Over this past weekend I sat down to talk with current Concordia University men’s lacrosse head coach Ty McGuire as part of my new NAIA coaching series.
NAIA Coach Interview: Ty McGuire
Nick Zoroya: For those who aren’t familiar with your program, what year were you founded, what conference are you in, how long have you been the head coach of the program?
Ty McGuire: We are in our 4th year as a program. The program’s first season was the spring of 2016. This will be my second year as head coach.
NZ: What is your coaching background?
TM: I began coaching travel lacrosse in 2012, high school lacrosse in 2008, and in 2015 I transitioned from high school to college.
NZ: What attracted you to this school in particular?
TM: Two things that attracted me were that it’s in my hometown of Ann Arbor and that the program is In the beginning stages which allows me to build. The school values athletics and provides the support system needed for student-athletes to accomplish their goals.
NZ: What would you say is the biggest accomplishment of your program since you’ve been here?
TM: One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of is raising the team GPA from a 2.46 to a 2.97 in one year
NZ: What players are you looking to lean on this year?
TM:
- Devin Wolever, Junior, Attack
- Collin Webb, Junior, LSM
- Ryan Iles, Sophomore, Midfield
NZ: What themes or mottos is your program currently utilizing?
TM: Currently our main priority is to build and grow a brotherhood amongst our team.
NZ: What are you most looking forward to this upcoming season?
TM: Seeing our team GPA get above a 3.0
NZ: How do we improve lacrosse in the NAIA moving forward?
TM: I think that having a mandatory film share amongst members, having a bigger presence at IMLCA Convention, and creating a more consistent scholarship process across all NAIA schools to eliminate the discrepancy from school to school.
NZ: If you had just one sentence to shamelessly plug your program…..
TM: There is no program in the NAIA more dedicated to developing our players in every aspect of their lives.
Thanks Coach, and good luck to the Cardinals this season!
For more information about Concordia men’s lacrosse coach Ty McGuire and the Cardinals, visit www.concordiacardinals.com.
