Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell to Host Men's Lacrosse Coaching Clinic on Dec. 17
10/25/2005 8:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Oct. 25, 2005
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On Saturday, Dec. 17, the Bucknell men's lacrosse staff will host the Bison Coaches Clinic, featuring an assortment of high school coaches from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey. The goals of the clinic include the enhancement of coaching tactics, improved knowledge of technical offensive and defensive concepts, an overview and timeline of the accelerated college recruiting process and the promotion of the 2006 Bison Team Camp.
The cost of the clinic will be $40, which will include a light breakfast upon arrival, a three-hour coaches clinic designed and coordinated to directly enhance coaching skills and/or knowledge among some of the top high school coaches in the nation, and admission to see the Bucknell basketball team play Cornell at 1 p.m. in the state-of-the-art Sojka Pavilion. All coaches are invited to watch the game from one of the Sojka Pavilion suites immediately following the conclusion of the clinic, while enjoying a lunch catered by Bucknell Dining Services.
The clinic format is one that will allow some flexibility for Q & A for all speakers, including the keynote speaker of the day, Dave Cottle, currently the head coach at the University of Maryland. Coach Cottle is in his fourth year as the head coach at UMD and is coming off a 2005 season that saw the Terps make their second straight trip to the national semifinals. Maryland finished the regular season 9-5, and then opened up NCAA tournament play with a 14-10 win over Penn State, followed by a dramatic 9-8 win over Georgetown in the national quarterfinals.
The 2005 campaign was highlighted by back-to-back wins in the ACC tournament, including a championship game victory over eventual national runner-up Duke. This late-season surge earned Maryland the ACC crown. Coach Cottle will be sharing his thoughts on how the recruitment of quality young men has directly resulted in the Terps ability to remain among the nation's elite each and every year, while also maintaining the winning culture and attitude that surrounds a championship caliber team. In addition, participants will hear coach Cottle speak about the current recruiting timeline for Division I lacrosse programs, and how that affects the way high school coaches promote their athletes. Coach Cottle will also take part in an interactive discussion regarding offensive concepts.
Along with Coach Cottle, participants will also have the chance to hear Charlie Burch speak about his experiences while building a championship caliber high school team from scratch. Coach Burch built a perennial powerhouse in the state of Maine, winning nine consecutive state championships at Cape Elizabeth High School, and he is regarded not only as one of the best high school coaches in New England, but he has received national recognition as well. Coach Burch was appointed head coach of the North team in the annual USILA North-South HS All-Star game in 1997, and he is currently serving as president of the US Lacrosse Men's Division Council for High School Coaches. He is now entering his ninth year as the head coach at Kennebunk High and has amassed 245 wins in his prestigious career. Coach Burch is an excellent motivator and role model, and is a teacher of the game in every sense.
In the second phase of the program, participants will have the chance to hear the Bucknell lacrosse staff speak about specific offensive and defensive concepts that have helped Bucknell win and/or share 5 out of the last 6 regular season Patriot League titles.
Frank Fedorjaka has taken over the head coach role in 2005-06 with the retirement of the legendary Sid Jamieson. Coach Fedorjaka has spent the last seven years as an assistant under Coach Jamieson and has been an integral part of Bucknell's success in recent years. Coach Fedorjaka has directed a Bison defense that consistently ranks among the best in Division I. In 2000, the Bison defense finished second in the nation in goals against and first in the nation in man down defense. In 2003, the Bison defense ranked fourth and second respectively in goals against and man down defense. Coach Fedorjaka has been widely recognized as one of the best defensive minds in the game, and is known for individual skill development within the Bucknell system. He was formerly the head coach at Division III Franklin & Marshall, where he was the 1995 USILA Coach of the Year.
Taking over as assistant coach and offensive coordinator at Bucknell in 2005-06 will be Pat Myers, a 2003 graduate of Ohio State University where he was the 2000 GWLL Rookie of the Year and a two-time member of the GWLL All-Conference squad. Upon graduation, Coach Myers became a volunteer assistant at Ohio Sate in 2004, a year that saw the Buckeyes reach their highest national ranking (#6) in school history while going undefeated in the GWLL (5-0). The 2004 season was highlighted by a 16-9 victory over nationally ranked Duke, and a 9-8 win over Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.
In 2005, Coach Myers served as the second assistant at Cornell University and helped coordinate an offense that ranked fifth nationally, and he saw the Big Red go a perfect 6-0 in Ivy League play and reach the NCAA quarterfinals for the third time in four years. He was drafted by the Rochester Rattlers in the 2004 MLL Supplemental Draft and has spent the last two seasons as a member of the Boston Cannons. In the summer of 2005, Coach Myers was invited to try out for the US World Team, and he has plans to continue playing in what has become the premiere outdoor league for post-collegiate lacrosse players.
Both the defensive and offensive talks conducted by the Bucknell staff will be interactive (X's & O's, diagrams, etc.), all coaches are encouraged to submit questions ahead of time to facilitate quality responses that are succinct and to the point.
