last 5 years

[PreecherJenkins]

I do not follow lax, but their fall is disappointing.

Since the miracle of 2012, the Gorilla's are 10 games under .500 and have not had more than seven wins in a season. Is it reasonable to think fire happy bam bam will be changing the leadership here as well?

For those of you who do follow, is this a case of the Big Ten schools (Michigan, OSU, etc) fielding teams and taking talent that used to come to Amherst or is it more a coach that has lost his way...

[m626t]

I'm guessing that are a lot more schools playing the game these days, probably with more financial support ( other than scholarships ) competing for talent. I think we do need a change in direction in the head coaching dept. As one who was frequently on the hill during the Garber Era, I find it very disappointing to see where we are at this point in time.

[78]

A lot more schools playing D1 lacrosse; the style of play has changed and we have not; not getting top recruits anymore; program needs a change, which means it needs a new coach. We are not even a factor anymore on the national scene.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

I don't think we have a proper budget for D1 lax to be successful at the level we were when there were less teams and our conference was better. But that's just me.

[Old Cage]

The max scholarships for D1 men's lax is 12.6. For the last measured year - spring 15 - we had 43 on the roster (including red shirts), Duke had 44 and UNC had 46, so about the same.

I have no idea how many we use or how we divide it up.

[MJatUM]

Bamford was very open about baseball scholarships when asked on Twitter, I'm sure if someone wanted to ask he would share.

[rsox1221]

Someone did ask. Jack Reid, a Gorillas alum, asked about both MLax and WLax after the baseball question was answered. Bamford responded that MLax was one scholarship short of the NCAA max, and WLax was at the maximum.

The MLax budget issue is a bit bigger than just the scholarship numbers, which are nearly at their peak, unlike baseball. It more about the travel budget and ability to play non-conference games. There are a lot of teams this year, and in recent years, who are playing one or two more games in the regular season than UMass is. That helps teams build a resume for the postseason, pick up wins, get into a groove, etc. Plus, many teams at the top level are able to travel all over for those games, which UMass doesn't appear to be able to do more than once a year, at least recently.

More teams are playing the sport, more kids are playing it from all over the country, there are a lot of factors. The one thing I will say is that I don't believe changing the coach for MLax is going to make a difference.

[Berkman]

Bamford was very open about baseball scholarships when asked on Twitter, I'm sure if someone wanted to ask he would share.

Last I knew baseball has 2.5 scholarships which Mike divides up to a few players. I think one year not too long ago he did give a full scholarship to a left handed pitcher.

[78]

Rsox1221, just curious why a coaching change won't make a difference. The program is slowly dying. It needs new blood, new energy and better recruiting. Our schedule is fine, we just aren't getting the players anymore. And there has been a bit of turmoil the last few years with some of our top players leaving, being kicked off the team, etc. it doesn't seem like a stable situation to me, and it seems that new blood at the top is required.

[Jack]

Of course a new coaching staff is needed. continuous failure after being a top program is totally unacceptable. The Lax axe will be swinging shortly absent a miracle.

[rsox1221]

Rsox1221, just curious why a coaching change won't make a difference. The program is slowly dying. It needs new blood, new energy and better recruiting. Our schedule is fine, we just aren't getting the players anymore. And there has been a bit of turmoil the last few years with some of our top players leaving, being kicked off the team, etc. it doesn't seem like a stable situation to me, and it seems that new blood at the top is required.

The team's performance over the last few years hasn't been good, and it's certainly eligible for criticism. In my opinion, Cannella is doing the best he can given the restrictions his budget puts him under. If you talk to the players who played for him, they speak glowingly. I know we've seen coaching changes recently, and folks might expect that more of those might come, but I don't think doing that with MLax would accomplish what you're hoping. Any new coach would face the same problems, because the budget isn't going up if a new coach is brought in. From what I've heard, the Gorillas had to take a bus to Columbus, OH to play the Buckeyes this year before flying back, because it wasn't in the budget to fly twice. That type of constraint will affect all aspects of the program, from scheduling to recruiting. That's tough to deal with. You're entitled to your opinion, and Cannella may end up replaced, but I would disagree with that belief/course of action.

[PreecherJenkins]

if they cannot fly both ways why schedule the game? oh that is right we are paying three coaches not to coach....

[cam9219]

Extend Cannella!

[Swampy]

From the home page...

Recognized as one of the nation's top lacrosse coaches, Greg Cannella enters his 23rd year at the helm of the University of Massachusetts program in 2016-17. Cannella has coached his Minutemen to eight NCAA Tournaments, claimed seven New England Championships, won five conference titles and guided the Minutemen to a No. 1 national ranking. Cannella was named the CAA Coach of the Year in 2012, his sixth conference coach of the year honor with the Minutemen, was named the ECAC Coach of the Year on four occasions and earned the New England Coach of the Year five times. In 2006, Cannella was chosen as the USILA National Coach of the Year after he led UMass to its first-ever lacrosse NCAA Championship Game appearance.
A 1988 University of Massachusetts graduate, Cannella took the reigns of the UMass lacrosse program in the Fall, 1994 with a great understanding of the program's storied history. He was a two-time letter winner for legendary program leader Dick Garber in the mid-to-late 1980s and an assistant coach for two seasons with the Minutemen prior to taking over as the head coach.
Under Cannella's tutelage, UMass has enjoyed some of the program's highest levels of success on and off the field. With a history as one of the top teams in New England, the reputation of UMass lacrosse has spread out across the country thanks in part to his leadership. Since taking over as head coach, the team has enjoyed success as a whole and among individual players. Cannella has produced three Tewaaraton finalists, 45 USILA All-America selections, 100 All-New England picks, 68 all-conference honorees and nine positional league players of the year. For the work accomplished by Minutemen in the classroom, the program has earned 14 Academic All-Americans, 38 New England Scholar-Athletes and 31 academic all-conference picks.

Canella is a tough sonofabitch. He didn't all of a sudden forget how to coach lacrosse. I hope he stays at UMass until they put me in the ground.

[78]

He has had a tremendous career here, but with many more teams competing at the D1 level, the program has been on a downward trajectory and now is firmly in mediocre land. I'm not saying fire him now, but if I am the AD, the leash is short. In addition to only one winning record in the last 5 seasons, several of the team's top players have left over the past 2-3 years.

2017 -- 7-8
2016 -- 7-6
2015 -- 5-10
2014 -- 4-9
2013 -- 7-8

Of course, these 5 years followed the great 2012 season when the team finished 15-1 losing in the NCAA tournament. I think the next two seasons will determine Cannella's future.