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Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal
Wednesday, July 6, 2005
It has taken me a few days to get the time to write about day four, Monday July 4, the
day before yesterday. Yesterday was a very long day for this tournament Director.
It's one of those deals where most everyone scatters like buckshot from the town of Vail
after the Championship game, leaving only some to hold the proverbial clean it up and put-it-back-the-way-it-was
bag. A very few of us are left here with a smoking gun. That's okay. We
had a great staff this year, and a lot of people helped to put on and make this 2005 edition
of the Vail Lacrosse Shootout a great one.
I don't like writing two days after the fact, but this time I had no choice.
VAIL LACROSSE SHOOTOUT ELITE DIVISION – DAY FOUR
ROCK-IT POCKET 12 – TEAM 21- 10
WELLA, WELLA THIRD, THIRD, THIRD, the THIRD IS WORD
We beat the completely Cornell team to finish third in the 2005 Vail Lacrosse Shootout.
I must admit that I never thought coming in third at anything would thrill me, but this
absolutely does. We won three of four games in the UPPER bracket. I also must
admit that yes, I have dared to dream of sitting in this lofty sort of place, but I was
never really sure if I was serious based on the Rock-it Pocket roster, which is only a "who's
who" of greats for me. To everyone else we play it is, "Who are these guys?"
or, "I hate these Club guys, whoever they are".
REDEMPTION
I would not have liked it if our semi-final loss to GMH would have been our final game.
Yes, they are better than us, but I do believe we had more to show than we did in that game
and that dismal performance. Besides, who wouldn't rather win their final game of
the season, tournament, or whatever? Winning leaves a much better aftertaste.
When we beat TEAM 21the next day, for me it sort of put us back on the map.
ONE MORE NOTE
A "good" seeding and a lucky win and a team could get to the semi-finals at Vail.
When we got spanked 13-2 by GMH it canceled our ticket to the ball (championship), and it
also perhaps brought up the question of how the hell we had gotten that far (final four
of 16-team tournament of mostly great club teams). Our Cinderella clock had struck midnight
like a gong from the Gong Show and with GMH doing the gonging honors. When we went
out the next day and beat the other team that made it to, but lost in their semi-final bid
to get to the BIG game, it meant a lot to me. That (third place) somehow signified
that yes, we somehow did belong in that lofty 4-team mix after all.
CLUBBING THE HELL OUT OF THAT CLUB MYTH
At the tournament Domino's Pizza (sponsor) prints up rosters for the Final Four Elite teams
(semifinal rosters and schedule). I looked at one of these flyers after we had finished
up the 3rd place game the other day. I was feeling much better after the
Team 21 win than I had been after the GMH game, but more on that later. I was pleased
and proud to be one of those four teams on that tournament flyer. There we were, Team
ROCK-IT POCKET, right there with the big boys. I looked closer (I'm blind and have
to get really close) for deeper meaning. GMH, the 2005 Champions, have a roster stuffed
with 23 former or current Division I players and 2 token former Division III players. The
second place team, GO FAST had 25 Division I players, and one Division III player. Five
of those players were part of this year's Division I Championship team, Johns Hopkins.
That is FIVE, and by the way, they got pretty much hammered by GMH, too, trailing 7-1 at
half before losing to the champions by only 5 or 6 goals. The fourth place team, Team
21, honors with its name a fallen teammate (killed playing lacrosse last year), and features
a team roster entirely made up of Division I Cornell players past and present.
Then there be us. We are made up of three Division I players (2 non-starters), five
from the University of California at Santa Barbara (MDIA), and 23 current and former CSUers.
I don't know what "division" we are. If you look for us in 2005 we don't
exist, remember? Only one Pocket player, Troy Ergenbright started at the level DI
(Rutgers 2001 – D). How do you like them apples?
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?
Since we began to have a team ('99?) Team Rock-it Pocket has done a little better each
year in Vail. Last year we won our last game to go 2-2 in the upper bracket of Vail
to finish seventh, and I wondered if we could still continue inching forward and upward
on our trek up the mountain and toward the stars. Now I really wonder, because there
is only one place where we can go to improve, and that is to actually play in THAT final
game. That would be no small accomplishment. Oh well, I just hope the
boys attract one or two more "studs", and that we have everyone back for the next
quest in 2006.
FIRST QUARTER - back to the game
We came out strong and I was pleased early. By the middle of the second quarter I
almost didn't care about the eventual final count because I already liked the way we were
playing, and, as I always think to myself or out loud, the rest (score) will take care of
itself. We scored two later in the period and led 2-0 after one. Mike Roth (CSU –2001
-M - #13) got one of the goals and that was a good omen for me. To have players the
quality of Mike, who finished with three goals on the morning, and Kale (CSU - M, etc. 2003
#23) as "role" players if you will, is a significant element to our team growth
and speaks volumes about them as players and teammates.
SECOND QUARTER
Team 21 got a goal right off the first face-off, but we answered with a Michael Murphy
(CSU '06 – M #9) off of a brilliant Timmy Farquhar (CSU 2006? – M- #14) feed.
With the exception of our lack of any kind of a reply for GMH, one thing we did throughout
the tournament was to often quickly"answer" our opponents goals with one of our
own. I think this is a hugely good quality for a team to have.
There was a little back and forth and a little give and take as the period went on. The
7-minute break at half would find us leading 5-4. We were getting a real good idea
of who was hurting us, but we didn't change anything much. The game was a struggle
and we were more than in it. I was having fun even though I still had no voice to
yell with.
THIRD QUARTER
TEAM 21 came out with big energy. Meanwhile we played good solid defense, but we
got lost in the offensive Sahara for a time, and once again, and were unable to score until
very late in the third quarter. Still, I liked the way we were playing and even the
way things were going. The Big Red (Cornell/Coors) scored early to tie it on a dodge
by one of their big guns named Lee (#42 - M), and then the game settled into a stalemate
until they took their first and biggest,, albeit a short lived lead at 7-5, with just over
three minutes left in the third quarter. For some reason I didn't care, and I told
Alex the goalie (#26 CSU 2003) as much. I liked the idea of coming from behind at
that particular moment. We hadn't done that as of yet.
We finally got off the third quarter Schneide with two late goals, one from Roth (#! -
M - CSU 2001) and one from Craig Nolan (Ohio State U. #7 – A –2006). Both
were beautifully assisted. Another strong element for our team this week was that
most all of our goals were assisted. In this game we had 12 goals and 10 of them were
assisted and essentially dunks. We broke down the defense by working hard without
the ball. The opposing goalie was therefore at times not a factor, and we weren't
getting fast breaks, either, the usual way to get that "one on none" situation
we all covet. We weren't that fast of a team. We (they) just worked hard and
together. That's what I'm talking about. We don't need no stinking playbook.
The Quarter ended with Team 21 leading 8-7, but with none of us worried, upset, or panicked.
Coming from behind was seeming like no big thing to us just then.
FOURTH QUARTER
With the exception of GMH, we more or less blew everyone out in the fourth quarter of this
tournament. Don't get me wrong, we were not lopsided on top of anyone. Even our first
round game was in doubt until we lit up the fourth. We can't blow most of the teams
in Vail out under even the best circumstances. There is just so mich talent there. We had
three pretty good fourth quarters out of four, however, and that's the sort of trend that
I would always want to continue.
The quarterfinal Salmon game (10-7 win) also saw us put a serious mark on the fourth quarter,
and in fact it might have been that fourth quarter against the Rebel Wear/Jammin' Salmon
when we really began to believe in ourselves and our potential, because we put it to them
at the end when it counted the most.
BIG RED VS, BABY BLUE
Both teams attacked. By the way, I liked us in baby blue, particularly Tyler Bue
(#19 CSU - M 2006). Bue in baby blue.
They (Cornell) had a lot of fans, including a large number with the last name of Coors.
We had a mid-period flurry of four goals and when the dust settled it was 11-9 for Pocket
with still 6 minutes to play. Team 21 eventually made it nail biting time again, scoring
to make it 11-10 with just 90 ticks left in the game. Our defense was stellar, however,
turning back 2 more rushes at our goal. Craig Nolan (OSU #7 A 2006) scored an "empty
netter" from Harper (#2 A CSU 2005) to seal the deal at 12-10 with only seconds remaining.
I LOVE YOU MAN
I love this team. It gets together every year for four games in the middle of the
summer. Every year we are and it is different and every year we are and it is the
same. That is what "family" is all about.
I wish I had the time to talk about everyone on this year's team in here. So much
really happened in four days. Tim Farquhar (#14 – M) and I had our usual full
blown soap opera, and then he went 0 (goals)-6 (assists) in the last game to certainly earn
that "game ball". This particular statistic is like a dream come true for
me. He is a great feeder, especially for a midfielder. Harper (#2 – A)
actually had 0-3 (assists) for the day and pointed out to me that I probably never expected
to see that in my lifetime because he is one of our "finishers".
We used the shot clock and generally managed time well during the whole tournament.
We had good body language for the most part, and we kept after "you". Our face-offs
are not where they need to be on Team Rock-it Pocket, which also mirrors a major weakness
on our CSU team right now. If you build it, he will come. Well, where the Hell is he?
All the current CSU boys did great or fine in Vail, and for me in many ways that is the
true value of Team Rock-it Pocket. These CSU "kids" find out they can play
against and hold their own (sometimes) competing with men and superstars, and that fact
can do a whole lot for their confidence. It is also a great family thing to have a
mature Ryan Ferrin (#4 CSU 2000 – M) lead, as Captain, some of this year's freshmen
or whatever onto the field of battle. The youmg ones can see, feel, and learn from
his leadership skills first hand and inside the game type intensity, and for my money that
sort of thing contributes mightily to our current CSU team.
TINY THRILLS
Our Buckeye connection of Craig Nolan (#7 OSU – A –2006) and Lance Vitt (OSU
– A – 2005) was fun to watch and high scoring. Lance made the all star team,
our first first teamer. It could have been either one of them that made the Stars. They
were of absolutely equal value to our team, that is for sure.
ANCHOR ME
Our defense held its own in all 4 games, and in spite of the 13-2 GMH thing. In my
opinion we slid as a team and played team defense pretty much as well as most of the great
teams there. We worked that team defense and we employed a lot of players to try and
keep the pressure put on our goal down to a minimum. Our defense as a whole was rewarded
after the tournament when Troy Ergenbright (D – Rutgers 2001 - #3?) was named to the
all-star team as well. In my mind, though he represents his "unit", like
Pat Coy (CSU #20 - 2001), Damon Conklin-moragne (UCSB – LSM - 2006 #8), and Kellin
Bershinsky (CSU 2006 - D - #29). Then of course there was Alex Smith (#26 G CSU 2003) the
goalie, who cleaned up several of our little defensive messes, and often made it look easy.
I love athletic goalies.
GOWCHO
I was so pleased to have five UCSB Gauchos on our team this year. We teamed up to
strike (club) a blow for the MDIA in America. Luke Wilson (#12 UCSB - A - 2005) scored
a huge fourth quarter goal for us against Cornell on a Timmy (#14 M- CSU) feed.
For me personally the whole UCSB thing this week was sort of like coming full circle. I
first got "back" into coaching all those years ago at UCSB, and then I was denied
the head job there not once, not twice, but three times in the nineties. That is what
took me from Santa Barbara (paradise) all the way to 40 miles from the Wyoming border (less
than paradise?). It took a bunch of knuckleheads like CSUers to actually be
glad to have me. In some ways I guess we all get what's coming to us in the end. Maybe
I really do belong here in Fort Collins. Either way, we now have some UCSB boys as part
of our CSU "family" and I like it.
Life is funny. Now you funny, too. Camp starts tomorrow. Ohmigod.
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