From the podcast: Piatelli Lacrosse coaches forum, Part 1

Piatelli Lacrosse Club coach Kevin Campbell, with Darien (Conn.) head coach Lisa Lindley. left, and his wife, Christina. (Courtesy)

On this week’s episode of New England Lacrosse Journal’s “Chasing The Goal” podcast, hosts Kyle Devitte and Jack Piatelli were joined by Piatelli Lacrosse Club coaches Keith and Kevin Campbell.

Keith Campbell has been a mainstay on the western Massachusetts lacrosse scene long before he took over a strong Longmeadow High School program. He himself played his high school lacrosse at Longmeadow and then his college lacrosse up the road at UMass.

Campbell led the Lancers to the MIAA Division 2 title this past June. He has been a part of the Piatelli Lacrosse Club since its inception.

He has helped shape the paths of hundreds of players on their journey from high school to college, and serves as the recruiting coordinator.

Kevin Campbell has been a part of the club almost as long as his brother. Tasked with coaching and developing the high school age groups, Campbell has helped Piatelli Lacrosse produce a number of Division 1, D-2 and D-3 talents.

On the podcast, the Campbell brothers break down why they coach at Piatelli, some of their favorite memories so far, and how they help place players with the right programs.

Watch the full podcast below on YouTube. It’s also available on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoy it, please leave a rating and a review. Watch more episodes on the Chasing the Goal podcast channel.

Kyle Devitte: Keith, when you’re trying to match players with schools and pick players that fit into schools, how much of the team’s culture do you take into that? Because I feel like if you have relationships with these coaches, you kind of know what kind of kid is going on that team and also what kind of kid is going to have success at that school and in that program, right? 

Keith Campbell: Every coach has a different style; the three of us coach very differently. I spend a lot of time getting to know them, and have the advantage of being involved in the sport for over 38 years. I try to get to know the kids and know what coaching style they’ll fit well in. Obviously, as Kevin said, first and foremost, they have to want to be there at the school, whether they’re playing, competing athletically, or not. But I absolutely take into consideration the dynamics of the team, the intensity of the coach, the coaching style, and (the) what, how and why I think that individual will fit into that culture.

What do I do with the kids that aren’t going to push it to the next level? I talk about enjoying today. Enjoy your high school experience.  What they don’t know is that when they’re 40, 50, 60 or 70, that experience that they had in high school actually might be better than the experience they longed to have in college. If you’re sweating going through the process of reaching out to somebody, and you’re not sure you love the game enough to get up three mornings a week at six in the morning in the fall to go down in the snow and practice, that might not be what you’re looking for.

The other thing I share with them, Kyle,  is one of the best pieces I’ve seen — your “open letter to college freshmen.” That piece you wrote, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used that. Because we’re talking about how we go through the recruiting process. It’s mentoring them through that adversity that they have once they’re there. And I will tell you, I’m sharing it with my juniors and seniors now to help them get prepared for what is going to be in front of them. 

KD: How do you develop the relationships that you have cultivated in lacrosse?

Keith Campbell: It’s about life skills, right? Whether they play college lacrosse, or not, if we mentor them and help them with their life skills, that’s how we’re giving back. Using the sport of lacrosse to give back to develop their life skills and have those relationships. And I know Jack and my brother and I have those relationships long after they’ve graduated from college, and that’s one of the most rewarding things you can do. Obviously, you do it with your own children, but having the opportunity to do it with hundreds of others if you want to give back is you hope you’re making a difference. 

Kevin Campbell: We had a very, very special group of 2020 high school grads. I’ve heard recently at some public high schools that they’ve eliminated the captaincy position, with some opposition to kids getting recognized as captains and other kids not. One of the great things I’ve observed now and as I’ve watched the boys turn to young men that I coached is the influence of peer leadership. Yeah, we’ve had exceptional young men in our program from exceptional families. But everybody gets on for the ride. So the most elite kid out of the 22 on the team is bringing the 22nd kid up at every practice on every weekend. It’s been fantastic to see and I’m a huge proponent of the influence of peer leadership. I think we’ve had a great demonstration of that in the Piatelli program. 

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