they are a serious threat to the west and are able to put a quality product on the floor. By the time I finished writing this the Rush had announced Bob Hamley as their Head Coach. Congrats to Bob, I’m sure he will do a fantastic job in Edmonton and hopefully he can spark and ignite the fire and passion that rush had coming into this season.

That still doesn’t change the fact that there is a dwindling number of top-notch coaches out there.

London Fog out!

P.S. My apologies for my blog last week, as was noted on the Wingszone forum, Cannonball wore #73 for the Roughnecks in Rochester. I mentioned him as #37- in reference to the tattoo he has on his chest and the only number I have ever known him to wear. So sorry for the confusion CW7.

Jenner is a two-time Mann Cup champion with six years of NLL experience. Email him at ted.jenner@nllinsider.com Currently the voice of the BombSquad in Everett and pursuing pro lacrosse in BC in the Arena and on the radio

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