S1 E33. Total Team Effort: NLL Commish Brett Frood & Professional Lacrosse HOFer Greg Cattrano, Part I.

We have two very exciting guests on the show: Commissioner of the NLL, Brett Frood & recent inductee into the Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Greg Cattrano. 

Brett hails from Elbridge, NY where he was a multisport athlete. After High School he enrolled and played his college lacrosse at Brown. During his time on College Hill, he helped the Bears win two Ivy League Championships and earn three trips to the NCAA Tournament. In 1994, his freshman season, Brown reached the Final Four for the first time in program history.

In 2004 he joined NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart following his graduation from Harvard Business School. In 2012, after negotiating the merger with Hass, he was named and highlighted as one of the Sports Business Journals 40 under 40. At Stewart-Haas Racing, he led all business initiatives for a team that won two NASCAR Cup Series championships and an Xfinity Series title. He negotiated over $600 million in partnerships while with Stewart-Haas Racing. 

In September of 2022, he became the fifth commissioner of the National Lacrosse League, which has enjoyed 25 years of success after re-launching in 1997. The NLL ranks third in average attendance for professional indoor sports worldwide, behind only the NHL and NBA. The NLL has averaged between 8,900 and 10,700 spectators per game each year since 2004. 

Greg Cattrano attended and played lacrosse for Ward Melville High School where he was an All-American in his senior season. His 1992 team won the New York State Lacrosse Championship. In 1993 he was awarded the Lt. Ray Enners Award as Suffolk County's outstanding lacrosse player.[1]

He also attended Brown University. In his junior year he earned 2nd team All America honors, in his senior year, he was named NCAA Goalie of the Year, All-Ivy, All-New England, and Brown Bears Team MVP. Naturally, he was named 1st Team

NEW BOOK!
Inside the Recruiting Game: Insights From College Lacrosse Coaches
-available for FREE on the JML Training App at:
https://jay-mcmahon-lacrosse.passion.io/checkout/79608
-And available on Amazon.com as an Ebook and paperback

Link to the FREE JML Mini Course-now with a FREE defense course taught by Lars Tiffany and a FREE Mini goalie course taught by Kip Turner- on our own App: https://jay-mcmahon-lacrosse.passion.io/checkout/79608

Check out our Patreon page with the link below:
patreon.com/GetTheLaxScoop
And take a look at our new virtual storefront here: jml-online-store.company.site

Link to Video of the Week:
Master The 5 Best Dodges From the Wing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_7LDOcQQ6Q&t=88s

Blazing Shots... on the Run!
https://youtu.be/XiptPlM63oQ

Check us out...

On YouTube @jaymcmahonlax23
On Instagram @jaymcmahonlax23
On Facebook @: facebook.com/jmcmahonlax23. Page name: Jay McMahon Lacrosse

SuccessHotline with Dr. Rob Gilbert on Ironclad & Apple Podcasts

Brian Cain Daily Dominator on Apple Podcasts

Jon Gordon Positive U. Podcast on Spotify

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck, PhD on Amazon.

Transcript

Jay: 0:00

It's time for get the La Scoop, a podcast bringing you all the people and stuff you should know. In the game of lacrosse, we take LAX seriously, but ourselves, not so much. Join hosts, big Dog and Jaybird, and the biggest names in the game. Brought to you by Jay McMahon lacrosse. That's J M L Skills, mindset, and LAX IQ training. Ron Doish, the big dog, was a collegiate football and lacrosse player at Brown. He was also an assistant lacrosse coach and the executive director of the sports found. and Jay McMahon, the Jaybird, a three time All-American Midfielder Brown. He was a captain of the US Junior National team and is the founder of J M L. And joining us in the studio, Steve gfi, who's collegiate lacrosse career statistics equals one goal against Dartmouth. Jml skills. Mindset and LAX IQ training, helping the next generation cross players. Get to the next level.

1:00

Welcome to Get the Lack Scoop, friends. We got an exciting episode for you tonight. Two fellow Brunonians who have, had incredible lacrosse careers, but have gone on to tremendous personal and professional success. Jay, very excited for this evening's episode, as I'm sure you are. Super excited. They are incredibly accomplished. And I'm super excited. As I mentioned earlier, I am a little nervous. So Ron, why don't you take the first intro, please? Yes, Jay, our first guest hails from Elbridge, New York, where he was a multi sport athlete. After high school, he went on to Brown University, where he played his college lacrosse. During his time on College Hill, he helped the Bears win two Ivy championships and earned three trips to the NCAA tournament. In 1994, his freshman season, Brown reached their first ever Final Four. Now, he was a multi year starter playing both attack and midfield, and in his senior season in 97, he captained the Bears and led the squad in scoring in 2004,, after going to business school at a school up in Cambridge that we shall not mention, he joined NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stort, on his team. And in 2012, after negotiating the merger with Haas Racing, he was named and highlighted as one of sports business journals 40 under 40. At Storthas Racing, he led all business initiatives for a team that won two NASCAR Cup Series championships and an Infinity Series title. He negotiated over 600 million in partnerships while with Storthas Racing. And I'm sure we'll cover later how lacrosse was an incredible preparation for NASCAR. I don't really understand it, but I know we're going to explore it. That was intense. Now for many years, he continued his involvement in lacrosse, where he's been a youth coach since 2010, while also coaching the cannon school varsity team, the 2022 division one state champion in North Carolina. He's also a head coach and college recruiting director for the Carolina minors, 2024 boys elite club lacrosse team. And then in September 22, he became the fifth commissioner of the National Lacrosse League, which has enjoyed 25 years of success after relaunching in 1997. The NL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide, behind just the NHL and NBA, and the NLL has averaged between 8, 900 and 10, 700 spectators per game since Please give a warm welcome to literally one of the leading sports executives in the country and the current commish, Brett Froude. Fruity, welcome. Thank you guys. Honored to be on with you guys. Sounded like a whole bunch of hyperbole there, but I'll take it. Excited to be on and especially have the opportunity to be next, your next guest who I won't ruin the thunder. That's right. Now Brett, Jay did not include this in the copy, but we're also going to explore a little experience I know you had in Ireland. Centered around Guinness. So we'll get into that later as well. Nice. Sounds good. Can't wait. Okay. Our next guest attended and played lacrosse for Ward Melville high school, where he was an all American and his senior season, his 1992 team won the New York state lacrosse championship. In 1993, he was awarded the Lieutenant Ray Enners award as Suffolk County's outstanding lacrosse player. He also attended Brown university. In 1996, as a starter and goal, he helped the Bears win the Ivy League title by making many saves, but also by scoring the game winning goal, defeating the Big Red of Cornell. In his junior year, he earned second team All America honors. In his senior year, he was named NCAA Goalie of the Year, All Ivy, All New England, and the Brown Bears team MVP. Naturally, he was also named first team All American. He finished his collegiate career with an amazing 68 percent save percentage and his three goals still stand as the NCAA record for offensive reduction by a goaltender in NCAA sports. He played in the inaugural season of the MLL, leading his Baltimore Bayhawks team to an appearance in the finals and earning Goalie of the Year honors before suffering a loss to the Long Island Lizards that would prove pivotal in his career. He also had three seasons in the NLL. Following that 2001 season with the M L L, not only did he win goaltender of the Year award for the second straight year, he also was named regular season M V P, only one of two goalies to ever win the award and the 22 year history of pro field lacrosse, blaze Rearden of the Chaos and the P l l being the other, which was in 2021. He was named Game M V P of the 2004 championship game after making 19 saves. In his second MLL championship, this time with the Philadelphia Barrage. He had 14 saves in the 2001 semifinal against the Boston Cannons, and was named player of the game. In 2005, this time in the Long Island Lizards, he helped his team upset the Cannons in the semifinals. In his six seasons as a professional, he was a three time Goalie of the Year, two time MLL champion, and an MVP. He was one of only six all time great lacrosse players inducted into the second class of the Professional Outdoor Lacrosse Hall of Fame this past summer. Please welcome the one, the only, Greg the Cat Cotrano. Good to be here, gentlemen. And Brett, always good to see you coming full circle, like, 30 years from when we, uh, first took the field together, huh? Crazy. I know. Hey, hey, listen, every, every alpha dog needs a wingman. Cat is lacrosse royalty. So it's just so fun to hear all those accolades. The guy's a legend. Amazing, amazing career there. All right, great. So Brett, you know the way we always love to start these interviews is to ask our guests how they first started playing. So if you could tell us how your lacrosse journey began and tell us of some of the first memories you have of the game and some people who may have influenced you along the way. Yeah, my, you know, my first pictures of, holding a lacrosse stick, I was really young, five years old in those plaid corduroys and, uh, with the, with the wooden stick my dad gave me. My dad was a Cortland State grad and, uh, Played a year of lacrosse and played football there. His college roommate was Paul Wareham, the great Herkimer coach. And, um, my dad went on to, he's still coaching. Um, uh, I'm not sure how he's been able to manage and the schools have kept him employed. He's a, he's an old school coach, but his coach football, wrestling and lacrosse for 48 years. So that's amazing. Yeah, he's, he's, he's, he's been in it for the long haul and, um, you know, so competition and involvement in sports was instilled pretty early on with that stick. And, um, you know, we, I actually, you know, grew up probably 20 miles from Syracuse. So the timing was right. West Jenny was five miles away, Syracuse close by. So those years, you know, it was, it was Brad Cotts in the early eighties. I remember him, um, Visiting one of my neighbors and he gave me his gloves that was maybe a sophomore year at Syracuse I think he won a couple national championships, maybe beat Hopkins that first one. Yeah One of the reasons I wanted to be a face off guy and play offense Brad Cox. Yeah, he was unbelievable So, you know you mentioned, you know earlier Z man and Burns and gates and, you know, went on to McCabe and Marichak. And then, you know, the Lockwoods and Colsey's and fins that, that Kat and I got to play with, uh, against for a couple of years. So just going up to the dome, um, really, I think created the momentum and the love and the passion for the game, um, for me. And I was, you know, thankful to have a, a little brother. Um, Well, I don't know how little he was, but he was a younger brother that, you know, was out in the yard with me every day. And, you know, we had a blue wooden wall at an elementary school down the road that we'd hit endlessly, um, and pretend that we were those Syracuse players back in the day and trying the air gates and all that good stuff. So that's awesome. Now, for those who don't know, Brett is not a short individual. He's listed at six, four, but I think he's more like six, five or six, six. He's Rather tall is your brother just as big. Yeah, he's uh, he's probably a little shorter, but he's he's just stockier and More physical specimen than than me growing up we cat and I had the opportunity to play against him He was ended up at Duke So he unfortunately ended our career. That was the last game we played at West point against Duke in the, in the playoffs. So that was his, that was his freshman year. And then he went on, um, to score the game winner against Hopkins to send Duke to their first final four. Wow. That's amazing. Very cool. And back to the dome, we're jumping ahead a little, but that was one of the best games I ever saw Brown play when you guys put a whooping on Syracuse. and won 20 to 12. That was in 1997, right? That was the year they beat UVA in the Dome 22 to 21. I mean, Casey Powell, there was a lot of great players on that team. It was insane. Yeah, I'll tell one story about that game and it was a special day. Um, but this is the things you can do when you have the best goalie on the planet. Yeah. And this is pretty good. This may sound completely counterintuitive. We made the decision, and this was a Joe Bresci special. Bresci was awesome at creativity. He decided, uh, he was an assistant coach, but he was the head defensive coach, right? Yeah, he was for our time there and loved Bresci and still love him. Um, he decided that we were probably going to get in a track meet and we did have the greatest goalie on the planet. So at times we were going to just purposely go man down And we were going to send one of our short stick D middies to the end line. And it was either going to be cat was going to make a save or they were going to miss the goal and we would get back up. And, uh, the first, the first shot, I think Casey took it. He missed the goal. And they gave the ball to Syracuse because they didn't see our guy on the end line and Bresci was losing. I mean, we spent the whole week, right, on all of our creativity. And um, they gave the ball to him and we did it several times over the course of that game and the ref saw what we were doing finally. But um, just the luxury of having a wall and goal and the creativity of, of that coaching staff. But yeah, what a special day. Um, given Syracuse, I think at the time and up until maybe the last couple of years, maybe until Joe's UNC team did a similar, um, year before last, I think we had given them their worst loss in, in dome history up until, um, a couple of years. And I remember Greg was flying up and down the field. He, he was, Casey Pell was chasing him and then Greg stops and does like a little hessy. And he bites on it and then he just gives up and he puts his hands up like I'm not even chasing this guy. And Brett, let's not forget, you had five goals that game, correct? I did. You had five goals. Obviously, usually in the, uh, the firepower on offense, that's what, uh, you know, put it in a lead. Let me do my thing and run out of the goal as much as possible. That's one thing Syracuse didn't do that game. They didn't contain me and keep me in the goal. So when I run, I was better in the goal. So I was running over the midline probably, I think midline by 20 times. Must have been exhausting. Nah, adrenaline guys, you know that. That was amazing. I do remember Brett scoring many times. I watched the tape a couple years ago and then I was just watching some highlights again. Prepping for this interview. That was just glorious. It was a hell of a day up there. It was like we just keep scoring. We just keep scoring. It was unbelievable. Alright, so, uh, Greg, how about if we let you get in the action here a little bit. I mean, we keep talking about it. Let's let's let you talk a little bit, huh? So, uh, you know, Greg, you grew up in a in a hotbed of lacrosse. So I'm betting that You know, you were introduced to the game quite early. What, what were your earliest memories and, and who were some of the people that really influenced you in the game early on? Well, I'll tell you, Ron, I wasn't, I wasn't into lacrosse when I was in my dad, um, I was probably like eight or nine. Of course, you know, I knew everything at that point. I was like, I want to play baseball. And my dad's like, well, no, you're going to play lacrosse. Cause he already saw the path, right. With three middle school district, more than noble high school. So he's like, well, you're going to go to this one clinic and you're going to give it a try. So I remember it's one of those memories you always remember. I walk into the gym, someone throws a ground ball at me. And I, I, I couldn't scoop it right. And the ball just kept going away. And it's in a gym. Like it's really hard to scoop a ball off a basketball court anyway. And I finally scooped it up, threw it into the goal. I scored a goal. I ran out of the gym crying. I was swearing at my dad, I would never ever play the sport ever again. So I didn't play that year. This is like fourth grade guys. So it's pretty early on. I didn't play. And my dad next year was like, you know, Greg, give it another shot. Right. So I was playing, you know, I was like, I'll do it. Right. And I was playing, I think some midfield attack, you know, feeling it out. And then there was one game against garden city, a powerhouse on Long Island. That's my Alma mater. So take it easy. It's great. You know, of course there's a rivalry already. And my dad's like, well, there's a great data goalie didn't show up. So, and my dad was one of the coaches. He's like, you're playing golf, right? And I'm like, okay, I'll play gold. No problem. Hope we did a cup check first. I didn't have a cup, fortunately. I wound up, uh, I got, I think we, I remember, we won the game, I think, 5 0. I got a shutout. So I was pretty excited. I think I made one save, though, right? But it was still, it was a shutout. It was a mission accomplished. And I was like, I want to keep playing. Brett had a younger brother, right? Who was an inspiration to him. I had an older brother. And he was an inspiration to me in so many ways. But I can tell you, he was the one that really kept me motivated to play the game. Because all he wanted to do was shoot on it. Right in the yard every single day. Now guys, he wasn't shooting at the goal or the corners. Okay. He was directly at me. He's three years old. If we didn't have lacrosse balls, he was throwing rocks at me. And of course, as a younger brother, I wouldn't back down, right? It was like, I'm going to save every single one of these rocks or lacrosse balls, whatever it was. And I was like, I'm never going to back down from my brother. And of course, it's his way to abuse me and not get in trouble, right? And for me, it was like, no, I'm going to stand up and I'm going to save everything. And that just kind of probably instilled that, that passion and intensity for the position. And I just stuck with it from that. I mean, this is like fifth grade and I carried it forward sixth grade into junior high and then to high school, you know, I just want to play the position. That's an awesome story. Okay. Awesome story. So, so let's flash forward. Then you do end up at the powerhouse ward Belleville. So talk about your high school experience and some of the people as you, you know, started to really grow into the game who were, who were real influencers. I mean, Joe Cuso, uh, right. Joe Cuso, the head coach of Warren Melville for 30 something years. What a phenomenal coach. He was like a, you know, a second father to me, especially on the lacrosse field. We had such a great relationship, even through those early years in school, I still stay in touch with him. But there's the, the alum as well were great and coaching. And I mean, I live in South Carolina right now, and I go to high school football games all the time. And it's, it's a, it's a religion, right? It's a, it's a passion on Friday nights that I never saw on Long Island when it came to football. But I equate it to what football in the South is like lacrosse on Long Island. And it was, it was so intense and playing for a powerhouse like Ward Melville. I mean, you're playing in front of thousands of people, and this is back in 1991, 92. I mean, thousands of people showing up to games. And it really, uh, it just, the level of excitement was just, it could go beyond anything I can explain, but the coaching leading up to it is what, what really, there's so many passionate people, um, in the organization and it's still like that, but like one of my good friends is the head coach, Jay Negus, right now, um, I, you know, I, I grew up with the kid and I call him a kid because he was a kid when, um, but it's just an amazing experience. Yeah. That's great. They've got a tremendous tradition at Ward Melville. No doubt. Nothing like playoff games at Hofstra. Right? That's right. That's right. Back in the stands. I remember scoring one goal there in the semifinals. What's with this? Scoring goals as a goalie. It's like the ultimate, it's just, is it the competitor in you? That you're like, you know what, if I'm gonna show up this other goalie, I'm going to do it by saving more than him, I'm going to put one by him. It wasn't about showing up the other goalie, it was, uh, I felt, you know, Ed and a tense man on offense, right, or on the field, that can actually move the ball, and, like, guys, I always knew when the other midfielders on the opposing team are on the field for a certain period of time, if they're on for 30 seconds or 1 minute, a minute and a half, I knew they were tired. It's time to take them to X. Here we go. Yeah, and I knew, like, I'm like, they're tired. If I make a save, I'm just gonna run right past them. And, uh, like, I, I just had that, I just had that sense. And, uh, and just be able to need a fast break. I mean, that was, that was fun. And when I was running, I was playing better in the goal. Yeah. All teams had to do was keep me from running. That was my weakness. Like, if I didn't run, you can score on me. You get some cardio and you're, you're juiced. Yeah, I couldn't just stand there. Greg, by the way, also scored as a pro several times, which is just incredible. But anyway, back to Brett, if we don't mind. Only kidding. All right, so Brett, how about you? You were telling us a little bit about how you were growing up in the backyard with your brother, working the wall ball. Tell us about your high school experience up there in central New York. Yeah, I think a pretty traditional upstate upbringing. Um, I can paint the picture pretty easily. Small upstate farm town. Cow tipping is real, guys. It's a real thing and a lot of free time. And so you, you spend it outdoors, you spend it playing with friends and ultimately playing sports. And I had, uh, you know, I was. Very much a middle class background. Both of my parents were schoolteachers. And as I mentioned, my father was a coach. So the formula in our household was pretty simple. Academics and athletics. And, um, so we, you know, had the opportunity. Greg mentioned, you know, baseball, you know, just youth programming is obviously, as we all know, so different. So, you know, grew up. playing little league baseball and local community basketball. And you just really don't have the opportunity to compete in sports like lacrosse till you get to junior high and high school. And, um, I really looked forward to that opportunity, um, to get on the lacrosse field there. I was fortunate enough to play on the varsity in eighth grade with With some really good players, um, you know, Reggie Thorpe, Mark Fietta, Jeremy Hollenbeck, guys that, that were successful both at the college and then the pro level. And you know, I would do anything to get on the field in those early days. I, I, eighth grade was a utility. I grabbed a long pole for a couple games, played attack, even was a backup goalie. Um, just the opportunity to get on the field and learn was. Was certainly my impetus. Um, and then, and then obviously had the opportunity over the next several years to, to play on some good teams with some great players and, and, um, have the opportunity to look beyond, look beyond, you know, high school at that point, but, uh, it was, as you guys know, Kat talked about Long Island. Lacrosse was, that culture was similar and upstate. We had West Jenny next door. Um. And, you know, enjoyed watching Syracuse and Hobart and Naz and all those, those great teams and great players. Mm hmm. Yeah, it's a real hotbed, no doubt about it. Now, um, for you, naturally went to Brown. Tell us, um, what about the school academically and the school character in general and the lacrosse team? What was it about Brown that attracted you and how did you come to choose it as your school? Yeah, I, I, you know, it's, it's. It's been, uh, fun in the last year to kind of reminisce that process because, um, as you guys know, my, I've gone through it with my son recently. So, you know, I don't think, I think we were assessing very similar qualities to the kids now, right? It's looking at culture and, academics and the coaching staff and location pedigree of the teams. And I don't think any of that really has changed. So, so for me, you know, kind of, it was easy to check a lot of those boxes with, with the coaching staff. Um, it was, it was Pete, Pete lasagna's second year. Obviously Dom at that point, um, who, who you guys had the, the pleasure of having as a coach, um, had moved on to, to UVA and, and we had Pete and Joe Bresci, um, as the defensive assistant. And then just a plethora of, of high octane assistants with Dog being one of them and, um, you know, AT and, you know, all four years it was kind of like a, Um, turn style of our great alums that were passionate about the program. So I knew, um, from the getting being for people don't know is Andy Towers of the chaos. Super high octane. Yeah, for sure. For sure. So, you know, knew that it was a coaching staff. Um, that that was on the up and, um, wanted, you know, it was a group that I think cat and I would both agree that we, um, we're excited to go play for and, and, and then it reaped all those dividends throughout the four years. And then, um, you guys obviously built. You know, in those late eighties, early nineties, you know, the success of those teams, like 90, 91, 92, I think you guys were NCAA appearances all those years. And, um, we're arguably the best team in the country and have just built just this legacy of, of Ivy championships and toughness and that Brown state mentality. So when you think about culture, the opportunity to go win. Ivy championships and compete for national championships. That was there. And then, um, and then I mentioned just, you know, I'd say the pressure on me, um, from just having academics as parents of going out and pursuing the best opportunity possible to, to, uh, to best position me after college, um, Brown certainly check those boxes and, and with the open curriculum and the flexibility and the, uh, You know, obviously the, the liberal academics, um, an opportunity to kind of to find my way over the four years and a path, um, just made a whole lot of sense. So just thankful for the opportunity that Pete and Joe gave me and, um, no regrets in that decision for sure. That's great. And then you said it was similar for your son coming to his decision. Now he's a 2024. Is that right? He's a 24, so he's in his senior year now. So it was a lot of those similar qualities, would you say? Same thing. I'll be honest. He, he, um, I don't know if I want to admit this because, um, we, as parents like to take, take the bull by the horns and have a process in place and show some, uh, fiduciary responsibility, but, uh, gave him a much independence in his recruiting process and let him come to his own decisions. And, um, I was actually, Yeah. In San Diego, meeting with some of our NLL ownership and, um, got the call from my son who, who let me know that he had, uh, talked to coach Daly and committed to Brown. Oh my gosh. And, um, he, he let me know that after the fact. That's amazing. I like him already. Yeah, proud of his decision. And, um, but yeah, it's a lot, a lot of the, a lot of the same reasoning. And, um, it was a fun process and excited to, to watch him be part of, uh, be part of the program. For sure. Beautiful, beautiful. All right, Ron. So Greg, uh, what were, what was your recruiting process like? You know, I, I got to imagine coming out, Ward Melville and, and knowing the talent that I saw you exhibit over four years that I got to imagine you had a lot of interest. Um, and so what, what led you to choose Brown? Well, Brad pretty much summed it all up for me. I mean, it's. spot on, but I remember going through the process and I narrowed it down to four schools. It was Virginia, North Carolina, Princeton and Brown. And you know, through my entire middle school and high school career, I was like, I'm going to play for the Tar Heels, right? That was my, I just want to play for UNC Carolina blue. There's Caroline Blue, Chip Mayer, uh, came from Warren Melville, he played there. Yeah, I know Chip, yeah. Right, and uh, you know, I was like, and John Fox had gone there, and Jason Sanders, who I won a state championship with, my junior, they were teeners, so they had gone on, I'm like, but uh, you know, going through the recruiting process and going on visits, uh, the top four, Brown was number four, I mean, going into it, right? And, uh, As soon as I got to the campus and met some of the members of the team and the coaching staff, I knew that's where I wanted to be, okay? It, it was, it, it, it, it just blew me away. Like, everything about the people, how humble everyone was, and I felt like I was going to join a team of some really great young men that I wanted to be a part of, right? And, and Peter Lozani was incredible. Great. The coaches staff. Awesome. And then, you know, and as Brett said that the open curriculum, the liberal type of curriculum, uh, you know, be able to form my own path, right? That that appealed to me. And, uh, You know, I remember I surprised my own parents when I told them I wanted to go to Brown. I surprised Bill Tierney as well. Oh, I love it. I love it. Oh, that was the most painful phone call in my entire, um, I don't know, life. When, you know, when he says, how you doing, Greg? I said, well, I'm going to Brown. And you're on the phone for 30 minutes in silence before you said the word. And then he says, you're never going to win the championship. And that's what he told me. Oh, and I hung up and I'm like, I'm going to prove him wrong. But, but talk about being intimidated, right? Yeah. First, uh, they go in there and meet my teammates, meet Brett. Like we hit it off right off the bat. Like it was, I was like, this is the perfect fit for me. And I knew it. I had no regrets at all. Like from day one, you know, and it's got, you're young, you're young. You're 18 years old. You're making a major life decision, right? And, you know, in a way, I, you know, I surprised myself. I was like, I, I never thought I'd go to Brown. There was nothing against the school. It was just, uh, you know, there's other schools I had passion for, but, you know, you had that feeling inside and, you know, I followed that path and it worked out. That's great. I visited to it. You just get this vibe and it was just, I was surprised, but I really felt I meshed the school resonated with me and same kind of thing. It's may not. I don't know. When you're first looking at it, you might look at Carolina, Virginia. Oh, that's where I want to be. And then something about Brown, it was just a really appealing. So, you know, Brett, you mentioned this a little bit earlier. Is that that tradition over time? And Jay and I were thinking about our connection to you guys and your team beyond just the fact that I was fortunate enough to, you know, yell and scream on the sideline a little bit when you guys were there, but. You know, when when Jay and I were seniors on a team that I know is still one of the greatest experience Jay and I have had that 91 team that, you know, is undefeated in the regular season and the number two seed the freshman on that team are the seniors. On the team that when you guys are freshmen, that takes you to the final four. And of course we always took credit for those seniors, seniors on your team. But I, I do think like, I remember how much we, we brought them into that group and they were a big part of, of our success and making us a great team. And so there is a question here, which is, you know, how much did that 94 season and having, you know. Iserson and Gutile and Nelson and those guys Stalford, you know, who are the seniors? How did that impact your next three years and the trajectory of your experience at Brock? It was unbelievable having the opportunity to play with those guys, but to be able to be under their leadership and you kind of brought it up, right? Like, you guys take credit for, for probably them being in the same boat, but that's how it works. Leadership is supposed to be reciprocal. And, um, you know, I remember like that year was a, was a roller coaster. And when you have roller coasters, you need stability and communication. And, and I know, you know, the, you talk about the cliches of leadership and, you know, just even on a personal, I remember having the opportunity to start that first game against Boston college on the roof in a snowstorm. And, uh, tore, tore my MCL. And, um, I was, I probably missed half the season. Um, and it's, it battled back, but in, in that environment, it was so easy, um, to lose any selfishness and just ride the wave, right? Like they found a place for everybody on that team. It didn't matter if you were the 40th guy, the 20th, the first injured, not injured, you always felt inclusive. Um, and you talk about, I think our captains this year, it was, uh, Gutile, Murphy, Stolfer, and maybe, was it Chris Byer, maybe, Kat, those guys, and, but, but we had like, you know, uh, Marty, and Gainsbower, and Evans, and Sully, and Rozicki, and, um, Nelson, yeah, it was incredible, and, um, The saying right for that year is one, one in four to the final four. So very rare, and especially back then you got to, I mean, we all, as we all remember, there weren't many, many teams included in the NCAA tournament. Right. So you go one in four, usually you're sunk. Right. And one win, four losses, not looking good. Not looking good. And, um, so you gotta have, you gotta get to work and have that mentality. And, um, so one and four to the final four. And, um, I remember that Loyola overtime win and, you know, Navy before then, and then you go to. The bird stadium and play in front of 25, 000. I think it's the only game, probably my only athletic contest where I actually wanted to vomit before stepping on that field, um, where, where nerves took over. But, um, to your, to your point, Ron, um, it just set. The expectation for all of us so high the bar, not only for performance, but leadership, um, culture building, just the momentum, um, that we had going into those, those next, you know, a few years. And we were fortunate enough to make the playoffs and obviously 94 95. We missed out on 96 and then came back probably our least talented team. Out of all of the teams we were on was our 97 team. Um, and just, I'd say a unified team and one that wasn't selfish. And I think I'd like to think we took learnings from that 94 crew, um, as they did with you guys. And, um, it was, uh, it was a fun ride for sure. That's great. Yeah, with this, we love to emphasize the relationships. I know, Brett, you were saying you'd love to have Greg on and you guys had a great relationship. Why don't you tell us, like, when you guys first met and how the relationship developed as things went along there? Brett, we, we met like that first night when they, uh, I mean, the first night we were on campus. I remember that. And I, I remember that you and I hit it off, great conversation, being great friends right off the bat. We went to Bruin with each other sophomore year. Um, you know, and uh, you know, obviously we've stayed, you know, great friends since obviously we don't talk as much as we did back in, you know, 30 years ago as we did in college, but it's funny, like, you know, you know, Brett and I, he'll send me a text, I'll send him a text, and it's like, you just, you leave and all, it's like, time hasn't passed, right? Like, you know, I look at Brett and I, I mean, I'm in awe of his entire career. that he's had and I'm so he's accomplished. And yo feel like I'm part of it I basically grew up with in college, right? And he and uh, kind of been an i as well for everything he be close with him. It's g Like Brett and I can go, if we met later on, we'll have a beer, you know, and it's like, you know, bring back old memories and, you know, it's like nothing ever passed, right? But I do want to say one thing, Brett, you said a few times that we're a team, right? And what you were saying, and the teams at Brown University that, you know, we played for. Those are some incredible teams, right? And the leadership was incredible, and that goes so far, and that's what I've learned in my entire career. My best seasons were surrounded by teams, right? Not individuals, and I've been part of those teams as well, right? But I'm talking about the team chemistry and camaraderie. That really, and whether it's on the lacrosse field, any athletic field, in a professional business setting, I mean, that, that is where, you know, wins come from and, you know, Brett, like, it's one of the things that I thought in 1996, we had one of the, one of the better talented teams, right? And we had a good camaraderie. We missed the playoff that year. Right. And that was, I couldn't, I mean, that's, I still look back, I mean, we had so much talent. Back then but I mean 94 was incredible. I mean the four years were just great and obviously, you know Being alongside brent playing with him was was was wonderful. That's great Yeah, but I think you're right, you know Some reason what comes to mind is years back when the yankees are really good Everybody hit like 20 homers and had 80 rbis and then they get all these High end players and they never won again. They might have won one World Series with all these sluggers. So team is huge I shouldn't mention baseball because I don't really like it. But you know, you get my vibe there now Greg Um, I heard you on another podcast telling the story of how you were a starter as a sophomore Brown and then things changed and you weren't a starter and you had some time to kind of reflect and then you get put into a really tight spot You know, you don't play for several games, so tell us that story. You get put at the Ivy League championship. I think it was and tell us, you know what happened from there that, uh, you know, as they tell tell everyone, uh, whether, um, in a, in a coaching setting clinic, you know, they asked me what was the most defining moment of my career. And I tell him was being benched and, uh, and facing that adversity and, you know, everyone's going to face that in life, whether on a lacrosse field or in a professional setting, and it's what you do at that moment. Right. So, you know, I, you know, coming out of high school, I really, I'd never lost really, um, I didn't play my freshman year. Stolpert was obviously all American phenomenal, but it was being able to learn from him was great. And then being able to get the starting position my sophomore year, you know, I was ready to go. And, and I was playing well, but it was like, I, you know, still getting acclimated to the college game. And, you know, I was having a tough game and rightfully so, coach Lasagna pulled me out of the game, put another talented goalie in and, uh, you know, Dan Giannuzzi and he was running with it. Right. And that moment when I got benched, I mean, you have two choices, right? It's eating, go and cry in a corner and say, whoa, is me, you know, this shouldn't be happening to me. Or you're just going to support your teammates. Right. And you got to support your whole team and, and, you know, cheer for everyone on the sideline and know your moments still going to come one way or another, right? It's going to come and you never wishing for failure of anyone and trying to just be that teammate. And I was, I was on the side and it's tough. I mean, it was tough. I remember five, five, the entire Ivy league schedule. Like I was on the, I was on the bench. And I just was waiting for the moment, you know, and again, I wasn't ready for anybody to fail because I didn't want that to happen. But, um, there was, you know, was that something anyone had taught you or just, you know, like, you know, it's not what happens to you. It's how you respond to it or you look at it as like a binary situation, like, all right, I'm either going to sulk or I'm going to be positive. My father always told me, just keep your head up, you know, you'll get your moment. But it's still, you know, 20 years, 19 years old at that point. And, but, uh, you know, last game against Cornell, I wound up being for the Ivy League championship. And, you know, I got my chance in the first quarter I was put into the game and I had one of my better games of my career. And I remember scoring what turned out to be the game winning goal. You know, when you leave the field and you, and you, you go back to your dorm, right? And you're thinking like, what just, what just occurred, right? And it wasn't the game. It was the preparation of what occurred from the moment I got benched, the moment I was, that, that defined who I was as a player. And it wound up defining who I was as a professional in my entire career going forward. And, and it really, on the lacrosse field, it, it, It made me, you know, it bounced back from any type of adversity I was facing. I faced it head on, like, and as a goalie, you have to be able to handle getting scored on. Nothing fazed me. Like, if I got scored, and I got scored on five goals in a row, I'm like, I'll get it back. And I know, and I always did, right? And you have to be able to handle all that adversity if you're going to be a, be a goalie in the sport of lacrosse. This isn't soccer, you're going to let 10 goals, sometimes you're going to let 20 goals, right? Um, that's the reality of my, based on my MVP season. You know, letting up 18 goals one game, right? But it's what you do the next game. You got to get ready and you got to keep a really good mindset and just be a good teammate. And that's that. Uh, I mean, that was one of the, that was the defining moment of my career. Well, it's such a great thing for people, you know, parents and kids who are listening, you know, how do you, it's not, you know, what happens, it's how you respond. And there's really only one way to respond if you want to be positive and having a positive effect on the team. Positive effect on your own career. I just love that story. Not to mention scoring the game winning goal as the goalie. Nice. Yeah. And, and Joe, just to, just to pick up on that, right, like all the, the kids who are fans and see the pro game or hear about this guy, Greg Catrano, you know, going into the professional hall of fame, nobody thinks about the moment in his sophomore year of college that that guy is going to get benched. That's the reason why I'm in the Hall of Fame. Yeah. And so it's such a, I know Jay and I think this will probably end up being a good segue to the Jay McMahon mindset minute, but I know you talk about all the time and, and Greg, you can have all the skill and talent in the world. Right. But at that point, I'm sure it was. It's much more about mental, the mental part of the game, and, and how you approach that experience than any quickness or talent or ability to see the ball or ability to score goals. Right. And that plus, he also said he just kept preparing, right? He wouldn't, he didn't like start eating the box of donuts after every practice or, you know, still taking extra reps after practice. He was preparing for the next time he's going to get in, which is just great. I mean, that's the way to do it. Well, big dog. You guessed it. It's a great time to think about what sports performance guru Dr. Rob Gilbert would say about how to handle this situation. The situation of being dealt a major disappointment. Dr. Gilbert has a teaching principal and a handful of sayings that are easy to remember regarding this scenario. Such as a setback is a setup for a comeback. Don't put a period in your story. Or the universe put a comma. Making a bend in the road, not the end of the road. You may be thinking that these sayings sound corny and perhaps that's true, but what's also true. Is there a substance. Many have heard the story of Michael Jordan. Getting cut from the varsity basketball team as a sophomore in high school. But what a lot of people haven't heard is the fact that the varsity coach who cut him was no fool and saw a lot of potential in this player. It gave Michael Jordan an offer. To meet him at the gym every morning at 6:00 AM. To practice for an hour every day before school, all season long. Michael Jordan took him up on that offer and the rest is history. As we learned from our previous guests, Dylan Malloy, the 2016 player of the year and to our Aton award winner. He was cut from his varsity. Lacrosse team as a sophomore. Great. Catrino setback was different, but had the same impact. When we're dealt with what can feel like the ultimate rejection we need to ask ourselves or our teammates and for you coaches out there, your players. What happens after a negative result? Or are we going to respond positively and redouble our efforts? Or are we going to react negatively and blame the situation? Or our teammates or our coach and shrink and shrivel. The choice is ours. I agree with Dr. Gilbert, Michael Jordan, Dylan Beloit, and Greg neutrino. Best to choose wisely and keep our eyes on the prize. I hope you agree. These are the type of teachings that we have in the mindset portion. Of the J McMahon lacrosse app. Which can be found at the apple app store and for Android devices at the Google play store, simply type in J a Y M C M a H O N. Lacrosse and download the free app and you can check out the free training and when ready, you can go ahead and move down to paid programming. We will return to this program. In progress all right, so let's move along, Jay. I'm going to, I'm going to skip ahead here and get to Greg's professional, career, which I know the commission will also love to talk about because, you know, Greg, after graduation, I know you played in the NLL for three seasons when you were playing for NIAC, you know, and then you're at the infancy of the NLL. And when that came on the scene, so tell our listeners what that was like back then, you know, it was a very different thing being a quote pro lacrosse player in, uh, in that time. Uh, so, so tell us what that experience was like.

Ron: 46:14

to hear the answer to that intriguing question, please tune in next week, as we continue with our series until we meet again, here to, hoping you find the twine. We're signing off here at the Get the LAX coop. Thanks again so much. We will see you the next time.