State Of Hopkins Lacrosse- Not Good
The Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team has made one championship weekend appearance since 2008. At a school known for this sport that is unacceptable to many fans and alumni. I was surprised to hear Mark Dixon say that head coach Dave Pietromala has not been offered a new contract and his current deal expires at the end of this season. He is in 20th season at Homewood but his seat has been getting warm. Since their last title in 2007 the Blue Jays have had the same issues plaguing them almost every season. Inconsistency in three key areas, goailie, defense, and the face-off X. Hopkins has finished with less than 5 losses twice in twelve seasons,
Keep in mind this is the same school that fired Tony Seaman after 4 Final Four appearances in an 8 year run. As a player Coach Pietromala was the greatest defenseman to play the game and is a Hopkins legend. That is why I think he has been given some rope during his tenure. Another factor to consider is JHU joined the Big 10 for the 2015 season. Also lacrosse is rapidly expanding and teams like Penn State, Yale and Denver are national powers. Hopkins has benefited from the Cordish Center a lacrosse only building full of amenities that most schools reserve for football and basketball,
This season got off to a great start with a 15-7 win over Towson, However that has proven to be a mirage after back to back losses to Loyola and North Carolina combined with Towson really struggling so far. Chris Gray torched the defense for eight goals in the Carolina win on Saturday which was decided by halftime. The schedule gets no easier with Princeton, Syracuse, Maryland, and Penn State ahead.
Lets say the school decides to make a change, do you promote offensive coordinator Bobby Benson or defensive coordinator Bill Dwan. Benson has a lot of potential but has been a head coach at any level. Coach Dwan has the experience but he has been working more with the face-off guys since Coach Pietromala largely runs his own defense. Other possibilities include former Blue Jay Shawn Nadelen who is currently at Towson but was previously an assistant at his alma mater.
The next few months will go a long way to determine the future of Hopkins lacrosse and it will be fascinating to see how it plays out.
