by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – As the Georgia Tech team went rumbling down the highway toward Oxford, Miss., in 1997, little multi-colored objects went flying out of the windows directed at the other vans in the caravan.

Ken Lovic, then a second-year grad student at Georgia Tech and newly-minted head coach of the Yellow Jackets, drove one of the vans as rubbery confections zoomed through the Mississippi afternoon.

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“We had gummy bear wars,” remembered Lovic of the trip to Ole Miss that produced the first of his 300 wins. “Basically, it was who could land gummy bears on the other vans windshields. Points were awarded for the placement and stance of the gummy bear.”

With the Georgia Tech campus in shambles in the wake of the ’96 Olympics, most of the Yellow Jackets’ games were on the road that year, which led to some shenanigans. Lovic sheepishly admits it was “clubbish” behavior, but he figured he was short-timer, heading home to Baltimore after graduation. Little did he know he’d find a job in Atlanta and start his journey towards his coaching milestone.

Playing his prep lacrosse at Loyola Blakefield, he knew some defensive concepts, but he had a lot to learn. He carried around a dog-eared edition of Bob Scott’s book Lacrosse: Technique and Tradition as a reference when needed. He enjoyed the challenge and made a commitment to building the Tech program. At least for a little while.

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“Never in a million years would I expect to still be here 27 years later,” he said.

Why did he stay? It was a blend of competitiveness and the addiction that can only be satisfied with winning. It didn’t come easy. We’re used to the Georgia Tech of the last decade, but the Wreck were barely relevant for the first half of the MCLA era.

“Lord knows in the early years it was a different time for this program,” said Lovic. “We watched the BYUs, CSUs, CUs and Michigans of the MCLA world build really strong programs. We did not take that plunge as fast as they did, but over time we found our footing in how to build this program."

Lovic was never afraid to pick the brains of his competitors. He lists John Paul, Jason Lamb, Doug Carl and Buff Grubb as coaches he tapped into to see what might work in Atlanta. Granted, recruiting to Georgia Tech is a different process than a lot of schools, but that’s the competition he craves. Heck, he won’t let his 11-year-old son beat him in HORSE.

“I hate to lose. Family games. You name it, I want to win and worked on focusing on what it would take to win.”

Lovic is still chasing his first national championship, which would obviously act as a cherry on top of his career. It could be right around the corner, but it’s more about the journey than the finish.

“Knowing how hard the first 100 was, getting to 300 is really special and shows the commitment we have from our players, staff, alumni and families.”

His 300th win over Georgia last weekend is already in the rear-view mirror. Lovic’s focus has shifted to Saturday SELC tournament first round game against Auburn. J.J. Arminio, Auburn’s head man, was on the same sideline as Lovic as an assistant at Georgia Tech, but he’ll be on the opposite this weekend.

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Arminio has piled up a bunch of wins in his young career with the Tigers, but Lovic’s advice for him – or any other coach starting his career – would be the same.

“Take the good and bad from wins and losses. It's what will drive you to get better,” Lovic said. “I was a young coach, and trust me, I enjoyed all the wins we had when I started out. I have no regrets. The best part of being old and being around, everyone enjoys the success.

“Numbers add up and it’s a cool thing, but in the end, it’s about the current and former players that had a part in it. I get to coach some amazing young men who will go on to do amazing things. I feel my job is to make the time away from academics enjoyable; make them want to be there. And to this day, so many alums credit their lacrosse experience as their top moments of being a student at Georgia Tech.”

Even if a couple of gummy bears had to be sacrificed along the way.

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GAMES I’M WATCHING

No. 17 Utah State at No. 11 Northwest Nazarene, 6:30 p.m. – Friday
I feel like both these teams are through to nationals regardless of what happens in their respective conference tournaments, but I've been wrong before. This will be a nice seeding contest for those involved. The Aggies are playing with house money on the road in a non-conference tilt, so they can let loose.

Boise State at No. 22 Oregon, 7 p.m. – Friday
This is ostensibly a preview of a PNCLL semifinal if you’re ready to concede that the other one will be Fraser against Oregon State. Pretty low stakes, but still one that I’ll be checking in on.

No. 18 Bridgewater State at No. 3 Rhode Island, 7 p.m. – Friday
Who has two thumbs and wants to watch this CLC-II championship preview? This guy. Rhode Island does not appear weakened from last year when they hung a 14-burger on the Bears, although Bridgewater is clearly a better outfit than ’23. These two are on a collision course at the CLC championship game, so this is just a nice little primer to see if the Bears can stay within shouting distance.

No. 20 Montana vs. No. 14 North Dakota State, 11 a.m. – Saturday
I haven’t run any concrete analytics, as the kids say, but it would not surprise me if the result of this game factored in seeding the D-II bracket backend teams. I wouldn’t refer to either team as toothless, per se, but they are both definitely situated firmly on the front end of the bell curve of contenders. Hopefully one of the teams takes a deep glimpse into life in Glendive, Mont. Retirement is approaching rapidly, and I’m looking for a nice, quiet spot to spend my summers.

No. 20 Cal Poly at No. 8 UC Santa Barbara, 1 p.m. – Saturday
The No. 1 seed in the WCLL tournament is up for grabs in this old school tilt. Cal Poly is looking wobblier at this point after getting worked over by Arizona last weekend while the Gauchos are starting to look more and more like a meatgrinder. The bonus for the winner is the early semifinal game in Los Gatos as both will get a bye into the semifinals. And I suppose potentially avoiding California in the semis, but both have already batted around the Bears.

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No. 5 Utah Valley at No. 11 Colorado, 1 p.m. – Saturday
Thursday’s second-place teams enter Saturday with a huge sense of urgency. The Wolverines are now on a three-game skid after bowing to Colorado State while the Buffs are just 3-2 since upsetting Virginia Tech. Not to say this is an elimination game, but the loser’s collar will definitely be feeling a little tighter on Sunday morning.

No. 25 Indiana at Purdue, 1 p.m. – Saturday
Rivalry games are better when there is something on the line. That’s certainly the case in the lacrosse version of the Old Oaken Bucket as the winner gets a bye into the UMLC semifinals while the loser tangles with Illinois in the first round. You can bet Purdue would be thrilled to ruin the Hoosiers’ perfect season, but Indiana has proven the doubters – including me – wrong all spring.

No. 21 Auburn at No. 10 Georgia Tech, 3 p.m. – Saturday
Regardless of your preconceptions, this won’t be a walkover for the Ramblin’ Wreck. Is Tech favored? Yes. Having already defeated the Tigers, 16-11, back in early Feb., and playing again at home, Tech is in the driver’s seat. Auburn will walk into Atlanta with a puncher’s chance and enough firepower to give the Jackets trouble if they aren’t sharp. Tigers coach J.J. Arminio would like nothing better than to knock off the team he formerly worked for.

No. 1 Brigham Young at No. 24 Colorado State, 4:30 p.m. – Saturday
This is the winner’s bracket game from the Thursday matchups. BYU downing Colorado wasn’t too much of a surprise, but the Rams comeback win over UVU was a big one. State was down 5-1 to start the game against the Wolverines, but then the defense bowed up in the 10-8 triumph. CSU is playing with house money in this matchup, so they should be playing fast and loose.

No. 10 Cal State San Marcos at No. 13 UC San Diego, 7 p.m. – Saturday
These two have met in the finals of the SLC tournament the last two seasons (the Cougars took both) and it’s difficult seeing it not being a preview of a third installment. The faceoff dot has always gone in favor of San Marcos and the Tritons have never been able to match the Cougars' explosiveness. UCSD will have to break the cycle at some point.

Georgia at No. 19 Florida, 7 p.m. – Saturday
In the first installment on Feb. 23, Florida blew the contest open in the second half on its way to a 15-7 triumph. Dylan Weinberg and Ethan Gerber both potted four goals apiece while the Bulldogs mustered just 18 shots on cage. UGA is playing considerably better since the midseason doldrums, so the Gators should be on notice.

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No. 12 Arizona State at Grand Canyon, 8 p.m. – Saturday
The Sun Devils probably know it, but they are going to get everything and the kitchen sink from the Lopes. This is Grand Canyon’s last shot at shoehorning their way into the SLC tourney, so they’ll be loaded up. ASU has the better offense, which might be the difference in this one. But don’t be surprised if it’s closer than you think.

No. 7 UNC-Charlotte at No. 1 Grand Valley State, 9 a.m. – Sunday
Hope you like your Bloody Marys extra spicy, because this Sunday eye-opener should bring the heat. The 49ers are meandering outside of their southeastern lair for the first time since 2019 when they went to Dallas, while the Lakers are hoping to put a coda on the regular season in style. Both teams were likely hoping for a little more pop on this excursion, but they’ll have to settle for this lone Top 10 matchup. This will be your classic high-powered offense (Charlotte) versus a lock-down defense (GVSU) – a story as old as the pyramids.

No. 6 Liberty at No. 15 James Madison, 1 p.m. – Sunday
It took three years for James Madison to get its legs underneath itself, but the Dukes have officially arrived. They still have plenty of work to do to get to the next level and that will require clearing a series of hurdles. Liberty will be one of those obstacles. Behind a balanced attack led by Connor Rice, JMU is dangerous. They’ll be going against a Flames team used to the late-season grind. The Dukes are locked into the ALC tourney, so this is a chance to let it fly.

No. 15 Dayton at Central Michigan, 3 p.m. – Sunday
Who is going to fill out the remainder of the UMLC-II bracket? Well, the winner of this one will. Normally you’d bet the farm on the Flyers, but this has been a weird year for the defending champs.

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SLIDES & RIDES
- One of the best outcomes of the 2023 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance was the knowledge that every team is in the mix. Concordia and Dayton were on no one’s radar heading into the week, but there they were at the end.

It’s easy to get caught up on the team that has put together the best resume or the one that has the easiest path to Saturday, but at the end of the day, a squad just needs to get hot for a week and take the whole thing down. I’m curious who could fit into this box when the field is selected.

- You can try to diminish rivalry games all you want, but Clemson’s 9-4 victory over South Carolina on Thursday night gives you an indication of what happens when a game means more for one team than another. The loss is more of a nuisance to the Gamecocks than anything substantial, as it might cost them a seed or two. For the Tigers, they head into the offseason with a Top 10 win over a program they love to beat. It means something.

- North Florida and Georgia Southern will duke it out on Sunday in Statesboro with a ticket to the SELC semifinals on the line. The winner will head to Jacksonville to face Florida Atlantic next Saturday at 4:30 p.m…Minnesota heads to Boston for a double-dip against BC and Northeastern. The Gophers are in tourney-prep mode after locking up the top seed out of the UMLC West.

- PEARL Goalie of the Week and Warrior Player of the Week nominations are due by noon on Monday.