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 Player Spotlight this week is Rich Kilgour of the Buffalo Bandits.

Nine-year veteran Rich Kilgour has been on three championship teams with the Buffalo Bandits. Now, the organization is rebuilding with him as one of the cornerstones. He and his teammates earned their first win of the season Saturday night, coming back from a five-goal, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Syracuse Smash, 22-21, at Marine Midland Arena.

PLPA correspondent Tom Borrelli interviewed Kilgour after the game.

Question Have you ever been involved with a more dramatic comeback?
Answer For coming back late, that's about as good as it gets. With so much youth on our team, we never give up. That's the type of team we have, guys who will always go hard for 60 (minutes). There was no hanging of heads at any time.


Question It seemed like the Bandits were the fresher team, especially in the final minutes. Was that all part of the game plan?
Answer It was a lot like a football game. You keep running and running and sometimes you don't reap the fruits of it until the fourth quarter. That's what happened for us tonight. We were in shape for that last five-minute run.


Question How does this Bandits team differ from others in the past?
Answer We've got about 20 different players and we've gotten a lot younger. I'll bet our average age went from about 29 or 30 to about 23. We're a lot faster and we're going to get up and down the floor a lot better.


Question Did not playing last summer help refresh you for this season?
Answer Big-time. I went at it year-'round for about eight years. For myself, it was nice to heal a lot of old injuries. Lacrosse is not an easy sport to play as far as bumps and bruises go. That's one of the main reasons I took the summer off.


Question What do you consider the greatest strength in your personal game?
Answer Just my all-around game. I've seen it all and nothing can surprise me out there. Everyone's got great skills. If you're in this league you're a talented player. Versatility is what I think I bring to the table.


Question How long do you envision yourself playing in the National Lacrosse League?
Answer Until they kick me out. I love lacrosse and I plan to play as long as a possibly can. When Teddy (Bandits head coach Ted Sawicki) feels my time is up, I guess that's when my time is up.


Question Who is the greatest player you've faced during your career?
Answer Gary Gait, hands down. He's the best -physically, mentally, with the stick, everything.


Question What's the fondest moment of your pro career?
Answer Winning the second championship here in Buffalo (in 1993). That was just crazy with 16,000 people (in Memorial Auditorium) and Darris (his younger brother) scoring the winning goal (in the championship game against Philadelphia). It was just unbelievable, especially since I missed the first championship.


Question Is there anything you regret or would change about your career?
Answer Not tearing up my knee in the first year. I missed six or seven games (including the championship game in Philadelphia). Other than that, it's been a great ride for me. I think of the Grateful Dead. What a long, strange trip it's been.


Question Which is your favorite visiting arena to play in?
Answer Philadelphia without a doubt. Their fans are just as dedicated as those in Buffalo, even if they're a little more X-rated.


Question Is it just as much fun playing pro ball in 2000 as it was for you in 1992?
Answer I think even more fun. Seeing the young guys come along allows me to say that was me seven or eight years ago. I just hope they can get as much out of lacrosse as I did.


PLPA Correspondent

Tom Borrelli, fell in love with lacrosse while writing for his school campus paper "The Record" as a student at Buffalo State College in 1977.

He has seen and covered over 1000 games at all levels which includes the Buffalo Bandits for the Buffalo News since their inception in 1991, NCAA Tournament games, Final Four Championships, upstate New York schools games, the Canadian Mann Cup Championship, the OLA Major Box Lacrosse Series, the Buffalo Gamblers of the OLA Major Series and high school events.

Tom presently writes for the Buffalo News and does extensive feature writing for Lacrosse Magazine and Inside Lacrosse. Between pro box, college and high school field and OLA box lacrosse Tom attends about 50 to 60 games a year (and Dick Vitale thinks he has it made with hoops!) The PLPA is happy to have Tom on board as a contributing writer for the Player Spotlight.



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