New coach, same goal for men's lacrosse

When John Tillman took over as coach of the Terrapin men's lacrosse team last June, he knew what kind of pressure to win — from fans, media and higher-ups in the athletics department — would be present from his first day on the job.

Only a month earlier, his predecessor, longtime coach Dave Cottle had resigned despite eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances and a 99-45 record. Indeed, it was the one thing Cottle didn't do — win a national championship — that many believe led to his abrupt departure from a Terp program he had led for nearly a decade.

In a lacrosse-crazed state, Tillman has become the latest man charged with leading a program that hasn't won a national championship since 1975 back to glory. The standards for success, as he and others know, are different in College Park.

"[Former Athletics Director Debbie Yow's] the one that got rid of Dave Cottle based upon what she thought; she wanted a championship and appearances in championship weekend," ESPN lacrosse analyst Quint Kessenich said. "It's been a while since their last title, but this team has the talent and the personnel to put themselves in the hunt. It's a very strong senior class that Maryland has. It's done a lot of great things, but one thing they haven't done is perform on championship weekend."

The outside scrutiny doesn't faze Tillman. The 41-year-old coach from Corning, N.Y., puts more pressure on himself than anyone else ever could. It's his perfectionist attitude that carried him from an assistant position at Navy to coach at Harvard and now this university.

The heavy burden to succeed, Tillman said, is something he thrives on.

"I know the expectations, and if I couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have taken the job," Tillman said. "I know what it means to everybody. But the outside pressure won't be anymore than what I put on myself. I'll beat myself up more than [others] will."

Tillman understands where his new attention comes from. In a state whose official team sport is lacrosse, he knows fans and alumni are yearning for another national championship, something that's been absent from the state's flagship university for 35 years.

"It's important to the school; it's important to the state," Tillman said. "Everybody down here cares about lacrosse. If we were able to win a national championship, it wouldn't be just this group of 48 guys winning it. It would be for the state, for the school and for the alums."

The expectations to do what Cottle could not are immense for Tillman, but he believes the No. 4 Terps have the talent to make it to the sport's final weekend at M&T Bank Stadium in May. Still, as recent years have shown, there's a difference between saying and doing.

"If we do everything right, and we're there and ready, why can't we compete with everybody? Why can't we beat anybody in the country?" Tillman said. "Our guys have had their heart broken the last few years, and we're here to help them get to where they want. We keep reinforcing, ‘If your goals are that high, you're really going to have to work for it.'"

Tillman knows that when the Terps open their season tomorrow at home against Detroit Mercy (0-3), there will be some challenges to overcome. As a first-year coach, Tillman conceded he's still familiarizing himself with players and getting to know their individual strengths.

Transitional issues will only be natural, Kessenich agreed, but ultimately minor in the long run.

"Personnel-wise, it's hard to build relationships immediately," Kessenich said. "Anytime you make changes, whether it be subtle or widespread, there's going to be little landmines along the way."

For the players, the coaching changeover hasn't been much of an issue at all.

"Right from the bat, since he's gotten here, he's been great," midfielder Dan Burns said. "He's really respected the tradition that Maryland's had over the years and understanding what we've been through the past few years."

"He's very much a players' coach," attackman Grant Catalino added.

And although Tillman wouldn't go as far as to give himself that label, he said he understands why people might view him that way. As a coach, Tillman believes in letting his players play.

"As long as they're playing hard, I'll let them make plays, because to me, that's a fun way to play," Tillman said. "If they realize that I'm willing to put as much into it as they do, I think they'll respond well to it, and they have so far."

If the Terps can continue to do so, there's little doubt they'll remain among the upper echelon of the sport this year. With nine returning starters, the dominant question facing the team heading into its 2011 campaign was how well the senior-laden squad would respond to the new guy from Harvard.

According to the team, that question has already been answered. Still, the pressure to succeed — the kind Tillman is expected to address with a deep run in the NCAA Tournament — remains as intense as ever.

"He's a great guy," long pole Brian Farrell said. "The transition from Coach Cottle to Coach Tillman has been really smooth. He's been nothing but positive. … He's really on top of everything, and he's committed and focused on the Terps, which is great."

jengelke@umdbk.com