Courtesy of Craig Morgan
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Courtney Martinez Connor got a humorous glimpse at the breadth of teaching she and her coaching staff must provide to the Sun Devils' fledgling women's lacrosse program.
"We have been hammering home the phrase: attention to small details," she said.
During an exhibition tournament at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland last fall, the Devils exited the team bus with their game faces on. Trouble was, they left behind another critical part of their uniform: their sticks.
"I'm like, 'OK, girls, what have we forgotten?'" Martinez Connor said, laughing. "I think we'll have to take things in stride because it's still a majority of freshmen. Sometimes it's about giving them leniency. Sometimes it's about hammering things home."
Martinez Connor has watched Sun Devil hockey elevate from club status to Division I. She has watched the impossibly successful launch of the two-time national champion women's triathlon team, and she just witnessed the rebirth of Sun Devil men's tennis.
Eighteen months after she rolled up her sleeves and got to work, Martinez Connor is finally getting her own payoff. The Sun Devils will open their inaugural season with a game at Kennesaw State (Georgia) on Friday, the first in a 17-game regular season.
"It's so exciting because we've put in a lot of work," said junior co-captain Kerri Clayton. "We have a countdown going in the locker room and we keep doing team bonding. Monday night, I think we're going laser tagging and bowling. It's random things like that but it's so much fun to be with this team."
The fall games gave Martinez Connor an idea of what she can expect from her team. They also provided her players with some necessary confidence.
"They are a hungry group," she said. "They are a group that has learned a lot about themselves.
"It's hard to build from scratch and realize where you are when you basically play yourselves every day, but we were able to get some tests when we flew out east to play and then to California. The girls were pleasantly surprised. When we played some tough teams, our girls realized, 'wow, we can compete.'"
Clayton and co-captain Rachel Gregory both played college lacrosse before transferring to ASU. They are trying to impart on the team's freshmen that this is a wholly different ballgame they are about to experience.
"A lot of them don't know what they're capable of yet," said Gregory, who transferred from Hofstra. "They haven't been able to push themselves to their full limit and I want to see them do it in games.
"They need to know it's a bloodbath out there, especially when you get into conference play, so we play them hard, push them around and hope they push back and push you harder."
At last Friday's practice, Martinez Connor had to repeat instructions several times so she got her team's attention by making them do length-of-the-field sprints.
"I will not care about the score or our record as long as we compete for 60 minutes," she said. "I want people to walk away saying, 'wow, Sun Devil kids are tough and athletic and gritty and they fight for 60 minutes.
"Do we want to make some upsets? Absolutely, but I have had the chance as a coach and a broadcaster to watch new programs over the years. I know how hard it is so I'm not as focused on the opponent as I am focused on us and our game plan and what we need to do to best succeed on the field."
Martinez Connor calls her approach "relaxed intense. I think you do have to keep it light for these guys who are already freaking out on the inside."
The newness of the experience is helping in that regard.
"I was just thinking about this. Everything is going to be firsts," Gregory said. "If you get six ground balls in your first game, you just set the school record.
"If Kerri scores five goals in the first game, that's a new record. You're constantly going to be breaking records.
"Everyone is a little nervous because they don't know what to expect but everyone is psyched to get out there and finally do this. We finally get to show what we've got."
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Courtney Martinez Connor got a humorous glimpse at the breadth of teaching she and her coaching staff must provide to the Sun Devils' fledgling women's lacrosse program.
"We have been hammering home the phrase: attention to small details," she said.
During an exhibition tournament at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland last fall, the Devils exited the team bus with their game faces on. Trouble was, they left behind another critical part of their uniform: their sticks.
"I'm like, 'OK, girls, what have we forgotten?'" Martinez Connor said, laughing. "I think we'll have to take things in stride because it's still a majority of freshmen. Sometimes it's about giving them leniency. Sometimes it's about hammering things home."
Martinez Connor has watched Sun Devil hockey elevate from club status to Division I. She has watched the impossibly successful launch of the two-time national champion women's triathlon team, and she just witnessed the rebirth of Sun Devil men's tennis.
Eighteen months after she rolled up her sleeves and got to work, Martinez Connor is finally getting her own payoff. The Sun Devils will open their inaugural season with a game at Kennesaw State (Georgia) on Friday, the first in a 17-game regular season.
"It's so exciting because we've put in a lot of work," said junior co-captain Kerri Clayton. "We have a countdown going in the locker room and we keep doing team bonding. Monday night, I think we're going laser tagging and bowling. It's random things like that but it's so much fun to be with this team."
The fall games gave Martinez Connor an idea of what she can expect from her team. They also provided her players with some necessary confidence.
"They are a hungry group," she said. "They are a group that has learned a lot about themselves.
"It's hard to build from scratch and realize where you are when you basically play yourselves every day, but we were able to get some tests when we flew out east to play and then to California. The girls were pleasantly surprised. When we played some tough teams, our girls realized, 'wow, we can compete.'"
Clayton and co-captain Rachel Gregory both played college lacrosse before transferring to ASU. They are trying to impart on the team's freshmen that this is a wholly different ballgame they are about to experience.
"A lot of them don't know what they're capable of yet," said Gregory, who transferred from Hofstra. "They haven't been able to push themselves to their full limit and I want to see them do it in games.
"They need to know it's a bloodbath out there, especially when you get into conference play, so we play them hard, push them around and hope they push back and push you harder."
At last Friday's practice, Martinez Connor had to repeat instructions several times so she got her team's attention by making them do length-of-the-field sprints.
"I will not care about the score or our record as long as we compete for 60 minutes," she said. "I want people to walk away saying, 'wow, Sun Devil kids are tough and athletic and gritty and they fight for 60 minutes.
"Do we want to make some upsets? Absolutely, but I have had the chance as a coach and a broadcaster to watch new programs over the years. I know how hard it is so I'm not as focused on the opponent as I am focused on us and our game plan and what we need to do to best succeed on the field."
Martinez Connor calls her approach "relaxed intense. I think you do have to keep it light for these guys who are already freaking out on the inside."
The newness of the experience is helping in that regard.
"I was just thinking about this. Everything is going to be firsts," Gregory said. "If you get six ground balls in your first game, you just set the school record.
"If Kerri scores five goals in the first game, that's a new record. You're constantly going to be breaking records.
"Everyone is a little nervous because they don't know what to expect but everyone is psyched to get out there and finally do this. We finally get to show what we've got."