The 12th Annual Father Marco Cup is a little more than 48 hours away. We sat down with St. Louis University High School Head Coach Tyler Gilbert, who will be particpating in his first ever Father Marco Cup. Admission this year is free and a BBQ will be available for $10.
TG: The lacrosse climate here in St Louis is very similar to that of Los Angeles. Lacrosse is growing exponentially and the competition and talent is getting better and better every year. There is nothing drastically different stylistically that I can't point to based on geography but the talent is tantamount.
PS: You invented the Player Performance Index better known as PPI what does this statistic evaluate, how did it come about, and are you putting into play at SLUH?
TG: We live in a world of analytics and instant feedback but we don't see much of it in lacrosse. While nothing can replace the good old eye ball test I just started thinking how cool it would be to have a tangible way to gauge a players skill level. We combine a player's athletic measurables and their lacrosse aptitude by a gamut of position-specific testing to get a player score. Players can compete with their peers, supply their score to recruiters, and chart their personal progress. It's geared at off season skill training so we will start it up at SLUH this summer!
PS: With the loss of senior attackman Pat Durnien who are you looking for to step up and take charge of your offense?
TG: Losing Durns was a big loss. He is a very talented player but also one of our captains and emotional leaders of the team. We're not looking for anyone to take charge per say; we just need guys to buy into the system and collectively step up. Luckily we have a lot of talent at the attack position and it's a "next man up" mentality.
PS: You have arguably the top two specialist's in the state with senior goalie Jack Perryman and fellow senior, face-off man Pat Broughton. How have they been able to impact your team this season?
TG: They have been huge for this team for a few years now. I feel lucky to be here at SLUH for their last season as well as the rest of our talented senior class. Specialists play such consistent "x-factor" roles so to have Pat consistently win as many faceoffs as he does and Jack make saves that most goalies just don't make is a huge luxury for our squad.
PS: Not being a St. Louis native have your players and alumni helped you understand what the Father Marco Cup stands for and how much it means to both communities on and off the field?
TG: Yes definitely. Father Marco is such a beloved figure at SLUH and he's the perfect figure head for such an event! It will certainly be a great day of lacrosse but for both schools to come together and raise substantial sums of money for charities is a really special thing. I feel honored to be a part of it and can't wait for Saturday!
PS: Playing for the vaunted Episcopal Academy what are some memories from rivalry games back in the day?
TG: I actually played at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA and our rivals were St Stephens School and Woodbury Forest School. Before that I went to Haverford who is rivals with Episcopal Academy. Those rivalries seem similar to SLUH and Desmet or MICDS- bitter and intense on the field but friendly and sportsman-like off the field.
PS: Gotcha. Lastly what is the ultimate goal for your program this year?
TG: Our main goal is to develop and evolve as players and people. We want to prepare our frosh and jv teams to play at the varsity level and we we want our varsity to set the tone for the rest of the program. We've focused on immersing ourselves in the process and we have a list of goals that we strive to accomplish every day, but our 15 seniors let me know very quickly after I got hired that their goal was to win a state championship so I'll do all I can to help them achieve that ultimate goal.
Thank you to Coach Gilbert. Be sure to come out to SLUH Saturday to watch some fantastic lacrosse and help support three phenomenal charities. Stay tuned for tomorrow mornings game day preview.
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