By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/4/12
With the first PIAA practice slated for Monday, a number of boys’ lacrosse players ranging from youth to high school seniors brushed up on skills today at the 6th annual Ward Melville/LB3 style Lacrosse Clinic at at Shipley School’s Farm Fields in Gladwynne.
The clinic, directed by former Ward Melville and Syracuse great Liam Banks, the founder of LB3, featured 75 boys aged 8 to 18. The clinic covered skills such as Inside rolls, rolle doges and split doges shooting on run box passing defensive rotation 3-man defensive rotations did good stick skills for an hour hit all aspects of the game.
Besides Banks, coaches included his brothers, LB3 coaches J.P. Banks (coach at Upper Dublin) and Kevin banks and fellow Ward Melville grads Mark Duncan (Lehigh attackman, head coach at Shipley); Tim Goldstein (former Cornell attackman) and Dennis Goldstein (former UNC attackman). Also helping out were Philadelphia Wings Kevin Crowley and Bill McGlone.
“We had about 75 kids out here getting ready for the season, “said Banks, also Head of Sports Marketing Southeast for Warrior and Brine. “The weather may have scared some people off, but as always when we come here it was gorgeous- 60 degrees and sunny.
“It’s great to work with the kids. Between myself, and the Goldstein brothers, we had three MVPs of the NCAA championship series. It’s a real good learning opportunity for the kids.”
At the end of the clinic, HEADstrong’s Pat Colleluori spoke to the group about the HEADstrong program where kids can give back by raising money through the “Score for the Cure” program before handing out some HEADstrong Gear.
Banks, who now resides in Atlanta, went to Holmes to see the new Nick’s House, where HEADstrong houses its directors and gear as well as a free room for families of blood cancer patients being treated at the University of Pennsylvania. LB3 donated a 64-Gig IPad to the Lime Light Gala March 23 in Philadelphia.
“I got to see Nick’s house and it’s impressive,” said Banks. “It was great to have Pat Colleluori come and share Nick’s message with the group.”
