June 17, 2010

Jeff Tambroni Named Penn State's Lacrosse Coach


After nearly a month and a half of searching for a successor to long-time head coach Glenn Thiel, the men's lacrosse program has finally made a hire in Cornell head coach Jeff Tambroni (pictured, right>>>). According to LaxPower, a prominent lacrosse website, multiple sources have confirmed this.

Admittedly, none of us here at LBU follow lacrosse very closely and it's a safe bet that most Penn State sports fans don't, either. With that being said, it's hard not to get excited when reading Tambroni's recent accomplishments at Cornell:

Tambroni leaves Cornell University having led the Big Red to Championship Weekend in three of the past four seasons, including the NCAA Final in 2009, where they lost to Syracuse in overtime.
"Championship Weekend" is held every Memorial Day weekend with the semifinals being played on a Saturday and the championship game on the Monday of Memorial Day. Think of it as lacrosse's version of the "Final Four." Even though the NCAA lacrosse tournament features only 16 teams, making it to Championship Weekend is no easy task, let alone doing so three out of the last four years. It becomes even more difficult when you're a school like Cornell who has to potentially face powerhouses such as Duke, Virginia, Syracuse, and Johns Hopkins.

When you consider the fact that Penn State has only twice been to the NCAA tournament (2003 and 2005) and were eliminated in the first round both times, it's safe to say that Tim Curley and the athletic department caught themselves a delicious bass with this hire. While PSU is not regarded as a top destination for lacrosse's finest, it still has reputable facilities (Holuba Hall is used for practices) and being a Division 1 program neighboring a hardcore lacrosse state in Maryland, a coach such as Tambroni may be just what PSU needs to land some of those top-notch recruits and turn the lacrosse program into an NCAA tournament regular.

Let's also hope that someday, if PSU reaches the championship game, they don't end up losing it in such a gut-punching fashion like Tambroni's Cornell team did in 2009...


Ouch.


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3 comments:

  1. Remember that Penn State is an easy ( though boring) drive from Long Island; a hotbed of lacrosse. Watch Penn State become a major lacrosse power in less than five years.

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  2. Dude, we will let that comment go this one time, because it was a legit comment. But please adhere to our No Anonymous Comments policy. At least leave your name, just click on the "Name/URL" option. You don't need to leave a URL, but your name is greatly appreciated.

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  3. Penn State Fans are sports fans, and Jeff Ta mbroni has the personal class and character that Penn State fans seem to value. If he creates winning teams, he will create lacrosse fans. Great gain for PSU!

    ReplyDelete

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