From the podcast: the Diantgikis brothers on the coaching grind

Brothers Chris, left, and George Diantgikis joined the podcast to talk about their journey to being college coaches. (Seamans Media)

On this week’s episode of New England Lacrosse Journal’s “Chasing The Goal” podcast, hosts Kyle Devitte and Jack Piatelli welcomed Merrimack assistant coach Chris Diantgikis and Bentley assistant coach George Diantgikis to the Seamans Media studio. 

The two brothers hail from Peabody, Mass., and both attended Dowling College. Chris went on to win a national championship at Dowling in 2012, the year after George graduated. Chris then went on to be an assistant coach at Merrimack for both of their Division 2 national championships. George coached at Wentworth before joining Bentley this fall.

The two brothers started from similar places, and have a wealth of playing and coaching experience. They are both making an impact at their programs with their team-first mentality.

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This podcast is sponsored by the University of Nebraska High School and the NCAA. For more information on UNHS, visit highschool.nebraska.edu/nelj. For more information on the NCAA championships, visit https://www.ncaatickets.com/sport/mens-lacrosse. 

Jack Piatelli: George, you’re the defensive coordinator at Bentley. Tell me a little bit about your defense and what players you look for. What makes a good defenseman excel at Bentley?

George Diantgikis: Team defense is a big thing for us. IQ is another big thing for us. We like to have a “next man up” mentality. As a team, we just want to have that as a defensive unit on- and off-ball. We want to communicate through everything and that comes from the goalie down to the far-side defensive middie.

I try to help that, being a goalie myself. That’s where I tried to make myself different. You know, maybe not always make the save, but always communicate where the ball is and what we’re going to do with it. Talk through everything and we want to put the right guys on the field that are going to play. Maybe not always — it’s going to sound weird — not always the best guys, but the right guys, the right group of kids out there, the right group of young men that are going to play and help the team succeed.

Kyle Devitte: I want to spotlight more assistants because the struggle as an assistant is real, whether you’re full-time or part-time. It is a different battle, but it’s a battle. 

Chris Diantgikis: Every day you just do what you can to try to support the program, the team, your head coach — whatever it may be. I mean, I started out as a volunteer at Merrimack, making no dollars and trying to find jobs and things in the summer and whatnot. Because, I like to think that sometimes when you start off coaching, you’ve really got to bet on yourself. You have got to really bet on, “I can do this. I want to do this.”

I was fortunate enough to be brought into a culture in a program that will support me and help me get to where I need to be. And Coach (Mike) Morgan has done a phenomenal job at Merrimack — and with great assistants, historically. But it is a grind. The grind from volunteer movement up and then doing operations and then, now, assistant. I feel for a lot of the guys that, you know, go work the 9-to-5 and try to help convince the head coach that practice should be at seven so I can get there and whatever may be. … I mean, those guys grind.

@TheKyleDevitte
kyle.devitte@laxjournal.com

“Chasing the Goal” podcast is brought to you by the 2022 NCAA Lacrosse Championships and the University of Nebraska High School. 

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