Player Spotlight


Player Spotlight highlights the finer details and elements while supplying insight to the fans on what a player's thought process may be pertaining to a certain play, game or situation. It brings the intensity, passion, and inner most thoughts of the individual player that otherwise may not be felt or heard.

In the Player Spotlight this week is Troy Cordingley of the Buffalo Bandits.

PLPA correspondent Ron MacSpadyen interviewed Cordingley after the game.

Question What were your thoughts on Friday night's Toronto Rock home opener?
Answer I thought it was awesome to play in Maple Leaf Gardens. The fans were amazing, I could hear them getting into it. Losing the game (11-10) was brutal. That’s two games in a row we haven’t played well. Last week at home against Baltimore, our offense was adequate but our defense was terrible and last night our offense was terrible and our defense was working. We just haven’t had our entire game working yet.


Question Your first shot on net, a one-handed shovel-shot goal, demonstrated that ball carriers are always scoring threats. The shot seemed to surprise Rock goaltender Bob Watson, did the goal surprise you?
Answer I talked to Bob about that goal after the game and he said he didn’t see the shot through the double-team. Because we were playing man-short, I was just trying to get a shot on goal to avoid a 30 (second rule) violation so we might pick up a rebound and start with a new clock. But you can’t score if you don’t shoot.


Question With 50 seconds left in the game and your team down by one goal, the Rock took a penalty for too-many-men on the floor. During the subsequent man-up opportunity, the Bandits couldn’t generate a high percentage shot on the Toronto goal. What happened during the final 50 seconds?
Answer Early in the game our power play (man-up) just came out shooting. It was one pass and a shot. In the final minute, we all touched the ball to get the defense moving but I think we passed too many times and lost control of the ball. I just think we got too fancy.


Question The loss leaves the Bandits with a 1-2 record early in this NLL season. What are the prospects for Buffalo in 1999?
Answer Our goal is to make the playoffs as soon as possible, and then go on to win the league. We want to secure the opportunity to be in the playoffs first. We have a really big weekend coming up. We play Syracuse at home Friday night then fly out to New York for a Saturday night game against the Saints. We have to win them both, we can’t split. We need two good games to get our confidence back. Our goal is to win both games.


Question You recently completed a very successful 1998 box lacrosse season leading the Coquitlam Adanacs (British Columbia) to a Mann Cup appearance. What are the major differences between the summer box (WLA) and winter indoor (NLL) leagues?
Answer Box is chess; there’s more strategy. The NLL is checkers. It’s all speed and finesse.


Question If you could introduce one rule to improve the NLL game, what would it be?
Answer I think a rule which would open the game up a lot more is allowing the man-short team to kill a penalty in the attack half of the floor. With the shot-clock currently running against man-short efforts, the defense simply lets the clock run and waits for possession. Suspending the 30-second rule in man-short situations would keep everybody working hard.


Question What changes have you seen in the caliber of MILL/NLL play from your rookie season of 1993?
Answer The American players have adapted really well to the indoor game. I think they understand it more now. Also, the play overall in the league has improved a thousand percent. Today there is a lot of parity in the league. Before there were just a couple of good teams.


Question Do you have a tip you might offer NLL fans on what to watch for during a game?
Answer Watch for the contributions from the players not scoring all the goals. Most teams have talented players who hunt down loose balls, work really hard on defense or make great plays to set up scoring opportunities. Some of the most important players on any lacrosse club are the guys who create chances for the goal scorers.



PLPA Correspondent

Ron MacSpadyen has written on sport, technology and intellectual property for The Atlantic City Press; The Globe & Mail, The Ottawa Citizen and the Toronto Star. Ron brings his experience as a box lacrosse player and coach to reporting on the up-coming NLL season. His most recent coverage of the Mann Cup was featured in Lacrosse Talk and Lacrosse Magazine. We are enthused to have Ron onboard as a PLPA correspondent.