In 2012 when I brought Rocco on to ILWT it was a shift for the entire website. I knew I wanted the site to be a space for people passionate about lacrosse, and that described Rocco to a T.
I wasn’t sure he would be into it; being a fan and writing don’t always translate. But his passion and knowledge of the game made him beyond the perfect fit, and his enthusiasm to be a part of ILWT was unmatched by probably anyone, and we had dozens of contributors who I know loved being a part of it.
I learned a lot about the NLL from Rocco, who seemed to know everything. His excitement to cover the game from the perspective of someone who truly loved it inspired me, and made me love the NLL and being in lacrosse all the more.
His passion extended to Drexel lacrosse and the sport in the Philadelphia area in general, and box lacrosse everywhere. I can’t think of many instances where he wasn’t up for absolutely any form of coverage.
His enthusiasm to be in lacrosse was why he was the exact type of person the ILWT community was created for, and seeing how much he cared about the website and the sport invigorated me even more.
Some of my favorite memories with ILWT and in lacrosse in general were at the USA Lacrosse conventions in Philadelphia and Baltimore, where his ardent appreciation for the sport was unmatched. Whether it was at the Wings games or helping me run the ILWT booth or the MLL draft show or even the indoor lacrosse broadcast we got to be a part of, working with Rocco around the sport was truly a privilege.
I’m absolutely devastated to hear of his passing. He made being in lacrosse more fun. He was everything lacrosse fandom is supposed to be about.
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Marisa Ingemi founded In Lacrosse We Trust in 2010 at the age of 14. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Herald, the Boston Globe, and on ESPN. She is currently a writer for NBC Hockey.
