Rutgers is enjoying one of finest lacrosse seasons in recent school history. At 6-2, with victories over four ranked teams, it is ranked No. 7 nationally and has secured a top-two finish in the Big Ten Conference.
Coach Brian Brecht is in his 10th season as the program’s head coach. Though a Long Island native, his career path wound through New England during his playing career at Springfield College, and he graduated from the school in 1995 with a degree in physical education.
Brecht joined “New England Lacrosse Journal’s Chasing The Goal” podcast recently to talk with host Jack Piatelli about Rutgers, recruiting and what makes one of his most successful former players stand out.
The full podcast can be accessed below.
Jack Piatelli: Coming from Long Island, how did you find out about Springfield College?
Brian Brecht: I wanted to teach and wanted to coach; that was certainly a passion and a dream of mine. So I was looking for a phys. ed school. Both my parents went to Springfield so I’d been up there before on alumni days and knew about the program. I had a lot of respect and pride in what my parents did growing up, and seeing their trajectory and coming from Springfield College, and the relationships they had … it was a good fit.
JP: How do you approach the recruiting process at the Division 1 level?
BB: Players make plays. The best collaboration of guys you can get, not just on the field but in the locker room and on campus, collectively, is what you want. We’re looking for guys who can play on the field, be challenged in the classroom at a major university in the Big Ten, and the intangibles. Multi-sport athletes, guys who have had a lot of experiences at a young age, certainly help when they’re competing here, both in the classroom and on the field. Some of our better players have been our better students, and some of our better players have been multi-sport athletes growing up.
JP: I want to quote a great player of yours (Joe Nardella): “Rutgers plays fast. I love the style they play. It helped shape me into the player I am today.”
BB: Joe was a talented player. I know he gets a lot of accolades, and deservedly so, for facing off. He’s probably the best faceoff guy in the world and in the country right now. Once again, a multi-sport athlete. He was a talented hockey player. He played football growing up. He had a lot of experiences. He trained and was relentless in the weight room.
He was so dynamic facing off, and that was such a big part of the game and still is, but the way he dodged and his fluidity and his athletic ability, he could play on the first midfield line, the first D-middie group. That’s what made him the player he is now. One, the relentlessness, the competitive spirit that he had. But two, he could do more than just face off, and I think you’re seeing it now at the highest level with him playing in the PLL and, hopefully, throwing on the Team USA jersey the next time around..
JP: With the NCAA granting all lacrosse players an extra year how does your roster look? Will your approach be any different in terms of the numbers you bring in the next couple years?
BB: We’re always looking to have a healthy roster. We have 46 right now on the team this year but we’ll fluctuate between 45 and 50. … Being a major university, having a graduate school program — we had three graduate transfers join us for their fifth year this year and it’s worked out very well. All three have been great additions on and off the field; it’s a good fit. We’ll continue to do that for the next couple years given that we have graduate school and one-year Master’s programs, as well as trying to fill in areas of need for us for the upcoming season.
JP: Would you say you were more competitive as a player or now as a coach?
BB: Probably a little more as a coach. Just being around younger guys, kids growing up in this setting, seeing their commitment in the weight room, it’s kept my juices flowing. I appreciate their efforts and how much they care, and their passion keeps my fire burning.
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