Grow the Game®

jordan macintosh rit
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on reddit
Share on whatsapp

Why All The D3 Lacrosse Hate, Quint?

Quint Kessenich’s recent article on InsideLacrosse.com calls out some of the teams and players in the MLL that are either doing well, or in some cases, struggling. It’s a pretty in-depth post on four of the teams in the league, and contains detailed injury reports, updates on who’s hot right now, and some subtle NCAA Division 3 Lacrosse bashing.

Leave Britney alone!

It all starts out innocent enough, as Quint points out that a Denver Outlaws defense sans Eric Martin (Salisbury) is not going to be as strong as it would be otherwise.  That is actually a compliment and when Martin is healthy he’s one of the best in the pro ranks, and he helps make Denver a contender while providing a great mean streak to any defense.

Ok, it’s a nonexistent first example, but I had to get it out of the way. Quint isn’t all negative on the D3 guys. Like I said, it’s subtle. But once you look past Eric Martin, there is a little bite to the writing. Let’s see if you can see what I see. It picks up when Quint, of whom I am usually a big fan, talks about Rochester.

The first target is Jordan MacIntosh:

Jordan MacIntosh (RIT) has a nice handle. Who is this kid?

That is all the love MacIntosh gets. Maybe Quint is just setting up a story for later in the year? But to answer his question, MacIntosh is the kid who scored 128 points at RIT in just two seasons. Don’t care about D3 stats? Ok, he was born in Canada, played box, and played his HS ball on Long Island. (EN: MacIntosh went to Holy Trinity HS in Ontario, not LI. Thanks for keeping me honest, CanLax!) Maybe pedigree isn’t enough either.

jordan macintosh rit
MacIntosh is legit. Please respect him!

Totally fine, because MacIntosh was also the NLL Rookie who scored 51 points this past Winter for Minnesota, while picking up 153 loose balls and winning 151 face offs. He was an NLL All-Star. That’s who he is. Or was Quint just being sarcastic? Like he knows who MacIntosh is, but was just testing his readers?

So who is the next D3 guy to possibly get the subtle shaft? Rochester Face off man, Craig Bunker, formerly of Colby.  This is the rabbit punch Bunker received:

Craig Bunker was an adequate face-off man vs. Chris Eck.

Bunker went 17-35, while Eck went 18-35. Considering Eck can be one of the best FoGos in the league when he’s on, and Bunker is in his first real year, I’d say that’s better than adequate.  Then you take in the fact that Eck was cheating, 17-35 seems pretty darn good! Now I’m not saying Eck cheated, but later in the post, Quint did:

Down. Set. Whistle! Chris Eck (Colgate) has developed an interesting strategy. On every face-off, he hesitates on the down call, hitches with his entire body stepping backward then dropping forward into his crouch. Eck is late on the down call. It’s not an accident. By rule, face-off men are required to approach the ball simultaneously. His illegal maneuver is overlooked by the officials.

So Eck was cheating the whole game, but Bunker’s 17-35 was just adequate? Ouch? That seems unduly harsh.

Mike Stone, legendary Middlebury player is up next.

mike stone lacrosse
Stone was a D3 baller. Awesome lacrosse player.

He’s going to get real love and respect, right? Ah, finally… a real compliment to a D3 player:

Mike Stone (Middlebury) can’t miss. He is getting tons of catch-and-shoot looks from Rabil.

Well, we were close to breaking the cycle, but instead end the post with a qualified compliment. We all know Rabil is the man, but Stone can create on his own and deserves the same credit Buchanan, Poskay and Boyle get.  He also has a ton of unassisted goals, and is often the pass before the assist. Am I being nitpicky here? Yes, but when I looked at the rest of the D3 talk in his post, it just doesn’t seem like a coincidence. Like I said, it’s a subtle final bash.

Listen, I love Quint (now I’m qualifying things…), and this is all in good fun. And no, the D3 guys don’t need me sticking up for them. Quint puts in endless hours of work for the lacrosse world, and he has been growing the game since the days I was just having a toss in the side yard with my mom’s wooden stick from high school… But I still have to ask, what’s up with all the D3 digs right now?

So here’s the real question: Is this real? Or was Quint just writing this for the more casual fan? OR am I just being a big baby because I played D3 lacrosse and I’m not good enough to play in the league? Totally possible.