Greg Cannella
Head Men's Lacrosse Coach
University of Massachusetts-Amherst

"What I look for in a player". As a Division I Lacrosse Coach I look for many attributes, including great athletic ability, speed, skill, desire, conditioning, toughness, humility and intelligence. Ideally every athlete we recruit possesses at least some of those attributes.

As a coach, in general the first thing I look for is a good student. Someone who cares about their academics throughout high school is most likely to continue that trend in college. In the sport of Lacrosse we do not sell the dream of making a living playing professional after college.

For this reason I try to find mature student-athletes that will handle the rigors of academics and athletics. It is not an easy task considering the time commitments required for both.