NLL Insider

On Jan. 18 of this year, Steve Govett had to make one of the most painful decisions of his career as general manger of the Colorado Mammoth. And that was to relieve Bob McMahon of his duties as coach of the team. Govett then jumped behind the bench himself and in just one weekend, the Mammoth turned an 0-2 start to the season into a 2-2 start. Govett is quick to credit the players for the turnaround but his much is for sure: With the load of young talent in Colorado, the Mammoth can’t be counted out of any sort of race and Govett says his professional lacrosse team has the momentum to prove it.

1. A 2-3 start isn’t ideal, but considering the circumstances, you guys are pretty happy with it?
“Generally, yeah, we’re thrilled and we’re excited with the direction the team is going in. Would we like to be 4-1? Sure, but we have 2 games where we’ve lost by 1 goal.”

2. So why aren’t the Mammoth 4-1?
“We’re just 1 or 2 small things away. It’s a process and I think our offense is doing well. We just have to focus. We get away from the gameplan for 5 minutes and as they say, it’s a 60-minute game. We can’t come out for 45 minutes or 50 minutes or even 55 minutes.”

3. Your last 4 games have been decided by one goal.
“Yeah, everybody looks at the end of the game and what might have cost us, but it could easily be something earlier in the game that cost us and came back to bite us. And that Washington game (season-opening 17-8 loss), we weren’t prepared to play physically and mentally.”

The Mammoth are 2-1 since Steve Govett took over as coach. (Photo: Michael Martin)

4. That confidence was evident last weekend in the rematch with Washington, even though you lost.
“We battled against a team that beat us by 9 goals and turned a 17-8 game into a 12-11 game.”

5. A lot is being made of your rookies.
“I think they’re ahead of schedule, but they do have a lot to learn still. The thing is, we can’t have veterans making mistakes, either. We do have a lot of young guys so we need the veterans to play well too. The margin of error is so small for this team, so it’s not just the rookies.”

6. Ilija Gajic?
“He’s as dynamic as anybody and does things that are off the charts. He rivals some of the best in this game and he has the ability to completely dominate a game. That’s why we got him. But he does still have some things to learn, like playing within the team framework.”

7. Alex Gajic?
“We’ve seen some flashes of brilliance from him that we expected, and he’s still shaking off some of the rust because he didn’t get to play summer ball. He has the opportunity to build his game into a veteran type of game by the end of this season, so we’re just nurturing the explosion.”

8. Cliff Smith?
“He has his moments. He’s still trying to find his way and his role, and that role is to get out the back door and out of our end to create transition opportunities.”

8. Brad Richardson?
“He’s been a pleasant surprise on faceoffs. Our goal is to not allow transition goals off the faceoff and he’s been able to help with that.”

9. How important were those two road wins in overtime?
“It was colossally huge. When we lost last weekend, I was kind of dejected and my assistant GM asked me if I expected to go 2-0 the weekend before. I did, but I would have been happy if we went 1-1. Those wins were big in solidifying the message that we’re better than the 0-2 start.”

10. You said the slow start reminds you of another team.
“We’ve been known to get off to fast starts and then fade toward the end. But in 2006, we were 2-3 and then 5-5 before winning the 2006 NLL title.

11. Scorers and defenders are emerging, but who’s developing in other roles?
“Ilija, in the locker room after the Philadelphia game … there was all sorts of goofy stuff going on in the locker room. Chad Culp is a pistol and everyone loves the guy. All the personalities are starting to emerge.”

12. Jamie Shewchuk leads the team with 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists). Just the fact that he’s on the floor is pretty amazing, isn’t it?
“It is. He’s just 24 years old and he had fusion back surgery last year. That was in June and he was ordered to not do anything for four months. Our first training camp session in November, he had to sit. He couldn’t do anything until our second camp but he’s worked his bag off to get back.”

13. Any updates on when goalie Curtis Palidwor will return?
“Hard to say. We like to think he will be back but his injury has to heal. He’s not able to see 100% just yet. The eye has to heal and the swelling has to go down. We want him back, but does he want to get back in front of the ball? It’s up to him.”

14. Finally, you like the momentum of the team and the coaching gig seems to suit you well.
“I’m having the time of my life. I’m thrilled with the guys and thrilled with the staff. And I think the guys will tell you they’re all excited. When you’ve done something for 10, 11 or 12 years, or however long I’ve been doing the GM thing, you look for a new challenge. Maybe this is it. I’ll do this until the guys don’t respond to me or until it’s no longer fun.”

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