There are far less than six degrees of separation in the lacrosse world, if the Denver Outlaws roster is any indication.
Outlaws general manager Brian Reese, who starred at the University of Maryland, used his No. 1 pick in the Major League Lacrosse expansion draft Nov. 1 to trade for a Terrapin, Michael Howley. His second pick, A.J. Haugen, and eighth pick, Matt Rekowski, grew up in Bethpage, N.Y., hometown of head coach Jarred Testa.
Haugen, Testa and 11th-round pick Brian Langtry played together at Hofstra University. And 12th-round pick Mike La- Monica relocated to Denver to be with his fiancée, Sonia Judd, who was hired as a University of Denver women’s lacrosse assistant to coach Cathy Nelson Reese, wife of Brian Reese.
While the six-degrees game easily leads back to Reese, he’s confident the lacrosse world will continue to expand, particularly in Denver, and launch into the mainstream status it enjoys in Ontario; British Columbia; Long Island, N.Y.; and Baltimore.
“We want our players to be part of the community, teaching kids the game and growing the sport,” Reese said.
Underprivileged and minority kids will be part of the push.
“We want to put sticks in the hands of kids who haven’t had the chance to play,” he said.
With Broncos owner Pat Bowlen behind the venture, Reese said, “It’s clear this team will have the resources to act in a first-class manner.”
Bowlen, who grew to love the sport while watching his son compete for Kent Denver, promised a long-term investment.
“I’m there for it,” he said. “For the long haul.”
The metro area certainly has embraced the Colorado Mammoth, an indoor pro team that relocated from Washington, D.C., in 2003 and averages just more than 17,000 fans a game. But whether the area can support two teams is uncertain.
The outdoor field game could draw the same fans who love the hard hitting and rare stoppage of play (there’s no out-of-bounds) of the box indoor game, or it could bring in a different crowd. If both teams make money, it will serve as another sign of lacrosse’s booming appeal.
Chuck Olney, Outlaws’ director of sales and marketing, set single-game ticket prices as low as $10 with a discount coupon. Season tickets will range from $14 to $32 per game and are available at DenverOutlaws.com or 720-258-3600.
Howley, who recently moved to Denver, will be one of the in-town players conducting clinics and visiting schools.
He’ll join LaMonica and two Outlaws who also play for the Mammoth – Langtry and Scott Davidson, a face-off midfielder who just wrapped up a two-sport career at DU in soccer and lacrosse.
Rekowski, a co-captain who helped Johns Hopkins win the 2005 NCAA title, plans to move to Denver soon and already has been hired as an assistant coach at Denver East High School. He will work for Jon Barocas, who is beginning his 28th year at East, and make time for Barocas’ new position as Outlaws director of college scouting.
Several other players plan to fly in for games, including Haugen, who will stay at his home on Long Island, N.Y. The three-time John Hopkins All-American and his wife just became parents, and he recently started a new job as an insurance broker.
While the commute isn’t ideal, any expansion team could use his star power.
“He’s easily the most explosive midfielder in the league,” said Jay Jalbert, a former Long Island Lizards teammate of Haugen’s. “He still has the best shot on the run in the MLL.”
It’s easier to convince less-established players to pick up and move to Denver.
Sixth-round pick midfielder Ben Grinnell, 22, showed a penchant for the state one recent summer as a fly-fishing guide.
Seventh-round pick Tom Garvey, also 22, teamed with Rekowski on John Hopkins’ title team.
