Meet The Coach: Rob Grella

Coach Rob Grella

Rob Grella will be entering his third season as the Adelphi women's lacrosse head coach in the 2013-2014 season.

Adelphi alum Grella ('97) was a three-time First-team All-American during his career as well as the NCAA player of the year in 1996. He also led the team to back-to-back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Championship Games. He also is the #2 single season goals leader in all of Division II (59) to this day, while also appearing on the record books for career goals (140), where he ranks #3.  

In his first season as coach ('11-'12), Grella led the Panthers to a 16-3 record overall, and an 11-1 record in the Northeast-10. In that season, the Panthers also went home with their third-consecutive Northeast-10 title with a 13-12 victory over the Le Moyne Dolphins. However, they lost in the outer-bracket game of the NCAA's against the LIU Post Pioneers. 

Last season, the Panthers posted an 18-3 record overall, and once again an 11-1 record in the Northeast-10. For the first time in four years, the Panthers lost the Northeast-10 Championship game, to LeMoyne by 8-6. However, just a week later they played Le Moyne once again in the outer-bracket game of the NCAA's where they would come back from an 3-8 deficit to win 9-8. It was then they traveled to Maryland to play the Post Pioneers once again, where they lost 7-6 in the last 90-minutes of play.

I had a chance to sit down with Coach Grella and see what he was looking forward to with the upcoming season and just what it takes to be a Panther. 

Coach Grella talking to his players during halftime. 

Alexa: Entering your third season as head coach, what are you looking forward to with the 2014 season?
Grella: With the 2014 season, I am looking forward to keeping the team healthy and trying to reach and win a National Championship.

Alexa: What has been your favorite moment while being at Adelphi?
Grella: My favorite moment is returning back to Adelphi every season to coach a great group players!

Alexa: What has been your least favorite moment while being at Adelphi?
Grella: My least favorite moment has been watching seniors graduate and seeing how upset they are when their career is over. 

Alexa: What do you think is the best part of lacrosse?
Grella: The best part of lacrosse is being able to compete at the highest level and win!

Alexa: As the mastermind behind the defense, what should people expect to see from this seasons defense?
Grella: I believe that "Defense" is a team believing in their leader and playing together. Fundamentals are extremely important when it comes to the Panthers defense. This season, we will be focusing a lot on communication and trying to limit our checking, while really pushing to cause turnovers through body-defense.

Alexa: In what ways has the organization of the defense changed since you have been here?
Grella: With every game, we adjust our defense on the opponent we are going to play.  We also have a rhyme and reason for everything we try and do. Film is key component as well, as it shows us what teams may do before we actually play them!

Alexa: What advice would you give to girls who are interested in playing at a collegiate level?

Grella: If you have the ability to play college sports, I would definitely recommend you do it. However, I don't think that a person should pick a school just for lacrosse. You are there for an education as well! If you do decide to play, you have to play with passion and heart. Not everyone has the opportunity to play for a National Championship, and you have to remember that every tie you step on the field. 


Photos c/o aupanthers.com