Let’s be honest. If you’re a lacrosse coach who’s logged a couple decades on the sideline, Memorial Day Weekend doesn’t sneak up on you, it calls to you. It’s church. The Final Four is where the chalkboards meet the battlefield. It's not just about who's faster, who's flashier, or who has the fanciest gear. It’s about which program can withstand the storm, and which coach built something that actually lasts.
This weekend, four teams step into that crucible: #2 Maryland vs. #6 Syracuse and #1 Cornell vs. #5 Penn State, battling it out on May 24 with the title game looming on May 26. And for guys like us, middle-aged, knees a little creaky, but still wired to the rhythms of spring practice and postgame huddles, this Final Four hits deeper.
It’s not just a tournament. It’s a reminder of where we’ve been, who we’ve met, and why we started coaching in the first place.