The MCLA season ended in May, and we’re in the middle of the offseason. Even though there aren’t any games, there has still been plenty of MCLA news that you need to know about.
Let’s get all caught up on what’s happened since the season ended a few months ago.
MCLA Offseason News Update
Coaching Carousel
What MCLA offseason news update could be complete without a look at the coaching carousel? This offseason, much like every other, has been filled with many coaching changes. These are some of the biggest in the MCLA so far.
South Carolina: Head coach James Harkey announced he’s stepping down, which is a huge blow to the Gamecocks. Harkey was able to lead them to a 2019 MCLA Championship, and the program now enters an uncertain future. The coach wraps up his tenure in Columbia with a fantastic 75-18 record.
South Carolina elevated Peter Candela from offensive coordinator to head coach to replace Harkey. Candela spent the last four years as OC for the Gamecocks and has playing experience in semi-pro box lax and international field lacrosse with the Greek national team.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils recently announced former ASU player and offensive coordinator Justin Straker as their next head coach. Straker graduated from Arizona State in 2014 and was the OC in 2017.
Florida State: Louis Albasi has been promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach in Tallahassee. Albasi has been with the program for the past three seasons will look to use his offensive prowess to elevate the Seminoles back to the MCLA Tournament.
Conference Realignment
The Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference (UMLC) has had a busy summer. Having already added Western Michigan and Michigan State to the conference, it just announced the addition of Central Michigan as well. This move bolsters the UMLC depth deeply and makes it one of the stronger conference in the MCLA.
Another conference making waves this offseason is the Lone Star Alliance (LSA). Similarly to the UMLC, the LSA brought Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma into its fold. These schools are considered rivals in other sports, so this immediately introduces extra intrigue to these matchups for division supremacy in the years to come. Plus, it keeps some semblance of the old Big 8 together, and that means a lot to some people.
“Our Division I conference just got better and sets up natural rivalries without our subdivision,” conference director Jason Zantjer said in a press release.
Shot Clock
One of the biggest pieces of MCLA news is that it will be one of the few leagues to reject the new shot clock rule added by the NCAA. Instead, the MCLA will keep the 80-second shot clock that’s already in place.
2022 MCLA Tournament Logo
The MCLA released its new logo for the upcoming 2022 season this week. If you don’t follow the MCLA, this might not seem like much to you, but those who do will understand how big of news this is.
Having the 2020 and 2021 seasons drastically impacted by COVID-19, seeing that new emblem is a reminder that with a new season brings hopes of having one of the great events in all of college athletes: the MCLA Tournament.
Current Job Openings
As we start the fall semester, there are still some big-time MCLA jobs open. Below is a list of a few of them.
Head Coach
Texas
Colorado
New Hampshire
Humboldt State
Georgia Southern
Assistant Coach
Georgia (offensive coordinator)
Illinois
Connecticut (defensive coordinator)
Clemson (assistant head coach/future head coach)
