Podcast: BC High coach Marcus Craigwell on culture, close calls

On this episode of the "Chasing the Goal" podcast, the guys are joined by BC High (Mass.) coach Marcus Craigwell. (Dave Arnold/NELJ)

On this episode of New England Lacrosse Journal’s “Chasing The Goal” podcast, hosts Kyle Devitte and Owen Hart are joined by BC High (Mass.) head coach Marcus Craigwell.

Craigwell began playing lacrosse at Weston (Mass.) High School before taking a PG year at Kent. He went on to play college ball at Hobart. He began his coaching career with Metrolacrosse before moving on to Wayland (Mass.) High School.

After a successful stint at Wayland, Craigwell was named the head coach at BC High in 2019. In this pod, he shares his experiences with winning and losing championships, explaining how emotional and intense these games can be for both players and coaches.

The episode also highlights the importance of having a strong youth program and the role of consistent coaching in building a successful lacrosse culture.

Watch the full podcast below on YouTube. It’s also available on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoy it, please leave a rating and a review. Watch more episodes on the Chasing the Goal podcast channel.

Here are some excerpts from the pod.

Kyle Devitte: I was telling Owen, ‘I think (Craigwell) hates me because I’ve covered all the (MIAA) championships, and every time I’ve had to ask him questions right after a very close loss, and he has this look in his eye like he’s gonna murder me. But I’m not sure if that’s personal or if it’s just the moment.

And I feel bad doing that. Doing it covering college, they are used to it. But sometimes, with high school coaches, regardless of the moment … I am (a high school coach), so I understand that the emotional impact of a game that is so intense. The connection you have with your players when they’re younger, I feel, is deeper. Is that something that you’ve experienced? 

Marcus Craigwell: I would say you never forget your high school experience, right? So when the seniors, when it’s their last game, you know that as a coach. That’s it. And they’ll be reflecting on that for the rest of their lives. Of what they could have done better. And I think as a coach, when you bring your team all the way to that moment, you just want them to put on their best performance. And when they come up short, that’s the toughest part. 

Kyle Devitte: The hardest thing is tamping down the emotions. That’s got to be the hardest thing for everyone. 

Marcus Craigwell: I would say for us, (the hardest) was probably the 2023 championship (a 16-14 loss to St. John’s Prep in the MIAA Division 1 final). We were going into the fourth quarter up four goals. Momentum was in our favor, and then everything that could have happened wrong happened. And it just built up. Every single mistake, Prep capitalized on and turned into a goal — every single one. That’s one of the ones where I thought we were well-deserving of a championship. But like you said, if we looked at the turnovers, they weren’t forced turnovers, right?

@TheKyleDevitte
kyle.devitte@laxjournal.com

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