by Craig Morgan, TheSunDevils.com writer
TEMPE, Ariz. -- College head coaches have a full plate of responsibilities when they take a new job. They have to assemble a staff, they have to build relationships with their existing players, they have to set standards and expectations for their program, they have to establish playing and practice philosophies, they have to recruit and they have to develop relationships with the high school and club coaches in their state that will provide a pipeline of homegrown talent.
Sun Devil women's lacrosse coach Courtney Martinez Connor's task is much taller. She has to plant the seeds to build a brand new program, and she has to facilitate growth in an unfamiliar sport in Arizona. In the former case, she is starting from scratch. In the latter case, it often feels like it.
Martinez Connor has already had to explain the difference to some between a men's lacrosse stick and a woman's. She had to explain that a 15-year-old stick with frayed strings from a defunct manufacturer is not a state-of-the-art choice. She is trying to convince a diverse mix of local clubs, high school programs (still unsanctioned by the AIA, Arizona's governing prep body) and the lacrosse board to work together for the good of the game, and she is trying to convince them to reinstate a rule allowing seventh and eight graders to play in order to grow the game and help develop players sooner, like virtually every other state with lacrosse has done.
"There certainly aren't enough hours in a day," said Martinez Connor, who arrived in Tempe in early 2016. "People probably thought I was off on an island somewhere having fun but I didn't even get to say my goodbyes to friends and family back east.
"I'm always gone, always working and the phone is still attached to my ear, but once everything is rolling I think it will fall more into place, not only with our program but with our state overall. It's much easier when they can see the results, rather than just hearing you talk about what's coming."
Fortunately for Martinez Connor, she has had the benefit of "a bonus year" in which she has already assembled a team of 16 players. The Sun Devil women's lacrosse team will not begin playing its first true season until the spring of 2018, with a non-championship season of practices and a handful of games afforded this fall.
"We decided to get on the lookout for possible transfers or [class of 20]16s who got overlooked in the recruiting process or had some athletic ability or speed," said Martinez Connor, who came to ASU off a stint as a lacrosse analyst for ESPN and Big Ten Network, and four seasons as coach at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (2005-09). "The idea was, 'lets see if we can teach them lacrosse at a higher level'. I call them bonus players."
This year's team has players from Arizona, Washington, California, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, Maryland, Florida and Canada, but Martinez Connor said future classes will likely include more players from more Mid-Atlantic states than Maryland, among them New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia, with possible forays into the New England states where high school and prep school lacrosse is popular.
With so much groundwork being laid, Martinez Connor admits there isn't much time to lament the lack of games. All the same, she can't wait for the real competition to commence.
"As a coach, you crave to compete just like the players," she said. "Playing games gives more meaning and value to the players. They can see that everything they're working hard for has results; a payoff. It's the same for a coach. You want to be able to see the fruits of your labor but it's hard to predict until it arrives."
TEMPE, Ariz. -- College head coaches have a full plate of responsibilities when they take a new job. They have to assemble a staff, they have to build relationships with their existing players, they have to set standards and expectations for their program, they have to establish playing and practice philosophies, they have to recruit and they have to develop relationships with the high school and club coaches in their state that will provide a pipeline of homegrown talent.
Sun Devil women's lacrosse coach Courtney Martinez Connor's task is much taller. She has to plant the seeds to build a brand new program, and she has to facilitate growth in an unfamiliar sport in Arizona. In the former case, she is starting from scratch. In the latter case, it often feels like it.
Martinez Connor has already had to explain the difference to some between a men's lacrosse stick and a woman's. She had to explain that a 15-year-old stick with frayed strings from a defunct manufacturer is not a state-of-the-art choice. She is trying to convince a diverse mix of local clubs, high school programs (still unsanctioned by the AIA, Arizona's governing prep body) and the lacrosse board to work together for the good of the game, and she is trying to convince them to reinstate a rule allowing seventh and eight graders to play in order to grow the game and help develop players sooner, like virtually every other state with lacrosse has done.
"There certainly aren't enough hours in a day," said Martinez Connor, who arrived in Tempe in early 2016. "People probably thought I was off on an island somewhere having fun but I didn't even get to say my goodbyes to friends and family back east.
"I'm always gone, always working and the phone is still attached to my ear, but once everything is rolling I think it will fall more into place, not only with our program but with our state overall. It's much easier when they can see the results, rather than just hearing you talk about what's coming."
Fortunately for Martinez Connor, she has had the benefit of "a bonus year" in which she has already assembled a team of 16 players. The Sun Devil women's lacrosse team will not begin playing its first true season until the spring of 2018, with a non-championship season of practices and a handful of games afforded this fall.
"We decided to get on the lookout for possible transfers or [class of 20]16s who got overlooked in the recruiting process or had some athletic ability or speed," said Martinez Connor, who came to ASU off a stint as a lacrosse analyst for ESPN and Big Ten Network, and four seasons as coach at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (2005-09). "The idea was, 'lets see if we can teach them lacrosse at a higher level'. I call them bonus players."
This year's team has players from Arizona, Washington, California, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, Maryland, Florida and Canada, but Martinez Connor said future classes will likely include more players from more Mid-Atlantic states than Maryland, among them New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia, with possible forays into the New England states where high school and prep school lacrosse is popular.
With so much groundwork being laid, Martinez Connor admits there isn't much time to lament the lack of games. All the same, she can't wait for the real competition to commence.
"As a coach, you crave to compete just like the players," she said. "Playing games gives more meaning and value to the players. They can see that everything they're working hard for has results; a payoff. It's the same for a coach. You want to be able to see the fruits of your labor but it's hard to predict until it arrives."