Jamison Koesterer is a man torn between two loves — playing lacrosse and coaching lacrosse.
In his third professional season as the primary faceoff specialist for the Washington Stealth of the National Lacrosse League, Koesterer has carved out a niche as one of the game’s best.
The 6-foot-3 native of Cazenovia, N.Y., now living in Baltimore, won a franchise single-season record 265 draws during the Stealth’s 2010 run to the Champion’s Cup. Through five games this season, Koesterer was on pace to challenge that record by winning 86 of 143 faceoffs (60.1 percent), good for second in the league.
But in June of 2010, shortly after the Stealth’s championship-game victory over the Toronto Rock, Koesterer accepted an assistant coaching position at Johns Hopkins University, Koesterer’s alma mater and one of the premier men’s college lacrosse programs in the nation.
“It was a hard decision because if I wanted to do that, it meant that I had to leave my job with Walax and working with Fred Wilmont (CEO of Walax) and (coaching) the Starz program and playing for the Stealth. … At the time we were on cloud nine because we just won (the NLL title).”
Coaching at the collegiate level — at any level, really — is a dream Koesterer developed as director of operations for Walax, which promotes lacrosse throughout the Northwest. Koesterer conducted camps and clinics and also coached the Seattle Starz club team for the better part of two years, experiences that whet his interest in coaching.
“I really fell in love with coaching and working with kids and putting together teams and programs and competing,” Koesterer said. “That’s something I’ve always loved to do. I figured why not try and see where you can go in coaching, you might be able to create a life out of it. There’s only a few guys making a life out of playing lacrosse, so I figured I’d try my hand in coaching.”
Because the NCAA men’s lacrosse season conflicts with the NLL schedule, the Stealth placed Koesterer on the hold-out list and re-signed Bob Snider from the practice squad — meaning Koesterer will miss an indefinite period of time.
The importance of that move is that Koesterer remains the “property” of the Stealth organization. He could potentially be added to the roster late in the season if the schedules work out — although that’s a longshot.
“This was such a tremendous opportunity for him and we wanted to be as supportive as we could and work with him as much as we could,” Stealth general manager Doug Locker said.
A two-time NCAA national champion at Johns Hopkins, Koesterer said he is focused on helping the Blue Jays’ young squad realize its potential, but he definitely will miss playing for the Stealth.
He takes solace in knowing the Stealth are in good hands with new draw man Bob Snider, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Philadelphia.
“Bob Snider is excellent,” Koesterer said. “I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s leading the league in draw percentage at the end of the year. He’ll do just fine.”
Added Stealth head coach Chris Hall: “Bobby is a great draw man in his own right. He’s ready to step right in and take over where Jamison left off.
“Certainly we’ll miss not only Jamison’s expertise in the faceoff circle, but he’s just a great team guy, too, and his work ethic was huge. He did some really good things in the community in terms of coaching and clinics. I know he’s really enjoyed being here and we wish him every success at Hopkins.”
In addition to coaching at John Hopkins, Koesterer is also working with the Baltimore Lacrosse Club, but the Stealth will always be floating around in his heart and mind.
“My season’s over with the Stealth now,” he said, “and it’s eating away at me.”
For more on the NLL and the Stealth, read Mark Nelson’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/stealthblog.
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