Homegrown Lacrosse

Jim grew up in Garden City, New York and now lives in Minneapolis. He is the Associate Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator at the University of St. Thomas and is also the Offensive Coordinator at The Blake School. While he's been a coach at St. Thomas, Jim's team has won the 2009 and 2010 MCLA Division II National Champion team titles. Jim has coached 15 MCLA All-Americans, has made three appearances in the MSHSL State Tournament, has made two appearances at the MBSLA State Tournament, has coached ten High School All-Americans, and serves as a coach for Minnesota Elite Lacrosse.

Athletics in general, but especially lacrosse, have played a large role in Jim’s life. Jim strongly believes that he has learned as much on the lacrosse field as he has in the classroom. Jim has had many opportunities to play for some great coaches and feels that if he can make even half the impression (on the players)  that his coaches made on him, he is successful as a coach. From lacrosse he has learned about leadership, goal setting, accountability, hard work, respect, and most importantly, teamwork. Jim knows that some of his best attributes were learned on the lacrosse field.

When asked about his love of coaching, Jim explains there are two main things that keep him coming back: “One is that coaching gives me the ability to stay competitive despite the fact that my body is falling apart!  The second is the kids (young men). I have been lucky enough to be a part of three programs (Mahtomedi, Blake, and St. Thomas) that have intelligent, gifted, and hard working student-athletes. The players make the experience for me.” Jim loves transition drills, "There’s nothing better than teaching a team how to ‘run and gun.’"

Choosing to be on the Homegrown staff because he understands and values that Homegrown is not about creating a lacrosse culture that is flashy or focused on superstars. Instead, Jim says, "Homegrown is about fundamentals, being a grinder (hustling), and most importantly, being smarter than your opponent."

Tidbits: Jim is the type of guy who will eat just about anything, except 'sammies' from Adelphi Deli. He would be interested in traveling to Thailand and his favorite gadget is his iPad.