By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/7/11
Rachel Busza, an assistant at Eastern University the past three years, has been named the head girls’ lacrosse coach at Strath Haven.
Busza grew up in Ohio and played at perennial state power Hudson High. She played college lacrosse at the competitive club level at Kent State University and later was an assistant coach at two Ohio high schools, Kent Roosevelt and powerhouse Western Reserve Academy.
Busza served as an evaluator for the 2004 Ohio High School National Team, and played for Team Ohio in 2004 and 2005 at the Vail Shoot Out tournaments in Vail, Co.
It was at Vail that Busza met her future husband, recent Pennsylvania Hall of Fame inductee Mike Busza. That brought her to Philly.
Busza coached two years with the highly-successful Radnor Youth program and was hired at Eastern in 2008.
Busza inherits a Strath Haven team that tied with District 1 and state champion Radnor and Springfield-Delco for its first Central League championship ever. The Panthers, who dealt Radnor its first regular season loss in nearly three years, went 18-4 under Jen Duckenfield and reached the state playoffs after placing sixth in District 1.
Busza said she follows the John Wooden Pyramid of Success, which focuses on the student-athlete as a whole.
“Every step is a success,” she said. “I bring that up all the time. It’s unrealistic to reach perfection, but we can reach excellence. That’s become our saying this year.”
Busza said she wants to see her team work hard at every practice and every game.
“This team has already made a name for itself,” she said. “They reached the state finals two years ago and last year they beat Radnor.
“We want them to come to every practice with full intensity. The goal is to keep persevering and go for 100 percent excellence. If we can accomplish that we can make it to the state finals. We know we can’t count out any team; if we can achieve 100 percent effort every time out, we’ve met our goal.”
One of Strath Haven’s biggest challenges this year will be hosting perennial national power Moorestown (N.J.). Click here for story.
