Maybe one day ESPN will devote as much time talking about the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) draft as they do about the NFL or NBA's. Or maybe they'll have lacrosse trading cards, two divisions spanning the country and multi-million dollar contracts. Maybe one day.
But for now, MLL players, coaches and fans have to run with what they've got, a fledgling six team pro league tucked away from the national spotlight in the northeast Atlantic corridor. Stretching from Baltimore to Boston and in-between with teams in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Long Island and Rochester, N.Y., the summer based MLL acts as a play ground where former college lacrosse greats can relive their glory days.
Of the Virginia greats in the league, an astounding six play for the Boston Cannons, with no other team in the league employing more than two former Cavaliers. John Christmas (Virginia, 2004) is the latest Virginia addition to the Cannons while Ryan Curtis ('00), David Jenkins ('01), Conor Gill ('02), Chris Rotelli ('03) and Bill Glading ('03) have all either played a year with the Cannons or spent one with another team in the league.
With six of the 45 roster spots occupied by Cavaliers, one would have to wonder if the Boston front office has a small crush on the Virginia program.
Rotelli cites early-90's Virginia attackman Tim Whiteley's father Mitch, who coached the Cannons in 2001, as the one who attracted the initial batch of Cavaliers to Boston.
"His involvement brought a lot of former Virginia players there to begin with," Rotelli said. "It was Doug Knight, Michael Watson\ and Tim Whiteley and all three of those guys played attack at U.Va. Mitch Whiteley's involvement with the Cannons pretty much brought all three of them there right away."
While Watson and Whiteley no longer play in the league, Knight plays for the Philadelphia Barrage.
Virginia coach Dom Starsia offered another view for the success of Virginia players in the MLL and the attraction between the Cavaliers and the Cannons.
"It seems to me as if Syracuse and Virginia are two of the [college] programs whose players make the biggest impact in that league and I think we are two of the programs that do play the game a little bit more up-tempo, put some responsibility, some decision making in the hands of the players," Starsia said. "Those qualities carry over well to the professional game. Guys don't practice a lot
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