NEW YORK, April 15, 2019 – The New York Riptide announced today two new hires as they continue to build the front office staff led by Head Coach and General Manager Regy Thorpe. Brian Hobart joins the Riptide as Director of Scouting and Jake Henhawk was named Director of Player Development for the National Lacrosse League (NLL) franchise. Hobart and Henhawk will report to Lance Basler, Assistant General Manager and Director of Lacrosse Operations for the Riptide.
The NLL awarded the New York franchise to live events and sports media entertainment company GF Sports in December 2018. The Riptide will play home games at NYCB LIVE, Home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum when it begins play in December for the 2019-20 NLL season.
“We are excited to have Brian and Jake join the Riptide, they both bring incredible experience and knowledge at the professional, collegiate and international levels, and are already hard at work preparing us for the upcoming Expansion and Entry Drafts as well as Free Agency,” said Thorpe. “They share our same vision for quickly building a competitive expansion team, and are key additions as we work to build a franchise that the passionate New York and Long Island lacrosse fans will be proud to call their own.”
As Director of Scouting, Hobart will manage the team’s regional scouts and be responsible for draft preparation, free agency and trade recommendations, as well as opponent scouting and analysis. He joins the Riptide with more than a decade of lacrosse front office experience, most recently serving as a scout for the Philadelphia Wings and Assistant General Manager for the U.S. Indoor Lacrosse National Team. Hobart previously worked alongside Thorpe during his nearly 10 years as the Head Scout for the Rochester Knighthawks.
Henhawk will support Hobart and all additional team scouts with player evaluation and planning and serve as a key liaison between the players and team management in his role as Director of Player Development. He joins the Riptide from the Knighthawks where he was President of Lacrosse Operations. Prior to the Knighthawks, Henhawk was the Head Scout for the Vancouver Stealth.
Fans can place a deposit on season ticket memberships at www.NewYorkRiptide.com or speak to a customer service representative at 516-888-6879 and follow the team @NewYorkRiptide to receive behind the scenes information as the team prepares for the 2019-20 season.
