Get to know TWHS Lady Highlander lacrosse coach, Jim Marziale

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - The Woodlands high school boys lacrosse team reached the Texas High School Lacrosse League (THSLL) State Championship game this spring but if you think they are the only game in town, you are sadly mistaken. The Woodlands Lady Highlanders lacrosse team just came off their best season ever in reaching the semi-finals of the Texas Girls High School Lacrosse League (TGHSLL) Championships.

It takes great athletes to be of the elite high school lacrosse teams in the big state of Texas but if you don't have the right coaches to mold elite players into a cohesive unit, you'll just have a team with talent that underachieves. Lady Highlander coach, Jim Marziale is the leader responsible for getting the Lady Highlanders to play to the best of their ability. In taking over as head coach in 2006 from the retiring Sandy Straup, Marziale has led the team on a steady, upward climb culminating in the team's best finish ever.

What makes the Lady Highlanders of the best four teams in Texas? Is there a difference in coaching the girls game as opposed to the boys game? These questions and more are answered in this week's Woodlands Online profile.

Meet TWHS Lady Highlander lacrosse coach, Jim Marziale.

Describe the reason your team shows improvement every year:

We do get better every year and I think it is due to many factors. In addition to great people and facilities, The Woodlands program has a "Fall" and "Spring" season and our fall season is dedicated to teaching the fundamentals of the game. In addition, girls can become part of our program as young as the 4th grade and we have a wonderful youth feeder system. Lastly, our players have built a legacy of success, and it is great to get new motivated players every year who want to build on that reputation.

What is your coaching background?

I began coaching lacrosse in The Woodlands with the boy's program in the mid 90's when my wife Alice volunteered me to be the head coach for the 5th through 8th grade program. Having grown up with the game in Lafayette, New York (fun fact, home of the Thompson Trio...their dad Jerome and I grew up together) I played lacrosse my whole life to include college and my wife really wanted me to get back into the game. Coaching the boys and being part of that youth program for a few years was a lot of fun for me. Alice and I have three daughters so when my middle daughter Michaela started the 7th grade in 2005, she wanted to play lacrosse and that is when I switched to the girl's game and I became the head coach in 2006. Promoting our program is a challenge and our number one method is really word-of-mouth, but social media has really helped folks find us and every year we get more kids coming out especially for our youth program.

Since you took over, you've had several players go on to play at the next level. Can you name a few and tell us how this is happening?

Over the years we have had a number of stand-out players go on to play at the collegiate level: Celita Gorman - Jacksonville University; Paige Gadsby - Lynchburg; Angel Thompson - Duke; Cydney Herring - Queens College; Megan McCollough - Milsap; Sophie Duchesne - University of Colorado, Cady Roberts - Presbyterian, to name a few. All these players had a common trait; they were passionate about the game and put the time in to get better. They were also all very coachable and that allowed myself and my assistant coaches to help them master the game. Don Michlin, my varsity assistant coach is also from Upstate New York and played lacrosse in high school and college and he too has a wealth of lacrosse knowledge and spends many hours teaching the game.

You were in on the beginnings of The Woodlands junior high boys lacrosse program in the 90's. Is there a difference in coaching and motivating the girls as opposed to the boys?

I have coached both boys and girls and I think anyone who has will tell you that there are many similarities to motivating competitive athletes, but there are also differences. In my opinion, the most prominent difference is girls really covet the camaraderie that comes with team sports and get a lot of satisfaction out of being part of a team/group. Team chemistry is important...its something you can't self manufacture and when you get it right in girl's lacrosse, the players take the whole concept to another level. It really makes the season fun. The counterbalance to this is getting young girls to stand out and to take risks. Young boys can make ten mistakes and do one thing right and all they focus on is the thing they did right. Girls can do ten things right and one thing wrong and all they will talk about is the thing they did wrong. As a coach, especially for girls you need to constantly reinforce that taking risks and making mistakes is how you learn and become a better player.

You have coached two of your daughters in the program. How did that go?

Yes, I've had two daughters who played for The Woodlands and both were excellent players. I really didn't have any trials in being a coach and their dad, and the credit for this all goes to them. Both Michaela and Sophie understood that I was their dad at home and their coach on the field, and that adherence to my expectations were magnified for them being the coach's kid. It was really a special time being able to coach my kids and to experience some truly special moments with them playing lacrosse. I'll remember these great times forever.

In regards to the mechanics of the boys and girls game, describe the differences. Any rules you'd like to do away with or any you'd like to add?

Though the stick skills are the same, the girls game is more closely related to the game of basketball, especially from a defensive perspective. The girls game has rapidly changed over the last fifteen years and some say this is due to the crossing over of experienced mens players into coaching the women's game. The most prominent example being Gary Gait, Head Coach of Syracuse Women's Lacrosse Team. Minus the physical contact, today you see girls performing the same athletic and creative moves that their boy counterparts perform. As a coach, I have witnessed the athleticism and strength of the girl athletes improve every year. Rule wise, I would like to see US Lacrosse institute a non stalling rule in the girls game. Today, we do not have one and eliminating a team from being able to stall will greatly improve the game.

Marziale does not come lacking in credentials. Often times in Texas, you'll see boys and girls programs being coached out of necessity by a parent who knows nothing about the game of lacrosse. That does not describe Marziale at all as he played for Army from 1981-1984 as a starting midfielder. While he was there, Army was in the Top-10 and made the NCAA Tournament every year culminating in a semi-final appearance in 1984.

"I got my first stick from the Onondaga Indian Reservation when I was six years old", Marziale beamed. "During my playing career I was blessed to be coached by three hall-of-fame coaches."

If you'd like to know more about The Woodlands girls lacrosse program, click here.