Attackman of the Year, League MVP, Championship Game MVP, League Champion. That is the list of the awards that Whipsnakes Attackman Matt Rambo took home during the 2019 season; it was the best year of his career. But despite all of the accolades, Rambo isn’t satisfied. Each season, each game, each day he strives to be better than the one before. Paul and Matt discuss how the champion’s mindset led to such a successful season and how it transcends through the Whipsnakes locker room. They also discuss some of his biggest moments during the 2019 season, college recruiting, why he (a kid from Philly) chose to play at Maryland, and the Whipsnakes attitude heading into 2020. 

Please rate, review and leave a question that you would like us to ask an athlete on future shows. Let us know your favorite bits from the episode by tagging us at @UnbuckledPod and you can follow Matt on Instagram and Twitter @rattmambo. Enjoy the show!

Jerry Ragonese is not just a faceoff specialist for the Redwoods. He’s the owner and co-founder of ProAthletics, an apparel manufacturer that specializes in producing lacrosse uniforms. Yet in the wake of COVID-19, Ragonese found his business ground to a halt. 

So he pivoted - leveraging his sewing machines, skilled workforce and production capabilities to sew face masks in his facility in southern California. Since then he’s produced tens of thousands of face masks, including the ones sold by PLL today.

Jerry and Paul dig into the origins of ProAthletics, the evolution (and controversy) surrounding the faceoff position, and how Jerry once faked an allergic attack to find out a recipe.  

You can get your very own PLL Face Mask at shop.premierlacrosseleague.com where all proceeds will be donated to Feeding America. Please rate, review and leave a question that you would like us to ask an athlete on future shows. Let us know your favorite bits from the episode by tagging us at @UnbuckledPod and you can follow Jerry on Instagram and Twitter @flowgo37. Enjoy the show!

Scott Rodgers used to drink protein shakes every morning and night as a young kid to bulk up. A football player from Long Island and the son of a Marine, Rodgers’ blue collar work ethic has driven his successful career. After a record breaking career at Notre Dame, Scott became a dominant force and face in pro lacrosse. Heading into the inaugural PLL season he was expected to start in the net for Atlas, yet a freak combination of illnesses during Training Camp sidelined him for Week 1. 

In this interview, Scott discusses his disciplined upbringing, how he started playing goalie and what he defines as a great teammate and leader. He also explains why he doesn’t consider himself a “Notre Dame guy” and how he views coaching Gen Z.

Please rate, review and leave a question that you would like us to ask an athlete on future shows. Let us know your favorite bits from the episode by tagging us at @UnbuckledPod and you can follow Scott on Instagram @scottyrodg42. Enjoy the show!

Eleven. That’s the number of points that Will Manny scored against Atlas in Philadelphia, setting the record for most points in a PLL game. The Long Island native talks about being underrecruited in high school, getting cut from Team USA and why he started to play loose at the end of the season. Manny, who is now an Assistant Coach for Utah, was interviewed shortly after the Utes had their season cut short by coronavirus. He talks about dealing with the new reality, how he’s using his time heading into the summer and his longterm lacrosse career goals.

Fun fact? Manny reveals that Paul assisted his first career professional goal.

Please rate, review and leave a question that you would like us to ask an athlete on future shows. Let us know your favorite bits from the episode by tagging us at @UnbuckledPod and you can follow Will on Instagram @willmanny1. Enjoy the show!

Jarrod Neumann picked up a lacrosse stick for the first time during his senior year of high school. Fast forward eight years, and he’s coming off a highly decorated PLL season where he was the Defensive Player of the Year and All-Pro. The founding member of the “Bomb Squad” a crew of Chaos teammates known for scoring two-point goals (aka “bombs”), Neumann won the Fastest Shot competition at All-Star weekend with a 115mph rocket. 

In this episode, Neumann tells his unlikely story, talks about his competitive drive and his unique approach to practice.  Please rate, review and leave a question that you would like us to ask an athlete on future shows. Let us know your favorite bits from the episode by tagging us at @UnbuckledPod and you can follow Jarrod on Instagram @jneu_88. Enjoy the show!

Moments before the start of their first game, Tim Troutner found out that he was going to start for the Redwoods. As a 4th round draft pick, Troutner didn’t expect to get the nod, but with the trust of his coach and teammates, he was determined to make the most of the opportunity. Over the next 3 months, Troutner did just that - leading the Redwoods to the inaugural Championship with a dominant 57.1% save percentage. In this fast paced interview at Ticketmaster Studios, Paul and Tim talk about what makes the Rookie of the Year tick, Troutner’s infamous trash-talking and what he defines as a good teammate. He also reveals which player’s shot is the hardest to save, how he learned to use the shot clock to his favor as the season went on, and what went through his mind in the final moments of the Championship.

Please rate and review and leave a question you’d like us to ask an athlete on future shows. Let us know your favorite bits from the episode by tagging us at @UnbuckledPod and you can follow Tim on Instagram @timothytroutner. Enjoy the show!

Connor Farrell did not have a typical journey to professional lacrosse. In fact, he only played lacrosse in college because he lost a bet to his roommate. A 4th round draft pick and a full PLL season later, Connor has become one of the biggest stars in the league. Paul and Connor hop on into the Ticketmaster Podcast Studio to talk about his rise to professional lacrosse, what makes a great faceoff athlete, how he plans to improve for the 2020 season, and of course, his love for milk - a gallon a day type of love.

Please rate and review and leave a question you’d like us to ask an athlete on future shows. Let us know your favorite bits from the episode by tagging us at @UnbuckledPod and you can follow Connor on Instagram @connorfarrell25. Enjoy the show!

While the inaugural PLL season was in full swing, Rob Pannell was watching from afar. Considered one of the best players on the planet, Pannell was locked into a multi-year contract with the MLL (02:35-10:16). Over a glass of 1942 tequila, Rob talks about how he wanted to join the PLL (11:51-19:54), why he only considers a few players “great” in the league (32:31-35:05) and his mindset heading into the 2020 season (20:31-25:12).

Rob also makes it clear - he’s now the fittest in the league (38:50-42:09).

Please rate and review and leave a question you’d like us to ask an athlete on future shows. Let us know your favorite bits from the episode by tagging us at @UnbuckledPod and you can follow Rob on Instagram and Twitter @robpannell3. Enjoy the show!

Romar Dennis is armed with the speed, strength and height to make him a scoring threat anywhere on the field. Yet despite dominating in college and early in his pro career, he struggled in his inaugural PLL season, averaging only 2 shots per game and scoring only 6 points. During this deep conversation, Paul and Romar discuss the challenges of his 2019 season, how his dad played in the Yankees farm system and the questions he gets asked as a minority in the sport.

**Five days after the podcast was recorded, Romar was traded to Atlas and will share a midfield line with Paul in 2020.

Please rate and review and leave a question you’d like us to ask an athlete on future shows. Let us know your favorite bits from the episode by tagging us at @UnbuckledPod and you can follow Romar on Instagram @romardennis. Enjoy the show!

Alex Aust is an Attacker for the WPLL Pride and Team USA. Since winning a National Championship at Maryland, Aust has transformed herself into a health and fitness influencer and one of the most dominant players in women’s lacrosse. In this intimate conversation, Paul and Alex discuss their shared first-love for basketball (09:03-11:13), winning and losing National Championships (17:46-20:56), the challenges and pressures of being a female athlete (26:19-32:15), and the future of women’s lacrosse (41:17-50:43).

Please rate and review and leave a question you’d like us to ask an athlete on future shows. Let us know your favorite bits from the episode by tagging us at @UnbuckledPod and you can follow Alex on Instagram @alexaust_. Enjoy the show!