Manny pumped up for lacrosse all-star game
New York Lizards attackman Will Manny anticipates a competitive edge to tonight’s Major League Lacrosse All-Star game at Harvard Stadium.
The MLL stars will take on Team USA in the national team’s dress rehears- al for the upcoming FIL World Lacrosse Champion- ships in Netanya, Israel, on July 12-21.
Team USA’s coach is John Danowski and he has 25 MLL players on the roster.
According to Manny, the MLL players not picked to participate in the World Championships will compete with pancake-sized chips on their shoulders.
“There are definitely guys that are pissed off about this and I know they are going to give it their all,” said Manny. “I was part of that (Team USA) process for over a year and a half and got cut in that last round.
“This is a great opportunity to compete against those guys and put on a show for the fans.”
MLL vs. Team USA format was introduced in 2006 and is played every four years. The last meeting in 2014 produced the lowestscoring game in All-Star game history when Team USA needed last-second heroics to defeat the MLL stars, 10-9, on Rob Pannell’s goal with seven seconds remaining. Pannell earned MVP honors with a goal and two assists in front of 10,327 fans.
Manny watched from the sidelines and was impressed by the intensity.
“As this is a matchup that only takes place every four years, I am amped to be a part of this and to battle with the MLL All-Stars for a W,” said Manny.
Finishing plays and scooping ground balls on the Harvard turf will be a homecoming for Manny, who will compete in his fourth AllStar game. He was drafted by the Boston Cannons in 2013 after an All-America career at UMass.
Manny played 41⁄2 seasons with the Cannons before being traded to the Lizards last July. Manny was the Cannons Offensive Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016 and team MVP in 2016.
“Being in four All-Star games in six years and for me personally being back in Boston is going to be great,” he said.
Manny also has launched a career in coaching. He earned an MBA in management at Wagner College and offset the cost of grad school by serving as an assistant coach.
He enjoyed the experience so much that he bypassed a career in banking to become an assistant under legendary Utah coach Brian Holman.
“I’ve known coach Holman for seven or eight years,” said Manny. “Working as an assistant has been great and he is one of the best mentors and a kind of father figure in a way. He has a sort of hands-free approach and gets the most of your ability to coach your side of the ball.”