Coach hopes to instill winning tradition

Michael Bryant, a former high school coach at South Side High on Long Island, was named the College of Mount Saint Vincent’s (CMSV) men’s lacrosse coach on July 25, becoming the third head coach in program history.

Bryant played at SUNY Cortland, where he was team captain in 2004. His coaching career began in 2008 with St. Joseph’s Collegiate Academy in Buffalo before he moved to South Side to coach football and lacrosse.

Losing record

Former Dolphins coach Dan Mulholland was 41-64 in seven seasons, including 6-8 in 2014, when the team lost five of its last six games. CMSV has never had a winning record since the team’s inception in 2005.

“My expectation is to turn the program around as quickly as possible so we start our own tradition of winning,” the 31-year-old Bryant said. “We hope to do that through recruiting and also with our returning players.”

Bryant said that his background as a high school coach should help him with recruiting in Long Island and Westchester, both fertile grounds for lacrosse talent. He also said he expects to change some things about his coaching style leading college-aged players.

Expecting a lot

“I think they’ll have less of a leash because more is expected of them,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be able to make this team.”

The Hastings-on-Hudson resident has been teaching physical education at Nassau BOCES since 2006, and he earned his master’s degree in education from Cortland in 2010, according to a statement from CMSV.

‘Diamond in rough’

“The College of Mount Saint Vincent has found a diamond in the rough,” athletics director Jay Butler said when he announced the hiring. “Coach Bryant is exactly who we need to lead the men’s lacrosse program into the future. He has a great understanding of the NCAA Division III philosophy and he played at one of the best programs in the country.”