Alexander: From All-American to First-year Coach

Last year Ryan Alexander, who began playing lacrosse with the Laurel Boys and Girls Club when he was 10, led St. Mary's College of Maryland to its first 10-win season since 2007, and the former Laurel resident was named an academic All-American. Things have changed, both for the St. Vincent Pallotti High graduate and St. Mary's.

Alexander, after a stellar four-year career, is now in his first year as an assistant coach with the men's lacrosse team at St. Mary's. And the Seahawks certainly miss Alexander's play and leadership; the team fell to 2-7 overall with a loss on Saturday to Division III power and league rival Salisbury, 12-4.

There are times, Alexander admits, he wishes he could suit up.

"I just want to show you how it is done, to go out there and play. That has been the hardest part," he told Patch on Monday. Many days he will stay after practice and work with some of the players. He also warms up the St. Mary's goalie, firing about 200 shots a day if necessary.

He admits he's had to set up a professional distance from team members, many of whom were his teammates last year.

"At first it was really strange. The guys had to realize my new position," he said. "They had to respect me as a coach. I didn't get this position by accident. I know my stuff. They stepped up and respected me as a coach. It was tougher for me personally. I had to be more authoritative."

Alexander is also the director of intramurals at St. Mary's. And on Saturday, he will try out for a pro lacrosse team, the Chesapeake Bayhawks, at Severn School in Anne Arundel County. He said if he makes the team he will be able to keep his jobs at St. Mary's, since the Bayhawks play games on the weekends during the spring and summer.

Alexander is an assistant under head coach Chris Hasbrouck, who was an assistant when Alexander was a freshman and sophomore. Hasbrouck is in his third season as head coach.

"Not that I am the good cop. I may be harder on [players] since I played and I know they can be pushed. I am harder on them. We don't harp on negatives a lot," Alexander said of Hasbrouck, a former assistant at Salisbury.

The former Pallotti standout thought this would be a good season for St. Mary's.

"I thought last year I left a year too soon. I don't think a lot of guys have stepped up. That has been the issue," he said.

A 2010 grad of St. Mary's, he was a four-time all-Capital Athletic Conference player and a three-year captain. He scored 98 goals and had 46 assists in his career. He played in the 2010 USILA/LaxWorld Division III North/South Senior All-Star Game and was an economics major.  He was selected as an USILA Scholar All-American after gaining a grade-point average above 3.0.

St. Mary's was 10-6 last year and had a four-year mark of 37-27 (20-9 CAC) during Alexander's tenure.

Lacrosse notes: Pallotti High grads Matt Dean and Mike Marks saw action on Saturday for McDaniel of Carroll County in a win over Franklin & Marshall ... Drew Leonard, another Pallotti product, plays on the lacrosse team at VMI in Lexington, VA. He started the first 10 games and led the team with 20 goals, and also had four assists for the 2-8 Keydets.