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The Daily Tar Heel

M. Lacrosse: New coach's changes seen on and off _¶ eld

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Lacrosse coach Joe Breschi" in his first year at UNC works with freshman Thomas Wood after practice. Breschi and the team started the season 6-0.

Joe Breschi was brought to the North Carolina lacrosse program to win a national championship.

Eventually.

For now" he'll settle on the team's first ACC victory in almost five years — or even just a win this weekend against Notre Dame and a perfect 7-0 start to the season.

""Pressure? I had pressure at Ohio State for 11 years. There's no difference" Breschi says with a laugh.

It's just a matter of how much pressure you put on yourself and I think with us as a coaching staff — we understand expectations" but nobody has greater expectations than us.""

Breschi is largely known as the architect of the Ohio State lacrosse program" where he spent 11 years before returning to his alma mater.

There he turned a mid-level school into a consistent NCAA Tournament competitor with several key upsets along the way. That includes of course" last year's win against one University of North Carolina.

Breschi ""can't wait"" for that rematch. ""I would expect nothing but just a tremendous battle" and you know they're going to be favored going in" because they beat our tails last year.""

Note the pronoun change.

Breschi already has taken ownership of the UNC program"" and he's started by changing its entire underlying philosophy.

Practices are earlier. Community service is mandatory. Players are recognized not for scoring the most goals or assists but for acting with the best attitude or most enthusiasm.

""Coach is constantly talking to the guys about not what it takes to necessarily win lacrosse games" but how we want to be perceived and how we want to act off the lacrosse field" says assistant coach Pat Myers, who played for Breschi at OSU and who joined his Tar Heel team this summer.

We want to set the standard at North Carolina for leadership" for class for respect. And when people think of Carolina lacrosse players" we want them to think of those things.""

Breschi" a 1990 UNC alumnus was hired in July after it was announced that the previous coach of eight years John Haus would not return for another season.

Haus ran a very different program" and the team was criticized at times for what was seen as an undisciplined atmosphere and a lack of emphasis on academics.

Breschi came in with a plan to change all of that.

""When we talked with Joe" what was easy to see was that he had a vision for the program athletics director Dick Baddour says.

He could articulate the strategies that he would use whether it be from recruiting to bringing in the alums to interacting with the players. He had a prescription for success" I would say.""

First on Breschi's to-do list? Start forming those relationships" especially with his seniors.

Two weeks after he made the move" he was meeting with his players to talk about coming changes. He and his family were hosting dinners at his house throughout the fall.

All that was part of what Breschi credits as his main philosophy with his programs: creating a family atmosphere on and off the field.

""That's really what we are. It's what we're becoming" is a family senior captain Bobby McAuley says. Everyone" you've got their back — everyone's your brother out on the field and off the field.

""And that's new. It hasn't always been that way. That hasn't always been our thing.""

But it has always been Breschi's thing"" Myers says.

""He's always been a family-type guy" from the first day he recruited me to playing for him to working with him as an assistant" he says.

The new head coach knows a UNC national championship won't come in his first season — or probably even his second. After all, the program he inherited hasn't won an ACC matchup since April 10, 2004. That's first on his plate.

Everyone talks about the ACC" he says with a shrug. The program hasn't won an ACC game in four" five years. But this is a new program.""

With a new style of play — ""running and gunning.""

For months" the Tar Heel team has focused on implementing and improving an entirely new system.

Their offense focuses on speed their defense on special situations — two minutes left one goal down" extra man opportunity.

""Everything's different" McAuley says. We like to dictate the tempo of the game" and I think that we're going to do that a lot this year.""

They've started out winning six games by an average of more than nine goals and a No. 3 ranking.

And Breschi has his players prepared for almost anything any team can throw against them.

And his one goal is to see his seniors leave content with the way their UNC careers unfolded.

If that means" for them winning an ACC game Breschi will do everything in his power to make it happen as long as they put in the work" too.

""Our focus is on today and tomorrow" and if we continue to get better then the expectations at the end will take care of themselves he says.

Whether we win a national championship or an ACC championship or whatever I want these seniors to go out of here saying ‘You know what" I really enjoyed my UNC experience.'""

 

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Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.


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