Coach Gernatt

States can adopt a 70-second boys’ lacrosse shot clock beginning in 2027. The preparation needs to go beyond telling kids to play faster. Teach them when to attack an advantage, when to move it again, when to settle and how to create a late-clock opportunity. Then teach the recovery after the shot. A rushed possession can leave you defending again before you’ve accomplished much. The clock should sharpen decisions. Our practices have to prepare players to make them.

Brian Brecht said all but one of Rutgers’ SSDMs were new to the position this fall. That’s a development story. Moving a good athlete to short-stick defense means teaching approaches, leverage, off-ball positioning, communication and recovery. Then he has to make a decision with the ball after a stop. When evaluating midfielders, separate athletic potential from demonstrated ability at both ends. Speed helps. Recognizing what the possession needs makes that speed useful.

The most interesting detail from Syracuse’s fall wasn’t the 13–7 scrimmage win over Rutgers. It was Gary Gait describing midfielders developing offensive AND defensive skills. A player who can defend, help secure possession and make the next pass gives a staff choices about when to substitute. Watch the plays before the points: the outlet, the carry, the lane filled, the decision to settle when the advantage disappears. That’s where two-way development becomes useful.

There’s another layer to the Casey Powell story at Le Moyne. The school completed its DI transition in June. Powell’s first season comes this spring. The move to the Metro Conference follows in July 2027. I’m especially interested in the players already there. How do their decisions, fundamentals and execution develop before several recruiting classes reshape the roster? Following those players gives us a valuable look at the teaching taking place.

Casey Powell at Le Moyne is a development story worth following. The practice details caught my attention: correcting one-handed ground balls, teaching pick actions, demanding players catch on the move. Small-sided work alongside clearing and full-field play. For someone remembered for extraordinary creativity, those everyday details matter. I’m interested in how he teaches players to recognize space, make decisions and develop their own creativity—and whether those habits hold up under pressure this spring. There’s a lot to learn by watching a great player become a head coach.

The NLL is entering its 40th anniversary season. Forty years. Think about the history, the legendary players, the rivalries, the dynasties and the generations of fans who built this league. So where is the marketing campaign? Yes, there’s been an anniversary announcement. Some merchandise. A Hall of Fame ceremony. But where is the major national promotion? Where are the historical documentaries, the legendary-player features, the anniversary television specials, the campaigns introducing four decades of professional box lacrosse to new audiences? Where is the excitement? Instead, the biggest headlines heading into the season have been two franchises ceasing operations and the league moving from ESPN to FloSports. I’m genuinely asking: What is the NLL’s comprehensive marketing strategy for its 40th anniversary? Because forty years of history should be an extraordinary opportunity to sell this sport. And right now, I’m struggling to see a campaign worthy of that milestone. The history deserves better. The players deserve better. The fans deserve better.

The NLL’s Flo deal has two very different entry prices: $39.99 for a month or a promotional $119.88 for a year. Committed fans may see value in the annual bundle. A curious newcomer faces a much bigger decision. That makes the Saturday Showcase and delayed YouTube replays essential. Can someone discover a game, enjoy it and easily find the next one? Judge this deal by actual viewers, returning fans and ticket sales. Potential household reach is only the starting point.

With Atlas Cup complete and Euros next, the Sixes picture is getting more interesting. PALA gave us two one-goal USA–Canada finals. Asia-Pacific gave us two one-goal Australia–Japan finals. Atlas finished with USA edging Haudenosaunee 17–16. Sixes can deliver suspense. But those finishes sit alongside substantial blowouts. Competitive balance across the field remains the bigger question. In Salou, I’m watching beyond the finalists: how competitive are the qualification games? Which teams recover after conceding a run? Who can turn a stop into a quality possession while managing substitutions and tired legs? Women start Nov. 2, men Nov. 10, with five Worlds places available in each competition. The next test is how far that competitiveness extends. europeanlacrosse.org/events/…

One timeout per half in sixes makes the decision bigger than “stop the run.” Who handles the next possession? What shot are we looking for? How do we pressure after a goal? Who changes, and when? A minute is valuable when players leave with a shared plan for what happens next.

Canada’s sixes lesson from Atlas: play fast enough to create an advantage and patiently enough to use it. Finn Thomson emphasized the extra pass and waiting for the right shot. That’s what we should teach young players: recognize when to attack immediately—and when another decision creates something better.

Haudenosaunee trailed USA 14–9 early in Q4 and finished one goal short. The number worth highlighting: ZERO fourth-quarter turnovers. When you’re chasing, urgency can turn into forced plays. The Nationals kept giving themselves opportunities. That part of the comeback deserves as much attention as the finishing.

Haudenosaunee’s late timeout deserves a closer look. Down three, they appeared to organize a look for their dominant scorer, then pressure immediately after the goal—forcing a USA turnover. That’s the value of a timeout in sixes: preparing the group for the next possession AND what follows it.

The timeout taken today by the @HAU_Nationals was crucial to them getting the goal and setting up pressure in today’s game against the USA in the closing moments.

Jack Crowell: Princeton lacrosse goalie commit, football linebacker, hockey defenseman. Three positions asking him to read threats, communicate and make decisions under pressure. We spend so much time developing a goalie’s hands. Are we giving equal attention to developing the athlete who reads the play before the shot? ctinsider.com/gametimect/foo…

Canada’s depth deserves a closer look. All 10 runners scored against Haudenosaunee. Eight scored against USA. Bowering, an NLL defenseman, put four past the Americans. We talk about depth as who’s next on the bench. In sixes, it’s also how many responsibilities each player can handle. Can your scorer defend the next possession? Can your defender finish the opportunity? Can your goalie turn a stop into an advantage? That’s a development standard worth building toward.

Eight Atlas Cup games through Saturday. None finished within five goals. Only one entered the fourth within three. That doesn’t mean every game lacked suspense. It raises a different question: why are so few staying competitive to the finish? As sixes evolves, managing the stretch where a game starts slipping away deserves more attention.

One timeout per half could become one of the biggest coaching decisions in sixes. Canada scored four straight in 88 seconds against Haudenosaunee Friday, turning 3–4 into 7–4. Saturday against USA, four straight in 2:21 turned 9–9 into 13–9. Those are stretches I’d revisit when studying where each game got away. A timeout won’t guarantee a stop. But it can organize changes, correct defensive assignments and give the next possession a purpose. The dilemma: use your only timeout to interrupt a run, or save it for a late possession that might decide the game? As sixes evolves, recognizing when to intervene could matter as much as what you draw up.