Coach Kevin Green founded the Dragons Lacrosse Club three years ago with a group of parents to ensure that local talent had the opportunity to play more games at a higher level of instruction.
In the middle of the lacrosse hotbed of Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and a short two hours from the formidable lacrosse mecca of Long Island, the Dragons are becoming known on the East Coast for their disciplined play and teamwork.
It is a reputation that has helped them grow from one 9-and-under team with 17 players to five teams with 119 players encompassing all of the boys' youth categories in three short years. Parents, players and other coaches in the Dragons Lacrosse Club credit the Dragon's growth and reputation to Green and his vision.
Green hopes that means Delaware’s top lacrosse players are less likely to leave the state to play for a travel or select program.
The Dragons already have a high school girls' program. Next year, the club will look to create one for boys, as a lot of the U15 players this year are entering high school and will not be able to play in the youth divisions, he said.
At Dragon lacrosse, first and foremost the club tries to open up as many opportunities for any child who wants to commit to learn and make himself a better lacrosse player, regardless of skill level, Green said. They are taught by some of the best parent-volunteer coaches in Greater Wilmington and Cecil County, Md., he said.
“Our boys are taught how to play the game, not just scooping and throwing the ball,” he said.
He also wants local players to have the continuity enjoyed in places like Long Island and Maryland, where players are together from kindergarten through high school. For instance, it is no accident that the Dragons’ U11 team was the most successful this summer, Green said. Its players have been together for the longest and they played in five tournaments this summer, going undefeated in the Lax Splash Tournament in Baltimore before it was called due to the weather, and making the semifinals and finals in the other four.
Green coaches the U11 team directly, a group he’s guided since it was a U9 team. If he’s not coaching the U11 team, he’s at the U15 and U13 and the girls games, and he directs the training clinics.
Green, 44, has been playing lacrosse for 31 years. He played for West Chester [Pa.] Henderson High School and for division I C.W. Post at Long Island University.
“My philosophy is coaching to give every athlete the best opportunity to excel and compete at the highest level that they are physically and developmentally able to do,” he said. “Also, every child who wants to learn this game holds a place in my heart. That’s why we’re not exclusive.”
Often, however, parents’ and players’ introduction to his coaching style is abrupt.
“The first thing I tell parents is, ‘I’m going to be loud. But you have to understand I’m dealing with young children. If I’m not loud and their eyes don’t look at me, they’re not paying attention to what I’m teaching them,’” he said. “Sometimes, I do coach on a higher level than the age level I’m coaching at the time. But they respond to it.
“They are children and at the end of every practice, I pull them in. I tell them, ‘I know I’m hard on you but you have to know I love each and every one of you and respect you for being out here and working hard.’”
Matt Higgins of Newark competed for the U13 team, and Alex Miller of Northeast, Md. competed for the U11 team this summer.
“He makes a point to be really connected with all the players, to make sure we’re a big family,” Higgins said. “He yells a lot but he’s telling us what to do.”
“He yells for good reason,” Miller said. “He’s making us improve a lot throughout the summer. He’s a very good coach. All of them are.”
“He’s a yeller. I love it,” said Michael Elentrio of Middletown, whose son Luke played for the U13 team.
Paul Salvo of Newark has two sons, Griffin and Carson, playing in Dragon Lacrosse. As an assistant varsity football coach at Salesianum, Salvo appreciates the way Green runs things.
“We go to tournaments and we’re in the championship game, semifinals every tournament,” he said. “I don’t know much about lacrosse but I know a lot about coaching. And I can tell that they’re there because coach Green knows what he’s doing and knows how to get the most out of these kids.”
U13 coach Tom Magnani of Bear said Green is very passionate about the sport and the kids.
Magnani was born and raised in Long Island, where he played lacrosse for Fairfield High School and he went on to play lacrosse for the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. His younger son James played for the Dragons’ U13 team, and his elder son T.J. is the starting goalie for St. Mark’s High School.
“What everyone sees is him yelling at kids going up and down [the field]. What they miss is the one-on-one interaction," Magnani said. "When a kid comes off the field, whether he did good or bad, coach Green goes and puts his arm around him and talks to him behind the line. He’s a teacher by nature.”
For more information on Dragons Lacrosse Club, send an-e-mail to dragonlaxde@aol.com or visit the Web site at www.eteamz.com/DragonLacrosseClubDe/.
