Grow the Game®

Centenary COllege lacrosse Louisiana
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on reddit
Share on whatsapp

Centenary College Adding NCAA Division III Lacrosse

Centenary College, in Shreveport, Louisiana (YES, Louisiana!) is adding lacrosse to its offering of intercollegiate NCAA sports!  We’ve seen new squads added to the Division III roster of teams, which now sits at 179 teams, in Texas, Georgia and a number of other “new” lacrosse states, but Louisiana is another really big step!

When my brother graduated HS, and left Massachusetts to attend Tulane, the lax scene in LA was pretty small.  There were a couple of college club teams, and for college graduates, the New Orleans Lacrosse Club was one of the only outlets.  High School lacrosse was almost nonexistent and it seemed like NCAA teams were decades away or more.  Fast forward only one decade and the scene is TOTALLY different.

Centenary COllege lacrosse Louisiana
The Gentlemen in 2011, as a club team.

High School lacrosse is booming in the State of Louisiana, and college teams like LSU, Tulane, and others are all stepping up their game in the MCLA.  There is a little box lacrosse in the state now, more pick up games, a couple of HS travel teams, and a real-deal NCAA lax squad starting in 2012-13.  Mike Brand did a lot for the program when he was the coach of their club team, but Mike has now moved on to a job at NCAA Division 1 Brown University, in Rhode Island.  Whoever takes over the job has a tough road ahead of them, but also has a golden opportunity to really Grow The Game.

Do you think a coach can recruit good players to Shreveport right away?  How long will it take for this team to get competitive?  And who is going to be their first NCAA Head Lacrosse Coach?  Big questions coming out of a very positive announcement.