After spending the last four years as the top assistant coach, Keegan Wilkinson is in his first year as the head coach for the Marist Lacrosse team. He recently took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about the fall season and what is up next for his team.
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| Keegan Wilkinson is entering his first season at the helm for Marist |
Coming into the fall, what were your expectations and what kind of goals did you set for the team?
Obviously it was a bit different this year, having lost one of our players over the summer, so the way we handled everything was a bit different than any other ordinary year. We came back and a big thing we were looking to do was make sure the guys were comfortable and handling the death of a teammate as best they could, so we really preached things like team chemistry and team bonding. As far as practicing, we had a fairly normal fall schedule, which is practicing about five times a week so the guys were definitely working hard.
How do you feel the team responded?
I think they responded well, obviously it’s a tough situation, but they’ve worked very hard for Eddie so it makes it pretty easy to get motivated every day. They were great and I feel like we got better and better each day and the spring looks very promising based on the effort they put in this fall.
How has having already been a part of this program for four years made the transition to head coach easier?
Well it’s nice because I recruited all of these guys at some point. Usually when there is coaching turnover you have to get used to all of the kids and get to know them and those sorts of things, but since I had the chance to recruit everyone on the roster at some point, and have known and coached some for four years now, it made it very easy to get acclimated. The biggest change has been as the head coach I answer the phone a lot more and I need to make the tough decisions, but it’s all pretty relative in the way we communicate with the kids.
Having known most of the players already, who were you looking for to step up and assume the leadership position this fall?
I was mostly looking for the seniors to take on the role of leader, and I think they did a really nice job as a whole. A couple of guys really shined, Neil Krauter was one guy we were very, very pleased with, and obviously Chris Harren and Kevin DeFranco who are returning captains did a great job. I was really pleasantly surprised with all of the seniors, especially Neil and Zach Badalucco, who both stepped up and led by example all fall.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, how do you think the freshman performed in their first season at the college level?
I am very pleased with the way the freshman have not only played, but also the way they have carried themselves thus far. It’s not an easy task making the jump from high school to college but I think they have risen up to the challenge and I really believe that every one of them will be competing for playing time once the spring rolls around which is a great sign for our team.
Moving forward, what would you like this team’s identity to be?
Our biggest thing that we preach is that we want to be a tough group of guys who play very hard, but are also great representatives of Marist College. We want people to see the kids walking around campus wearing lacrosse gear and known that they represent a strong program where they work hard and are great kids. We just want them to be committed to hard work and being the best they can possibly be.
Looking ahead to the spring season, what are some of the things you think will take the team to the next level?
One of biggest things moving forward is filling in some spots on both sides of the ball that are currently vacant, so were just really honing in on the team dedicating themselves over the next six weeks during the winter break and coming back ready to go. It’s going to be big, especially for those guys who are competing for a single spot. That competition in the beginning of the spring season definitely brings out the best in a player and it’s exciting to see the team come together like that.
