Dave Pietramala Is Out At Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins has released a statement saying they are “parting ways” with men’s lacrosse coach Dave Pietramala after 20 seasons, The school has hired a search firm to start a national search for a replacement. Pietramala went 207-93 with national championships in 2005 and 2007. The Blue Jays went to seven final fours during his time at Homewood with the last coming in 2015.
It has been widely reported that Coach Pietramala’s current contract ended this year, This put the school in a tough position. The Jays were 2-4 this season with wins over a down Towson team and Mount St Mary’s, The win over the Mount came in overtime and after Hopkins trailed 12-8 with five minutes left in regulation, They weren’t competitive in losses to Princeton, North Carolina, and Syracuse before the season was canceled. In three of the previous four season Hopkins finished with 8 wins and went 3-2 in conference. Those results aren’t good enough at a school where lacrosse is the revenue generating sport.
Another factor in this situation is the school hired a new athletic director last summer. She brought fresh eyes to the situation and wasn’t loyal to the current staff. College athletics faces an uncertain future whenever the country starts to recover from the pandemic. Finances will be tight especially at a school like Hopkins who play most of their sports at the division three level. I can see the school offering a one year deal so they can reevaluate the situation next year when they are in a better position to look at the state of the program. If I’m Coach Pietramala why do I sign that deal knowing the state of college lacrosse right now. There is a lot of player movement happening because of the NCAA granting spring athletes an extra year. Also I know I can get another job quickly so I would want a multiyear deal. I don’t think the school wanted to do that,
As far as candidates for the next coach go I would start with current offensive coordinator Bobby Benson. He has been rumored to be in the mix for several jobs in recent years and he has run a largely successful offense in his tenure. If you want to look outside the current staff I would talk to Seth Tierney at Hofstra and Shawn Nadelen at Towson. Both guys are Hopkins graduates and were previous assistant coaches at the school.
