TERPS GET THEIR TILLMAN

Former Harvard coach John Tillman is the new Terrapin men's lacrosse coach, the Athletics Department announced yesterday.

Tillman signed a seven-year deal with the school, ending a whirlwind coaching search that began after former coach Dave Cottle stepped down late last month.

"It was a pretty short window," Tillman said of his decision. "It certainly wasn't something that started two weeks ago or three weeks ago. … It's kind of taken myself by surprise. It went from ‘A' to ‘Z' very quickly."

Cottle resigned from his post May 23, a day after a 7-5 loss to Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals left the Terps just short of a Final Four appearance for the third straight season.

Following quickly on the heels of Cottle's resignation, three names emerged as candidates for the position: Bryant coach Mike Pressler, Cornell coach Jeff Tambroni and Syracuse women's coach Gary Gait. All three eventually withdrew their names from consideration for the vacancy.

The Terps soon narrowed their search to Tillman and Virginia associate head coach Marc Van Arsdale, with Tillman the top candidate. After being offered the job, Tillman said he needed to decide whether he could leave the Harvard program as a work in progress to pursue the opportunities a job in College Park presented.

"You want to leave the place better than you found it," Tillman said. "But I feel that we have done that. If you're going to judge us just by wins and losses, you might not see that. But as a coach, there are a lot of things that go into play that are not in terms of wins and losses."

During three seasons at Harvard, Tillman led the Crimson to a 20-19 record. Despite a mediocre 6-6 record last season, Harvard won eight games in 2009, the team's highest win total since 2002.

Tillman also brings a reputation as a successful recruiter. His last recruiting class at Harvard was rated No. 3 in the country by Inside Lacrosse.

"John is a man of integrity and a tireless worker who has the ability to attract the very best student-athletes to College Park," Athletics Director Debbie Yow said in a press release.

Hefty expectations will accompany Tillman's arrival. The Terps have made the NCAA Tournament in 18 of the last 20 seasons, but have not won a national title since 1975.
Persistent postseason struggles contributed to Yow's decision not to renew Cottle's contract after an otherwise successful nine-year tenure. He won 99 games with the Terps and earned eight straight NCAA Tournament berths, but never reached the national championship game.

Tillman said he is not worried about the pressure.

"No one's going to put bigger expectations on the program that I'm at than myself," Tillman said. "I know everyone has high expectations at every program, but mine are always higher."

A 1991 graduate of Cornell, Tillman spent 12 seasons as an assistant under coach Richie Meade at Navy. He became the head assistant coach and offensive coordinator before the 2002 season and helped guide the Midshipmen to four straight Patriot League titles and NCAA Tournament appearances from 2004 to 2007 before taking the Harvard job.

He also played professionally in the National Lacrosse League for local clubs Baltimore Thunder and Washington Power.

Tillman said he had not made any staffing decisions, explaining he needed to further evaluate his situation with his assistants at Harvard as well as those in College Park.

Tillman won't have the same rebuilding project he had on his hands when he ventured north to Cambridge, Ma., three years ago. The Terps appear to have a ready-made starting lineup, losing only starting goalie Brian Phipps and faceoff specialist Bryn Holmes to graduation. Senior attackman Will Yeatman could also apply for another year of eligibility. All told, at least eight starters from last year's top-five squad would return.

"I have to really compliment Dave Cottle and his staff for what they've done and what's there — the young men who are in the locker room, in terms of their character, dedication and commitment to the program and to each other," Tillman said. "I think there's a lot of diverse parts, which makes you actually excited because of all the different things you can do with a group like that."

kyanchulis@umdbk.com