LACROSSE KEEPS CLIMBING THE LADDER OF SUCCESS
The entire interview can be heard on Saturday morning on THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR on Crescent Hill Radio at 11 a.m. Here are some of the excerpts:
CARDINAL COUPLE: You've just finished your ninth season, you've been here actually 11 years...does it seem like that long to you?
KELLIE YOUNG: Time has passed really, really quickly. Having my two girls since I've been here...yes, it does feel like it's been that long but when I'm thinking about the team, no...maybe four or five years...but it's been a pretty neat process to watch us go from infancy to competing in the NCAA Tournament, so hopefully we'll just keep getting bigger and stronger. CARDINAL COUPLE: You came down at the end of the 2006 season, had a year of planning and in 2008, your opening game...you've got 20 freshmen and four transfers from Ohio University...you just kind of had to think to yourself...what did I get myself into?
CARDINAL COUPLE: Getting to the season, kind of a tale of two seasons for you. You start out, you're 12-1, fifth in the nation...and you suffer what I'd call an astronomical injury when your goalie goes down...you end up 12-6...break this season down the way you're looking at it now...about two weeks after its' ended.
KELLIE YOUNG: As a staff we're always raising the bar, so we're disappointed on how it ended. The Tewaaraton Trophy is awarded to the best lacrosse player in the country, so it's similar to the Heisman in football and [ Louisville goalkeeper] Brittany Read had just been added to that list as one of the best goalkeepers in the country so she was absolutely anchoring our defense...so that was a big loss, but I think it was more of an emotional loss for the team. Kelly came in and gave us a shot to keep playing and made some great plays but the team struggled to overcome the loss of Brittany and to get their minds back on track. And, it coincided with our entering the second toughest part of our season, we're facing #3 and #6 and it just keeps on going, so it was a challenge to overcome. We lose by one to Virginia, we're within one of Syracuse...so we're in them all...but emotionally, it was a damper on us. We need to overcome that next year. CARDINAL COUPLE: You also said goodbye to five excellent seniors. It's got to be a mixed blessing...your glad to see them go out into the world but it's awfully hard to see them go.
CARDINAL COUPLE: Now that the season is over, what is the next phase of your job?
KELLIE YOUNG: The next phase is prepping for next year, trying to think of what didn't go great, reviewing what went well and we need to continue. Next week I head up to the All-American banquet and then go out recruiting right after that. The staff is out at the National Tournament and then they'll be bopping about all over the country finding the next wave of Cardinals.
- What felt like a "knife in the back" to Coach Young? - Who are some of the players that will lead Louisville next year?
- Which local high school player headed to Louisville was Young excited to watch in the state finals?
- What goes on in a Lacrosse camp?
- How does Louisville Lacrosse handle community service?
- How did Faye Brust create opportunity out of injury?
For the answers to these questions and more...be sure to catch the rest of this excellent interview Saturday on the CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR.
www.crescenthillradio.com
paulie
xxxxx
This is a very nice write-up on Coach Kellie. As a former player, I can tell you that she expects the best out of her players and recognizes when you provide it. She will continue to move Louisville Lacrosse up the ladder of success. She was instrumental in helping me grow from an insecure teenager into a confident young woman. She is one of many coaches on the Louisville campus who address the whole spectrum of "student athlete" during our time on campus.
ReplyDeleteThank you for doing this article, Paulie and I can't wait to hear the rest of it on the radio.
LouLax forever!
My pleasure, LouLax. I enjoy doing the interviews with the coaches and think they provide us, the fans, with an invaluable insight toward the mindset and philosophy of those who are coaching and mentoring these student-athletes.
DeleteI've had some great interviews with Kellie over the years and a few that you could tell she really was struggling with...especially after a close loss...but she's always come through as a professional and told it the way that it is.
I hope to be interviewing her for many years to come. Plus, the view from her office looking at the lacrosse stadium is spectacular. That alone would be enough to pump me up each morning to go to work.
We'll be interviewing a lot of coaches this spring, summer and fall. Make sure you don't miss any of them.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Paulie
Nice write up Paulie. Never thought I would find lacrosse of interest but that was . Impressive the job Kellie Young has done. Do they get much fan support at the games? Who pulls more, soccer, softball or lacrosse and in what order (womans)
ReplyDeleteProbably soccer...but it's close between softball and lacrosse for second. Soccer is a ticketed event...lacrosse and softball free. The new soccer stadium (Lynn Stadium) is considered one of the finest in the nation.
ReplyDeletePaulie
9 louisville lax players have transferred.. why? When will someone look into the coaching tactics of Kelly and how there is a culture of abusive .... when?
ReplyDeleteI am not sure why 9 current players would transfer. Will Louisville athletics look into this, or continue to allow Kelly to rule with her abusive tactics? how much longer can this program support her behavior?
ReplyDeleteNot real sure about these statements but they have peaked my curiosity. Maybe you'd like to go into more detail...either of you...via e-mail to me.
Deletecardinalcouple@twc.com
Paulie