Jan. 27, 2008

Jason Rife Q & A

Wagner Athletics recently caught up with Wagner first-year head men's lacrosse coach Jason Rife, whose wife Karen, is the first-year head coach of the Wagner women's lax team. Jason was a standout player at the University of Massachusetts from 1991-95 and arrived at Wagner from Bryant College, where he was a top assistant for a Bryant's highly-successful program.

You and Karen are the only husband-wife tandem coaching at the same Division I school. That's pretty unique.

"I think it's special because we both know what the other is going through. You have a great practice, it puts your mood in a different fashion. You have a great game, that's great, you feel great. If you lose, maybe your mood is a little bit more melancholy. So we both understand that and we're both competitive people, so we can understand that side of each other. So we can give each other space when we have to. But it's a very interesting line to walk. There's a real balance that has to be there so that it does not become all-encompassing. What we have to guard against is going home and discussing nothing but lacrosse because then, like I said, the risk is that it can become all-encompassing. But, no, it's great to work at the same school and to do the same thing that my wife is doing. It is certainly unique."

What attracted you to the Wagner position and how has what has the reception been like for yourself and assistant coach Bryan Molk?

"A lot of guys like myself, guy that have been assistant a long time, they wrestle with waiting for that perfect job, the best job. You have to weigh the opportunity with what it is and what it can be. Wagner offers a lot of potential about what it could be from its location, from it s aesthetics, the campus, as far as the education that it provides. I think a lot of those things can be used to entice kids to come to school here and also play some good lacrosse and improve what we're trying to do here. People know about Wagner College. People may have heard about Wagner but they maybe have not heard about the lacrosse program. I think part of my charge here is not only to change the personnel, to change the discipline, but to gain exposure for the program."

What are some of the particular challenges that exist when someone takes over a program that has not enjoyed recent success?

"I think you have to be mindful of your approach as to what you're doing, You want to practice with an intensity, you want to approach the game with an IQ that's a winning IQ, you want your guys thinking about executing, because that's what's going to translate into winning. And then ultimately, you want to act with come confidence, whether you were winless or not. You can't dwell on the records that were attained here. It's in the past. When you step into that rectangle, the approach you're going to take, the discipline you're going to bring, that's what's going to determine how successful you are. And if you do that, and your approach is that way every day, from the scouting report, to the weight room, to inside the rectangle, then the Saturdays are going to take care of themselves. We don't talk about winning a game or breaking the losing streak. We focus on things we have to do to be successful."

What has been your impressions of the personnel that you've inherited here at Wagner?

"They're a great group of young men - very coachable, very hard-working. I think there are a lot of kids who crave the structure that we have in place. Our depth is going to be an issue at every position and certainly our depth can be exposed a bit more in the midfield. We've got a couple players who can player anywhere in the country. We just need to continue add more of them each year."

What are your impressions of the MAAC as a conference?

"I know a lot of these coaches in the MAAC as colleagues. They're all organized individuals, they're all going to try and put the best product they can out there on the field. I think the conference os reflective of that. There are some good lacrosse teams, some well-coaches lacrosse teams. There are good players in this league, certainly, and we're going to have to match that intensity level and do battle with that. I think it's a good conference but I also think it's one that we can become proficient in."