Over the last year as BOTC Industries was preparing to launch
www.backofthecage.com, there were several important news stories from the lacrosse world that were worth remembering.
- None was more important or heart-wrenching as the real-life tragedy that unfolded at the University of Virginia as the Women's Lacrosse Team suffered a tremendous blow with the murder of Yeardley Love in May at the hands of the Cavalier's George Huguely, one of the men's team players.
- The Duke University lacrosse nightmare just did not want to end in 2010 as the accuser in the case was now charged with both attempted murder and arson. Questions were also raised when Mike Pressler, former head coach of Duke's mens lacrosse program, dropped his slander charges against the university following an undisclosed settlement.
- Duke ended Notre Dame's NCAA Division I tournament run just five seconds into overtime to give the Blue Devils the men's national championship. In Women's Division I, Maryland concluded a 22-1 season by winning the NCAA title, 13-11, and ending Northwestern's five-year reign.
- Team USA avenged its only loss and defeated Team Canada, 12-10, to capture the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship final a the University of Manchester in England. The event was without the Iroquois Nationals team, which was denied visas by the British government and not allowed to travel on their tribal passports despite a one-time exemption from the U.S. government.
- Finally, we remember those who have passed during this calendar year. On December 29th, Ron LaValle, a standout player for Adelphi University from 1961-1965, where he led the team in scoring in his junior and senior seasons, passed on December 29th. He was named an honorable mention All-American in 1965 and was elected to the Adelphi Hall of Fame in 1996. LaValle also spent several seasons as a volunteer assistant on the Stony Brook coaching staff. BOTC also remembers Lt. Brendan Looney, Navy '04, who was killed while serving in Afghanistan, Bellarmine head coach Jack McGetrick, who died in October after a long battle with cancer, and Montclair State University head coach John Greco, who died in early November at age 33.
