Nov. 17, 2007

It's usually around this time of year when I take a look at the have-nots. Figuring there will be plenty of time and space to illustrate the top-tier programs in the spring, I dedicate a little time to the teams you will probably not be hearing from in '08.

As I perused the men's D-3 landscape there were two teams that failed to post a win last year. One was Immaculata, which finished with an 0-11 mark. The Mighty Mac's were in their inaugural season, so no shame in that.

The other was Hood College in Frederick, Md.

Hood's a slightly different story. The 2007 campaign was the Blazers' third as a varsity program and it marked the third-straight season in which Hood failed to record a victory. And that's not even the extent of Hood's travails.

During that trio of winless years, Hood has burned through three coaches. Just a couple of weeks ago, Eric Shultz, the most recent coach, submitted his resignation, leaving the program again without a leader as it resumes its quest for the first victory.

Besides a couple of recruiting classes, the overall condition of the Hood program is basically at the same point it was in 2004 when the decision was made to start up the whole thing. Certainly not the linear development one would hope for.

Do we need to point the dirty end of the stick at someone for this lack of development?

When you take into consideration the obstacles the Hood athletic department had to overcome, we should be thanking Hood for giving lacrosse a shot.

It was just 2003 when Hood made the decision to drop its women-only mantra and transition to a co-educational institution. Because of the addition of men and the subsequent doubling of the student body population, the Blazer athletic department had to add seven men's sports quickly in order to satisfy Title IX - a federal mandate typically utilized to keep women's opportunities in line with enrollment proportions.

Regardless, the rapid growth put a strain on a budget already taxed by poor endowment numbers (thus the decision to go co-ed). As is typical in the land of D-3, the athletic department was at the bottom of the funding trickle, but Gib Romaine, the Hood athletic director, opted to add lacrosse even though he wouldn't be able to give it the kind of funding and full-time staff enjoyed by the rest of the Capital Athletic Conference, of which Hood is now a member.

Part-time coaching is a tough sell. In this age of intensive recruiting in all divisions, it's a near impossibility to do everything necessary to field a competitive team. Either the coach is putting in hours he is not getting paid for or many of the imperative issues aren't being addressed. But it's a fact of life for Hood. The institution simply can't afford to go full-time a this point.

"Part of our master plan in athletics as we went into a co-educational institution was gradually bringing full-time staff on," said Romaine. "All the schools we've talk to about integrating a co-educational institutional, that was the big thing. Getting a full-time staff helps you in recruiting and helps you in retention.

"Each year I've been fortunate to add some staff as they allow me to budget-wise. I haven't been told what our budget will be next year, but hopefully we'll be able to get more on full-time staff. My goal is to have everyone full-time who are coaching large-team sports."

The Blazers have had to suck it up for the past three years, taking some serious poundings on the field while trying to break in new coaches on a too-frequent basis. However, the tide appears to be turning. And it starts with their newest coach - a guy who will view coaching lacrosse as a welcome diversion from a taxing workday.

Eric Dummann was the assistant coach under Shultz and was the no-brainer pick as the new head man for the Blazers in the eyes of Romaine.

"When that position opened up again I did not hesitate; I went to my president and I said I know who I want to hire," said the AD.

A former club player at West Virginia University, Dummann knows the sport and is a solid recruiter, but he has a full-time position in the behavioral support division at Gaithersburg High School, where he must work with some seriously troubled youngsters.

"I've got some tough eggs," Dummann admitted.

In addition, Dummann is also pursuing his Master's degree in athletic administration at McDaniel. With that much on his plate, he had to figure out if this was the right choice.

"It took about five days to really think about it," he said. "It's not a full-time position and a team that large pretty much needs full-time attention, but you can only give it what you can. I want to be a coach full-time, so I had to jump on the opportunity."

The players and their parents have reacted well to Dummann's hire, according to Romaine, and he has two years invested in this program, allowing him to provide as seamless a transition as possible.

It still isn't going to be easy, though. There are only 27 players on the fall roster and 14 of those are freshmen. There are no cupcakes on the '08 schedule as Hood, unfortunately, is everyone else's cupcake. In addition to their stiff CAC slate, which includes a road trip to Salisbury (ouch), the Blazers will travel to Lynchburg and Roanoke for non-conference tilts.

Alas, there's lacrosse at Hood College, and that's a good thing. Romaine and the administration took a chance, knowing full well it wasn't going to be a pretty situation at the beginning. The full money won't be there for a couple more years, but the potential is there now -- the Hood men's basketball team managed to win the regular season title in the CAC in just its second year.

Fortunatley, Romaine is smart enough to know that Dummann won't be judged on wins and losses as the growth process continues.

"Of course you want to win, but you've got to be progressing," said Romaine. "Part of the progression is creating more numbers through recruiting, especially in lacrosse. Increase the numbers and gradually get better. We want to be competitive, but not at all costs. As we grow, we'll get better."

"We're looking to just crack the egg first," said Dummann about the future of the program. "Our goal is to win between three and six games this year. The potential is there. If I can just get some kids year after year, one or two who could contribute, I think we can definitely move up the ranks."

Contact Jac Coyne at jcoyne@uslacrosse.org.