S3 E28. The Whiz: Tewaaraton Winner, PLL All Star, & Brown O.C. Logan Wisnauskas, Part III.

In this episode of 'Get the Lax Scoop,' hosts Big Dawg and Jaybird bring on guest Logan Wisnauskas, offensive coordinator at Brown University and two-time PLL All-Star, to discuss his journey through lacrosse. Logan shares insights into overcoming a severe injury, the importance of team culture, and transitioning from collegiate to professional lacrosse. The episode touches on the resilience and growth of Brown’s lacrosse team, future prospects, and the collaborative coaching dynamics at Brown. There is also a segment on mindset and character in sports, emphasizing perseverance and effort, regardless of circumstances.

00:00 Introduction to Get the Lax Scoop

00:23 Meet the Hosts and Guest

00:59 Welcome to Another Episode

01:46 Interview with Logan 

03:02 Logan's Journey and Setbacks

06:06 Coaching Philosophy and Experiences

13:01 Mindset Minute: True Test of an Athlete

14:47 Inside the Recruiting Game

15:36 Looking Ahead: Brown Lacrosse

17:59 Excitement for the Upcoming Season

22:01 Favorite Spots in Providence

24:04 Conclusion and Farewell

NEW BOOK!
Inside the Recruiting Game: Insights From College Lacrosse Coaches
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Donate to Harlem Lacrosse Summer Camp:

https://www.harlemlacrosse.org/gmvs2025

Links to training videos:
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

Jules Heningburg: https://thelaxlab.com/

Check out!... Coach Tintle's Lacrosse Barn:

https://g.co/kgs/eXedCXf

SuccessHotline with Dr. Rob Gilbert on Ironclad & Apple Podcasts

Brian Cain Daily Dominator on Apple Podcasts

Lacrosse Charities Mentioned in S2 E36:
https://www.4thefuturefoundation.org/

https://www.harlemlacrosse.org/

https://15forlife.org/

Transcript

0:00

It's time for Get the Lack Scoop, a podcast bringing you all the people and stuff you should know in the game of lacrosse. We take lack seriously, but ourselves, not so much. Join host Big Dog and Jaybird and the biggest names in the game brought to you by Jay McMahon lacrosse. That's JML skills, mindset, and lacks IQ training. Ron Doglish, 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 Foundation. And Jay McMahon, the Jaybird, a three time All American midfielder at Brown. He was the captain of the U. S. Junior National Team and is the founder of JML. And Joining us in the studio, Steve Grisolfi, who's collegiate lacrosse career statistics equals one goal against Dartmouth brought to you by Jay McMahon lacrosse. That's JML skills, mindset, and lacks IQ training, helping the next generation of lacrosse players get to the next level well, lacrosse fans, welcome to another episode of Get the Lack Scoop. We're in the dog days of summer here. Jay, which for lacrosse fans means the PLL season. rbo, you are correct, sir, and we are delighted to bring you our interview series with two time PLL All star to Warton Award winner and offensive coordinator at Brown Logan Wasowski. If you have not heard episode one, we highly recommend you go back and give it a listen as it lays a mighty foundation for what is to follow. If you like what you're hearing, we ask you to please subscribe to the show and share it with a friend. It really supports what we do. Now you will find this interview picking up right where we left off last time. Enjoy. So, Logan, you, you get off to a hell of a start in the PLL two time All Star, and then, you have a little setback, uh, in 2024, we know missing that season. But flash forward, uh, to this year, you're playing with the Outlaws, on a team with four to Wharton Award winners. All on the offensive side of the field. I mean, that's, that's ridiculous. And, uh, so you got you and Brennan O'Neill and Matt Kavanaugh on the attack, and then just for, just for shits and giggles, as they say, you got Jared Bernhardt coming outta the, outta the box. I would not like to be defending that offense. And not surprisingly, with that talent, you guys are on a roll, six in two in first place. You earn the first playoff spot this past week. You're playing at home, uh, I know this Saturday against the Atlas on a game that's one o'clock, uh, on a, b, c, um, on Saturdays, which I'm sure is gonna be a lot of fun. Pretty exciting to play on that kind of nationally televised game. So tell us about how this team's come together and, uh, and how, how you're feeling coming down the stretch here. yeah, for me, I'm just totally blessed to be healthy again. Right. There was, some dark days, kind of last year. Um, and I'm just, every time I take the field, every time I put the jersey on, I'm just beyond blessed to kind of be out there and, and, just quite frankly be alive. you know, I have such an amazing culture, you know, with the, with the Outlaws, you know, just co Coach Sudan, and it just kind of goes down with, Jocko and, and Coach Bolty. you know, we have an awesome culture. you know, we have awesome captains like the, the older guys. you know, Jesse, which is super cool. He was the defensive coordinator at Maryland and now Right. You know, being able to play with him, have a bunch of, chemistry with, guys like Jared, being my roommate in college. you know, Logan McNaney in the cage, Nick Grill, Alex Smith, kind of, we have a bunch of turfs. Yeah. On the out wall. So it's, it's kind of awesome, seeing those guys. And it just, it, it's such a blessing, being able to, play, post-college. you know, I tell our guys all the time, it's like, the, the locker room, is, is kind of, is not the same kind of PLL, versus college.'cause you know, once you get to PLL, life happens. It's right. It's like, you're getting married, you're having kids and it's like, sometimes that you might not, be there or, or whatnot, whatever the case may be. And it's like, I always tell, our guys like, cherish the locker room. It's like you don't get the, the times, six, seven days a week with the guys, multiple hours kind of in that locker room, but mm-hmm. Having the locker room that we do, in the outlaws. Is, truly special and, just a blessing and I'm just, forever grateful to, for, to be a part of it. You know, just, especially after, last year, moving into this year and kind of, being back and, being able to, play with those, those guys that you kind of mentioned before is, is truly special and something that, I look forward to, week in and week out. Right. And they listed your injury as the lower body. Was it a knee or Achilles or what, what had happened? Yeah, so I strained my hamstring, the, before the Charlotte game, so it was the second game and I wasn't doing anything. We had a buy, so I was gonna miss the next game. And then I ended up getting a blood clot in the back of my knee. Oh boy. And that blood clot broke off into both of my lungs. I had two blood clots. Embolism. The right, yep. My right lung. Oh my gosh. One in my left. So, oh. Yeah, that was super tough for me. And I just have to thank my family for, being there for me every step of the way and just, kind of getting me back to normal, all my, all my doctors that I had. I'm right. I'm eternally grateful for those, those people. Absolutely. That that's amazing. I serious comeback story. That's awesome. And now. You mentioned, I think I had under, my notes that it started in 24, but did you start, were you at High Point for 22 and 23? Fill us in on your Yes, I was, I was there for the 23 year. Yep. 2324. I was there for two years. And then once Coach Toby got hired at Brown, kind of moved up to up to Brown with him. Gotcha. And then, did you know Coach Doby beforehand, or had you just applied for an open position? How did that interaction start? Oh, I didn't, it was funny, I kind of reached out to Coach Benson, once I graduated, just all right, what, what do I do now? here we are, right? I finished college, what am I gonna do? And my parents are kinda dodging me just you got a job? And I'm well. so I kind of reached out to Ben, coach Benson, and he was yeah, let me kind of ask around and, within, I. 20, 30 minutes. I had a text from Coach Tope just Hey man, I'm in the area of Maryland. let's, let's meet up, let's get some lunch. love to, love to meet and kind of catch up with you. I, I met him during prime recruiting hours and, I tell the story all the time, I, I fell in love with the guy right at the table. Like, I, I didn't have to, go down to High Point and kind of, like tour and kind of like see around just like, mm-hmm well, I'm looking at this school, right? I'm looking at this school, my coach here. It's like, I, I wanted to work with that guy. Like I, I, I truly love that guy. Um, working with him, uh, it was awesome and I'm just, grateful that he kind of, took, took a leap and kind of, trusted in me at that time. And, and hired me. Um,'cause I heard a lot of great things. one of my former teammates, Bryce Young, was a, uh, volunteer assistant at, uh, at High Point with him, prior. And, just kind of talking to him, just kind of picking his brain, just like, what's up with, coach Torpe, he is like, dude, you're gonna, you're gonna love him. And he was, he was right. So That's great. I just love working with him. Love, love, uh, love him and his family. He was great people, great family, He is great. Great coach. Yeah. And talk about a work ethic, right? We had, uh, Jamie Monroe on, and he had worked with Jamie Monroe back at University of Denver. And, uh, Jamie's like pretty high energy guy to begin with. like they would play basketball against each other to a hundred and like, you had to win by four or something like that. And then, uh, Jamie's like, people say people get a lot done before noon. He is like, I'm not kidding. On a Monday, he'll get more done by 10:00 AM than you're gonna get done all week long. He's like, this guy is off the chain. So it's a great guy for you to be learning from, from what I hear. Yeah. I don't, I don't doubt it. I wish we would play some more basketball and stuff we haven't played yet, but Oh yeah. Get him back out there hard. Get on the hardwood with coach. Be good. Jamie told a story too, like. They're like, all right, we're gonna run this ultra marathon. it's not even just a regular marathon, it's like a 50 mile race or something. And they're like, tu, you're running that race with us in a couple months. You might wanna do some running with us or something. And he did not do any running. And then he tried to win the race, and he practically did. Jamie said they got lost him. And the leaders are three miles ahead of everyone, and they make a wrong turn and they come back. And I think he's, Jamie could run long distance like nobody's business. And I think in the end, RP doesn't look like a long distance guy to me, but I could have him wrong. But anyway, he's, I'm sure he'll, I'm sure he'll appreciate that comment, Jack. Yeah, no comment there. Still. He's just a nut, Motor's always gone. So that's, Hey, hey Logan. we're, we're we, we had Coach Tope on and, and uh, I can see what you say. He is just a guy. You immediately. Uh, feel a connection to, and as a coach and a recruiter, it just must be, he must be such a great guy to play with. And then authenticity, what you're getting right away. Right. And Logan, I guess, there's not many guys, what, a couple years outta college in the game today, where you're named offensive coordinator. So, talk about the, the confidence placed in you to, to run that end of a, uh, of the field is still, a pretty young coach. And I'd love to hear, from all your experience, uh, starting off at Syracuse, playing for incredible coaches at BL Coach Tillman and, and Coach Benson at Maryland and now on the pros. How has that shaped your offensive philosophy and how would you describe how you want to teach guys to play offense and be successful at Brown? I think it's, it's a little bit of kind of, everyone kind of mashed together, right? It's a little bit of, what I learned in high school, right? What I learned in college, and, it, it's kind of, it's very collaborative, right? It's not just kind of me of, coach tope, just here's the O here's the D, and it's I'm gonna sit back here and I'm gonna, yell at the refs or whatever I'm gonna do, right? It's, it's very collaborative, right? He kind of comes up, he is like, well, what about this? And then we'll kind of, talk about it and then be like, all right, well, what about this scenario? So, very collaborative, kind of in that sense. Just, bouncing ideas, back and forth of each other. we have. Great office dynamic, right? There's, some of our best ideas, come from the other side of the ball, right? It'll be, a, the defensive coach, just like, dude, you gotta do this. instead, what, whatever the, the motion play action may be. And it's like, we try and it's like, yeah, that gives our defense fits. Like you should, I was gonna say, right. He knows what, what is tough to cover, right? Yeah. No, and, and vice versa too. It's like, well, what, what if you did this like defensively? And it's like, oh yeah. I never really thought about that. So, very collaborative. Right. I know a lot of coaching staffs have kind of put up silos, but, we kind of, doors down. Like we're all, all ears kind of in the office and, it's very collaborative and I, I, I love working with, with Coach Tope and, kind of the, the other coaches as well, just kind of bouncing ideas off of each other. That's great. Yeah. And then as far as the change in scenery, going from college park, going down a high point. And then now being up in New England up in Providence, what are your impressions of Brown and of Providence after, one year under your belt? I mean, the brown U kind of taught, speaks for itself, right? It's a school that's, so rich in tradition. there's, so many alumni, the team like kind of coming into the, into the fall was just so welcoming. I just, we felt welcome kind of as a new staff kind of right away. it was just so easy to kind of love those guys. it, it truly was, just kind of working with those guys, day in and day out. It was, kind of awesome. just they're so receptive to feedback. just kind of. Them putting their trust in us, just, just make sure that haven't really learned any of this stuff of the new stuff that we're bringing in. But, they did the best that they could, which, as coaches we're definitely grateful for, just that senior class giving that they're all for us. it was amazing. just really fell in love with those guys. Yeah. I watched a number of the games online and they really did have no quit, No, I mean, obviously the end result wasn't, the record wasn't what you wanted, but you still had very good wins. you win that Ocean State Cup for the first time in a while, had a big win over UMass. It was a one goal win and then all the other game, literally they did not stop fighting no matter what the score was in any game. So, they really did have quite a character, that team, high character. No doubt. as coaches too, we can appreciate so much. our guys would never quit. Right? doesn't matter, what the scoreboard read. our guys never quit. They fought tooth and nail to the end, which we love completely. How about if we, how about if we transition to. J m l and let's do that. We'll get into a little bit of the mindset. We'll do a mindset minute one of the truest tests of an athlete isn't how they play when they're winning. It's how they respond when things aren't going their way. If you're on a team with a losing record, it can be easy to get discouraged. Maybe you look at the scoreboard and think, what's the point? But here's the thing, character is built in those moments, giving your best effort no matter what the score says. Is what separates a true competitor from someone who only plays hard when it's easy. When you step on the field, you control your effort, your attitude, and your commitment to the game. If you give less than a hundred percent, just because the score isn't in your favor, you're not only cheating yourself, you're letting down your teammates. The players who grow the most, who improve the fastest are the ones who keep pushing, keep working on their skills, and keep competing even when the odds are against them. Because every rep, every sprint, every ground ball, those things add up. Whether your record is 10 and oh or oh and 10, and let's not forget, being a good teammate means putting the team above yourself. That means hustling, encouraging others, setting the tone with your effort. When you play that way, you inspire everyone around you to rise up too. So here's the challenge. Don't let the scoreboard define your effort. Show strong character. Give a hundred percent every time you step on the field, because one day when the wins start coming, and they will, you'll know it's because you built the right habits, the right mindset, and the right heart. Win or lose effort is always your choice. Choose to give everything, every play, every game, every time. This type of player comes with their own guardrails while the others have none. Speaking of no guardrails that so many of our listeners describe the college lacrosse recruiting trail. So we've responded by putting excerpts of our 10 best interviews with legendary coaches, such as bill Tierney, Lars, Tiffany and Andy towers. Into a book that you can access on Kindle, it is available on Amazon, under the title inside the recruiting game insights from college lacrosse coaches. You will find a link to the book in our show notes. Now we will return to our interview and you will find that interview in progress. Yeah. watching that team over the year and you know, it's always tough, right? When as you were alluding to Logan, you're coming in new coaching staff, you're trying to apply new principles and, new approaches and it always takes a team a while to adjust to that. But the difference between that team in week one and two and then I, the Cornell game was one for me. You look at what Cornell did as they moved on through the playoffs. Yeah. And you look at the way you guys played them late in the year that that team came a long, long way. And I think anybody who was really watching and paying attention, it gets you excited about what's to come. I mean, yeah, no doubt. Right? Like the, the Cornell, like, I'm sure you guys, you know, saw like the inside lacrosse articles of, you know, starting our, our Scout team. Um, you know, we have, we do scrimmages like each week, um, just like whoever wins that scrimmage, like they start and, you know, that's, you know, part of, you know, being around with Coach Tope is like, you know, everyone's engaged. It's not like, right, here are the starters, here are the backups, and that's how it is, right? Like, there's a clear line in between, like, we're, we're not about that at all. Like as a staff, it's like with that, those dirt dive scrimmages, right? If the, you know, if the scout quote unquote scout team wins, it's like. They're starting in the game and they're playing, so, right. That was amazing. You're, you're bringing it kind of week in and week out. Um, you know, you kinda let your guard down, you know, you think, you know, man, I'm the starter. Like I, I'm good. Like I got this. It's like, you know, there's guys that are kind of, you know, biting at your heels kind of behind you, um, and kind of, you know, saw that like that week. But, you know, just kind of like telling our guys, like throughout the summer, it's like, we were tied with the national champions was seven minutes ago in the fourth quarter. Right. We were, you know, a minute 30 away and, and a bad call from, you know, beating Harvard. Um, so we, we were like so close, just, you know, a, a couple of. You know, kind of things that, you know, we needed to go our way from an execution standpoint, but, um, you know, just kind of, you know, harping on that stuff, you know, this summer and then, you know, coming back, hitting the ground, running this fall will be, you know, huge.'cause you know, at the end of the day, like it's gonna be great that having, you know, 15 new guys, whereas, you know, we kind of came in, you know, last summer we had, you know, 50 freshmen, you know, sitting in front of us, right. This mm-hmm. Seniors to lead when they don't know, like what they're leading or what they're doing or saying. So, right. It's gonna be awesome. Kind of, you know, having much less, uh, number of freshmen, um, and, and being able to, you know, kind of coach those guys, coach those guys up,'cause, you know, excited for what's to come, you know, what's coming in our locker room. Um, you know, definitely gonna miss the guys that are leaving, but, excited for what's to come. this coming year, Logan, uh, you know, obviously we're gonna spend a little bit more time on the Bears. Okay.'cause we're, you know, you, we with a couple of brown alums here, and so, uh. What if you had to think about, you were just talking about how much progress that team made, how much great leadership this, that senior class showed, and you've obviously know what it takes to play at the highest level you're coaching in a league that's proven as it did this year that you know you're gonna win national championships out of the Ivy League league. And so what are the two or three things that you and Coach Tope and the team has to do in the coming season and seasons to get the program back to that level? What are the difference making things as you look ahead that you know you guys gotta do? we had this conversation this week and last week, what we want to do, what we wanna focus on. And at the end of the day, it comes down to our culture, right? it comes down to, Who we want to be as players, as people in the community of Providence, right? is being, cutthroat on the field and humble off the field, right? Coming to coming to Brown to, get a good education, but also to compete at the highest level. Right? And saw, this year, with the Ivy League, I think it was probably the best it's been in 10 years, right? You look across the landscape of, Cornell, there's, you got CJ K right? They have, guys littered in the PLL with, Hugh Kellehers of the world, and you got, Princeton with, Colter Maxey, I can keep going down Harvard with Sam King, right? They're all playing, key minutes in the PLL. Um, and so legit lax Logan, huh? Yeah, for most private league guys. Yeah, exactly. Um, so just like telling those guys, it's like, look like we have gotten better and showing those guys that film, our, some of our practices we have looked really good and it's like making sure that this year that, those practices are translating to the games, right? Is we're not falling back on old habits and, we're doing what is being asked of us, throughout the week and, just harping on those guys. Um, the seniors or juniors last year, the seniors had a really good buy-in this summer. Just holding guys accountable and taking the freshmen under their wing, which has been awesome to see. But, I'm super excited to get this ball rolling here in I think 34, 33 days. Super excited. Not that you're counting. No, not at all. That's great. That's awesome. Exciting stuff. Yeah. So I think, we want to talk about, some of the key guys that are returning that you're excited, Logan now you've had these guys for a while, and you've been invested in them. Who are you really excited to see of the returning guys? Take the next step that you think we should be watching for that really has a chance to elevate and then maybe give us a little sneak peek of some of the freshmen that you're excited about coming in. I mean, I'm super excited about our offensive group that we have coming back and coming in. Right? we did a Zoom the other night, just talking about some non-negotiables and you could tell those guys are dialed in, right? the seniors, even the freshmen too, there are some dudes right? they wanna win. And so definitely looking forward to, this season, at the end of the day, we lost a bunch of guys, right? We, we lost, the, the Aiden McLeans of the world, the, guys that have mm-hmm. Had key minutes at Brown, like the, the Spencer Hughes is, just forever in debt for year after year. Yeah. Guys who've been there year after year. Yeah. Right. In debt. So times, when guys like that do graduate. It'll be someone like, a guy who was a freshman who may not have done that much in this past year, but have been watching those guys. And they sometimes make a huge leap from freshman to sophomore year or sophomore to their junior year. So I think that's, I think you guys are probably gonna have a lot of surprises. Like, oh wow, this guy really stepped up to the plate, who saw that coming, Yeah. Uh, we definitely have some guys that have been working their tails off. seen that in the WhatsApp. just those guys shooting in their workouts, which have been the total accountability from those guys. But, so, I, I'm excited kind of to see, you know, who's been putting in the work and just, see who looks different. Come, that first practice, right? Awesome. Logan you know, let's get to the important stuff. Favorite restaurants in Providence? Oh, hard hitting questions. oh man, I, I don't know if there's one that I could nail down. I just say the whole Federal Hill, whole Federal Hill. You can't go with a bad spot over there. There's so many Italian places over there. The, the pen olive vodka from, Constantino's. you can't go wrong with that. you can Nice, nice choice guys. Getting Know the town. Jay, how about, uh, where, where's your go-to lunch spot on Third Street, Logan. Go to East Side Pockets. Nice. Oh man. East side Pockets. I love that. Was there when we were there. Yes. Been around a while, man. That's amazing. The chicken. Chicken euro wrap. Nothing better. Yeah. Love it. Great call. Love it. What was your guys' favorite spot? East Side Pockets was up there. Hundred percent. There you go. Definitely was up. It's love. A little Louis's for breakfast on Saturday, Sunday. That's like, oh really? Greasy spoon. Is that still there dog? It is still there. Louis' is still there. I mean Louis was like 103 when we were there. I mean it must be Louis Junior at this point. Yeah, but it, same thing Logan though. Federal Hills always The place you went to when you were looking for. When the parents came into town. Yeah. You had'em, you know, take us over to Federal Hill. Yeah. Mom and dad doesn't pay for you a good meal. Yeah. You got exactly, exactly the, the pen sauce, penile vodka over there. Dog likes to get a little Parmesan cheese on his dish. Little shredded cheese. The parents took us out. This is like a thing we always bring up and dogs like talking a hundred miles an hour. Hard to imagine that. Right? It's like, I just love it. I love Italian food. I, I love getting that, the Parmesan cheese and all of a sudden our friend's mom goes, Ron, that's my dish. It was, it was a red sausage dish covered in Parmesan cheese. White. Hand it over to this poor little lady. You put it in front of me. I'm gonna chase it up. Logan. You know, it was like, and can we get another container of Parmesan cheese, please? No doubt about it Reminds me of that one commercial, the guy just like, more, more. And he is like, I'll tell you when to stop. Yeah, exactly right. That's what it was like. Well, hey Logan, it is. It's been really awesome to get to know you and have this conversation. We're absolutely. You know, I mean, I think I, I know I speak for Jay as, as two alums. We're, we're, it's, we're so proud to have someone of your caliber, both at a, a personal level and a lacrosse level, with Coach Thorpe. And as lacrosse fans. Yeah. I mean, you know, you guys are just great people who love the game, who, and work your tails off. And I, and I, I'm gonna say, you know, Jay, that, that Coach Tope and, and Coach Wisneski, they're brown skaters, baby. They're grinders, you know? A hundred percent. They're brown skaters. Come on. I couldn't agree more. And as far as the team, you know, not never quitting last year, it's a reflection of the coaching staff. a hundred percent right? you're, you're getting the most outta your guys. And that, that's key to winning. No doubt about it. So we're, we're super excited to have you guys and really join us tonight, Logan. Yeah. That's of luck over these next few weeks here. Yeah. Have some fun with that. Let's, let's bring home some hardware at the PLL and then carry that mo right into the brown season, baby. We'll see you. I'll see you in the fall, Ron. Well, Ron lives in Rhode Island. He's got no excuse. Yeah. Logan, I gotta, I gotta get to see you and Coach Toia. I've been, I've, I've been a terrible alum for you guys this year, but I'm going on. We'll get it going. We'll get it going Absolutely. Thank you guys so much for having me on. Thanks for the time. Appreciate it. Awesome. All right. With you guys. Absolutely. Thank you. Awesome. Sounds good. See you guys. Go Bruno. Go Bruno. Until we meet again. Here's to hoping you find the twine. We're signing off here at the get the lax scoop. Thanks again so much. We will see you the next time.