by Michael Murakami of Collegelax.us
Perhaps none of these coaches will feel more pressure to succeed than Frank Clark who has big shoes to fill after Rob Graff, former Duluth head coach of 17 years, stepped down last summer.
Although the off-field coaching change will be noticed, Clark is hoping the transition on the field is non-existent.
CollegeLAX recently spoke with Clark about his exciting new position at Duluth, our top-ranked team in Division I of the UMLL.
CollegeLAX: I’m sure you’ve been asked this a million times…What is it like being the head coach at Duluth after the legendary Coach Rob Graff?
Frank Clark: We’re very good friends – even outside of lacrosse. I see him twice a week and we talk a lot. Being the assistant head coach for the past three years and then running my own offense for the last five years, we split a lot of the coaching duties. Rob had that ultimate responsibility to oversee all the assistants but he gave us a lot of responsibility too. (Duluth) has played fall ball games already and we still have our typical demeanor. Quite honestly, this is the fun part of the season.
CL: What game have you already circled this year as the game you’re most excited to see your team play?
FC: There are a lot of different games I’m excited for, for different reasons. Going to Provo (Utah) is always exciting – playing BYU on Friday night. They’re always tough and we like playing them. We also play Utah, Oregon and Colorado. It’s our first road games, first road opponents and it’s our first travel game.
CL: Duluth has captured the UMLL DI title for several years. Playing at the MCLA National Championship Tournament has also been successful but hasn’t led to a championship for the Bulldogs. What are you going to do differently to make sure the Bulldogs have a different fate this year?
FC: We’re going to try to stay healthy. We had one player who played with a seperated shoulder and one who played with a pulled hamstring. We’ve been focusing on off-season training and conditioning. We’re always tweaking things – nothing too complex. We want to put our players in the best situation to succeed.
CL: Give us some predicitions! Who wins the UMLL DII title this year?
FC: St. Thomas. We had a chance to see them this fall. They’re good. Joey (Costello) is good. Their coaches are great. St. John’s is always a team that can surprise though. I like cheering for them too with Derek Daehn there (Daehn is head coach at SJU and a 2005 alum of Duluth). North Dakota looks like they’ll be tough too. With St. Thomas’ past and their talent, I think they’ll take it this year.
CL: Ok, now the tough question/prediction. Who wins the UMLL DI title this year?
FC: The team that wants it the most and works the hardest. We’d love to be that team but there will be a lot of competition.
CL: So based on your predicitions, St. Thomas and Duluth will be in Denver in May for the 2011 MCLA Championships. Will the state of Minnesota sweep the competition this year in Denver bringing home both championship trophies?
FC: (laughs) I would love the scenario to happen. That’s the goal. St. Thomas is a proven factor and we have some work to do to make that a reality. We have a very deep midfield, we have second team All-American goaltender and our attack line is great. We have freshman Matt Murphy from Eden Prairie who I think is the most under-rated high school player in the state and Ryan Butts who transferred from Sacred Heart.
Read the UMLL Division I Preview here
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