NLL Insider Top 50: Scott Self #25

December 19th, 2009 by Paul Tutka

Scott Self (Photo: Perry Nelson)

Stability hasn’t been a theme with the teams Scott Self has been finding himself on in recent years.

The 2010 National Lacrosse League season will see Self suiting up for his fourth franchise in four years after spending time with the barely watched Arizona Sting, the two-year and out Chicago Shamrox, and then the basement dwelling Edmonton Rush last winter.

One of the league’s top pound-for-pound defenders now finds himself in Minnesota, and although the Swarm had some kinks to work out this past summer, Self is seemingly on stable ground, both on and off the floor, suiting up for a Swarm team trying to get back to where they were in ‘08, if not further.

Lost in the Rush’s fourth consecutive post-season miss last year was that the franchise had arguably the league’s most impressive defensive unit, the stats not coming close to telling the whole story in Edmonton on the D side of things. A D side Self helped lead with the likes of Ian Hawksbee, Chris McElroy and Rory Glaves.

A runner-up as defender of the year two years ago (aka ‘08 Second Team All-Pro), Self continued to play solid positional D, put in Chris Pronger-like minutes on the floor, and left it all on the rug while the Rush struggled in other areas as a franchise. A stick of dynamite mighta been set off at the Rexall Centre after the Rush’s ‘09 to shake things up, but amongst all that smoke were solid winters by ball players like Hawksbee and Self, that will not go unnoticed in this year’s Top 50.

Although the Swarm’s D has been a consistent, hard working, cohesive group over the past few seasons, Minnesota GM Marty O’Neill didn’t turn down Self’s services while talking trade with Derek Keenan and the Rush.

“Scott (Self) is regarded as one of the top five defensemen in the league, if not higher,” said O’Neill shortly after grabbing Self as part of the Ryan Ward trade. ”What we are getting here is a quality guy with great experience. He can be a versatile guy as well and a great leader.”

So while instability has been a trend that Self has endured with pro franchises for most of his career (he also played for the Columbus Landsharks… give this guy a medal), Scott’s own game remains as stable as concrete and as consistent as any coach could hope for.

Fact: Although he’s only put in part-time minutes in recent seasons, last year not factoring in at all, Scott’s brother, Brad Self, a former two-way player with the Ottawa Rebel, Colorado Mammoth, Philadelphia Wings and Chicago Shamrox, is also a pro hockey player with Riessersee SC in Germany. The former Peterborough Pete would likely be a top transitional player in the NLL today, sometimes playing partial minutes at the tail-end of recent seasons depending on how far his German club goes in the playoffs.

# (last year)
25 (15) Scott Self, Minnesota Swarm
26 (NR) Dan Teat, Philadelphia Wings
27 (5) Jeff Zywicki, Washington Stealth
28 (38) Brian Langtry, Colorado Mammoth
29 (44) Shawn Evans, Rochester Knighthawks
30 (41) Jeff Shattler, Calgary Roughnecks
31 (NR) Dane Dobbie, Calgary Roughnecks
32 (NR) Merrick Thomson, Philadelphia Wings
33 (NR) Daryl Veltman, Boston Blazers
34 (NR) Ian Hawksbee, Edmonton Rush
35 (NR) Phil Sanderson, Toronto Rock
36 (11) Ryan Cousins, Minnesota Swarm
37 (NR) Tyler Codron, Toronto Rock
38 (33) Luke Wiles, Washington Stealth
39 (47) Steve Toll, Rochester Knighthawks
40 (19) Blaine Manning, Toronto Rock
41 (37) Sean Pollock, Minnesota Swarm
42 (NR) Mike Carnegie, Calgary Roughnecks
43 (NR) Scott Stewart, Edmonton Rush
44 (NR) Kaleb Toth, Calgary Roughnecks
45 (NR) Matt Disher, Edmonton Rush
46 (23) Ryan Ward, Edmonton Rush
47 (NR) Kyle Ross, Boston Blazers
48 (NR) Matt King, Calgary Roughnecks
49 (NR) Mac Allen, Rochester Knighthawks
50 (NR) Nick Inch, Minnesota Swarm