NLL Insider

Dewey Jacobs will be leaving the Minnesota Swarm. (Photo: Dave Sanders)

NLL Insider has learned that Minnesota Swarm head coach, Dewey Jacobs, has stepped down from his role with the franchise, official word from the team expected to be made public later today.

As we’ve seen with a number of eastern based coaches in recent weeks, Jacobs too appears to be leaving his post in order to be able to stay closer to his Ontario based home and family, where he also currently serves as the GM for the Six Nations Chiefs of Major Series Lacrosse.

Jacobs spent the past three seasons with the Swarm, previously also serving as an assistant coach with the Buffalo Bandits after a successful 11-year pro career with the Detroit Turbos, Rochester Knighthawks and Bandits.

Rumours have already picked up that Jacobs might be a potential candidate for coaching spots in either Buffalo or Rochester, two teams rumoured to be looking for new bench bosses.

Current Buffalo head coach and GM, Darris Kilgour, had said last month that he was contemplating potentially stepping down from one of his roles with the Bandits, telling WKBW in Buffalo that new blood on both the bench and floor was needed.

“I’ll take a look and maybe pass off one of the hats, the coaching or the GM hat, and maybe bring some new blood in here,” Kilgour told WKBW. “I really think it’s time, not only for new blood in the coaching staff, but there’s time for new blood on the floor too.”

It also appears that the Rochester Knighthawks are searching for a new coach as well, the team reportedly not renewing Paul Gait’s contract heading into 2010. The Albany Times Union reported last week that Gait would not comment on his future with the franchise, ditto for team spokesmen when asked about Gait.

Most close to the team did not feel Gait, or even the short tenured Paul Suggate before him, would be serving in long-term roles with the team when the coaching changes were announced during last year’s off-season.

NLL Insider has also learned from several sources that the likely front-runner for the Edmonton Rush coaching, and maybe GM role, is former Portland Lumberjax coach and one-time Toronto Rock front-runner, Derek Keenan. It sounds as if a number of candidates were interviewed, including short-lived Rock coach and current Peterborough Lakers bench boss, Jamie Batley.

The Rush of course fired Bob Hamley almost a month back, saying that the team’s record and “unexciting” on-floor product forced the franchise to make the move after Hamley spent just over a season rebuilding the team. The Edmonton Sun recently reported that Hamley has filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the team as well.

It’s still expected that after the Rock take care of some behind the scenes business in the pending sale of the franchise, the team will officially announce Troy Cordingley as their new head coach and Terry Sanderson as the franchise’s new GM (and likely assistant coach).

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