First Class Lacrosse Podcast

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Deemer Class and Matt Dunn run a parent-style Q&A on the lacrosse landscape, focusing on rankings, recruiting events, and youth-sports value. They explain why rankings exist, how they can spark coach interest but rarely drive final recruiting decisions, and why late bloomers and less “flashy” positions are often undervalued; they urge families to prioritize controllables, long-term development, and goals over emotional fixation on lists. The episode then breaks down tournaments, showcases, high school team events, and college prospect days, including NCAA rules and how athletes should build summer schedules around generating “evidence” against quality competition. They also discuss rising costs and the “money grab” critique, arguing value varies by operator and sports provide rare real-world friction and accountability. Finally, they challenge messaging that sports are mainly for future careers, emphasizing fun, commitment, and emptying the tank.

Links Referenced

• Brendan Winters on Youth Sports (LinkedIn)
• Leslie Osborne Lewis on Girls In Sports (Instagram)

Timecodes
0:00 - Do Rankings Matter?
20:00 - Events & Being Recruitable
40:15 - "Money Grab" Fallacy
49:30 - Why Youth Sports Matters

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First Class Lacrosse hosts Deemer Class and Matt Dunn interview Princeton offensive coordinator Jim Mitchell about his coaching path, influences, and offensive philosophy. Mitchell describes entering coaching via a grad assistant role, how a psychology background shaped his curiosity and player-specific communication, and how he learns through conversations, books, and podcasts while balancing innovation with refining core habits. He explains Princeton’s principles-based approach—emphasizing obtainable behaviors like connectivity, deception, possession, and decision-making—supported by daily film sessions and practice design that uses constraints to create game-representative reps. Mitchell outlines how he game-plans by “bucketing” defenses and stresses high-value film focuses for players: perimeter effort and stickwork, handling pressure, and off-ball play. He discusses how defensive-coordinator experience informs accountability, highlights deception and consistency as separators for great players, and offers coaching advice centered on hard work, mindful influence, and excelling in one’s current role.

Timecodes
0:00 - Jim's Background
8:00 - Open-Minded Approach
11:00 - The Principles
18:30 - Drill Design
30:00 - How To Watch Film
34:00 - Defensive Thoughts
48:00 - Multi-Sport Athletes
54:30 - Good vs Great Players
58:20 - Coaching Advice

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On the First Class Lacrosse podcast, hosts Deemer Class and Matt Dunn welcome women’s lacrosse analyst Sheehan Stanwick Burch and longtime NCAA official Francie Box to discuss their lacrosse journeys and major 2026 college rules emphases. Box highlights increased enforcement against physicality via expanded one-minute releasable green cards, nonreleasable yellow cards for dangerous contact to the head/neck and upper back, stricter timing to speed restarts toward a two-hour broadcast window, wider access to video review, and required official headsets. Stanwick Burch and Box address confusion and inconsistency around “illegal use of the stick,” shaft/hand checks, and how green cards affect game flow versus yellow cards. They also explain key women’s rules versus men’s, including three-seconds, shooting space, charge/block standards, held whistles/flags, and advantage/non-engagement, and suggest possible refinements such as false-start penalties on 8-meter free positions and narrowing green-card scope.

Timecodes

0:00 - Intro

5:00 - Notable Rule Changes

19:00 - The Women's Game Today

25:00 - Grey Areas

42:15 - IWLCA White Paper

48:00 - What Coach's Should Teach

52:10 - Top of Mind Rules

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Deemer Class and Matt Dunn discuss the season’s increased parity in men’s and women’s college lacrosse, noting nontraditional top teams like Richmond, Harvard, Stanford, and Navy, and highlighting Northwestern’s overtime win at UNC that ended a 31-game streak, plus an upcoming Notre Dame–Richmond broadcast. They touch on how hard it is to watch games across fragmented streaming platforms and the idea of building an at-home “command center.” The conversation shifts to the overlooked “99%” of players, emphasizing sacrifices, process over outcomes, and lasting value from lessons and relationships even without elite accolades. They address today’s youth sports landscape—club expansion, private equity, and fewer rec options—urging families to avoid overcommitting and to value varied roles and local play. Dunn outlines a confidence framework (preparation minus attachment to results), reframing nerves as normal and trainable through mental skills.

Timecodes

0:00 - College Season Thoughts

8:00 - The 99% Journey

27:40 - Youth Sports Landscape

45:50 - Building Confidence

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Deemer Class and Matt Dunn open the First Class Lacrosse podcast by recapping mid-March lacrosse season context, the end of FCL’s winter training circuit across the East Coast, and Deemer’s career path from finance in NYC to coaching and building FCL, including USC and St. Paul’s. They discuss changes in athletes’ busier schedules, adding constraints-led methods, and define “coachability” through a Lake Forest clinic where players quickly applied feedback, asked questions, and did extra work. Matt updates Highland Park’s 8–1 season and upcoming spring break trip. They reflect on a Jesse Bernhardt episode about developing bench players and transparency amid transfers and NIL. The conversation covers team slumps, accountability and buy-in, trainability and multi-sport sampling (David Epstein), reinvention, perfectionism (Andre Agassi), and framing success as being the best teammate.

Timecodes
0:00 - Camp Updates
17:30 - Takeaways From Last Pod
28:30 - Slump Busting
41:15 - Trainability
56:30 - Chasing Perfection

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Matt Dunn and Deemer Class host Jesse Bernhardt on the First Class Lacrosse podcast, highlighting his background as a Maryland defensive coordinator, Team USA two-time world champion, and his PLL career. Bernhardt discusses what he would do outside lacrosse, the influence of his football-coach father—especially relationship-building, preparation, and direct transparency—and how he applies those lessons through clear role definition, availability, and structured film sessions. He outlines common freshman defensive issues like stick placement, stance, and inefficient footwork, emphasizing fundamentals as the root of most breakdowns, and explains how he designs drills despite limited offensive personnel. The episode also introduces The Approach, a two-day immersive defensive camp (July 15–16 at Chase Field House) with an added coaching clinic aimed at teaching a connected, college-style defensive system.
Timecodes
0:00 - Coaching Family
19:00 - Transparency & Routines
42:30 - Drilling Fundamentals
52:30 - Introducing The ApproachCheckout our newsletters!

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Deemer Class and Matt Dunn launch the next wave of the First Class Lacrosse Podcast, focusing on player development and strategic insights for the upcoming spring season. They reflect on past episodes featuring coach interviews and set the stage for new discussions on a variety of topics, including lacrosse techniques, recruiting, and leadership. The guys delve into the importance of shot selection, introducing the 'gold medal shot' analogy to improve scoring efficiency. They also explore the concept of Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) in training, emphasizing the importance of creating drills that solve specific tactical problems. Deemer and Matt discuss the challenges of developing defensive skills and the importance of adaptable, game-speed scenarios in practice. The episode concludes with practical advice for players preparing for tryouts, highlighting the importance of mindset, off-ball contributions, and maintaining perspective.

Timecodes

0:00 - The Future Of The Podcast

6:30 - Gold Medal Shots

36:45 - Designing Drills

1:04:00 - Approaching Tryouts

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⁠⁠Deemer Class and Matt Dunn run the two-man weave, highlighting key takeaways and reflections from season two of the college coach interview podcast series. They discuss interviews with notable college lacrosse coaches, emphasizing themes such as authenticity, the evolution of coaching, intrinsic motivation, and the significance of connecting with players. The guys also explore how coaching extends beyond the sport itself, aiming to impact athletes' lives positively. The episode underscores the importance of adapting coaching methods to modern players while maintaining core values, and employs the advantages of technology in fostering coach-player relationships.

Timecodes

0:00 - Intro

5:45 - Coaching Changes

17:30 - Creating Experiences

39:00 - Building Trust

45:30 - Relationships with Sports

55:40 - Motivation, Passion & Authenticity

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Deemer Class and Matt Dunn welcome Loyola University Maryland Head Coach Jen Adams. The discussion covers Adams' illustrious career in women's lacrosse, including her 18 years leading the Greyhounds to numerous championships and NCAA tournament appearances. Adams reflects on her upbringing in Australia, her experiences playing at the University of Maryland, and her shift into coaching. Key highlights include the importance of building team chemistry, balancing competitiveness with fun, and adapting to the evolving landscape of women's lacrosse. Adams also shares insights into the current state of the sport, the impact of rule changes, and her commitment to growing lacrosse in Australia.

Timecodes

0:00 - Background

25:40 - Coaching Styles

33:00 - Loyola Story

40:30 - Teaching Skills

50:00 - Make Practice Fun

1:03:00 - State Of The Game

1:12:30 - Legacy & Impact

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Deemer Class and Matt Dunn welcome University of Michigan men's lacrosse head coach Kevin Conry to discuss his journey and success in lacrosse. Coach Conry speaks about his career evolution from nervous beginnings at Maryland, where he honed his defensive coaching skills, to leading Michigan's program. He highlights key experiences, adapting to the challenges of coaching, and the importance of player-driven culture. The conversation delves into recruiting practices, practice habits, and the development of defensive strategies over the years. Coach Conry emphasizes the significance of authenticity in coaching and reflects on the continual growth and achievements of the Michigan lacrosse team.

Timecodes

0:00 - Intro & Background

7:15 - Defense & Player Development

38:45 - Value of Failure

47:30 - Michigan's Success

51:30 - Recruiting Thoughts

1:00:40 - Authenticity Roller Coaster

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