Yesterday I spoke with Continental Indoor Lacrosse League commissioner Russ King about the state of the league heading into their third season.
1. Southern Ohio left the league. Who replaces them?
No one is replacing them we are going with 5 teams in the East and 5 teams in the West
2. When does the season start?
Camps and tryouts have started. Thje official start of the 2013 season is August 3rd. Grand Rapids travels to Chicago. Cleveland to Columbus, Detroit at Pittsburgh and Upstate
3. What changes are in the league this year?
Not too much. More Communication from the League officials to the GM’s. Plans mapped out for the future to expand and try to play in bigger arenas
4. Any expansion other than Upstate?
Just Upstate. Lansing will try to play as and independent and will be looking for games to play
5. Any concerns about the differing levels of competition in the league?
Not too concerned. The teams that are in the league all seem to be eager to get better and grow box lacrosse in their communities, and develop junior teams and or “B” teams
6. How many NLL type players are un the league?
I would like to say a certain number, but I honestly can not answer that. My thoughts on that are that I hope that players that play in this league are different types of guys.
1. Those that are just getting out of college looking to improve their game to get to the next level.
2. Those that have been to that level and want to get back.
3. Competitive guys that want to be a part of box lacrosse that is not a “beer league”
4. NLL guys that want to keep playing in the off season
7. Will all teams who make the playoffs play this year?
We are going to have the top 2 teams in each division and then 2 wild cards make the playoffs
8. How are the rules compared to 2012?
We are incorporating rules from the OLA and the NLL. Rules that work for this league to make it more competitive
9. How many games do each team play?
At least 6. Colorado is at 6 games right now due to travel but most teams are between 8 and 12
10. Any concerns about the distance between Colorado and the other teams?
There is a lot of concern with the distance, we love having Colorado in the league and they love being in the league, so much so that they are traveling to Chicago and Milwaukee this year for games and not having any home games as of right now. We are always looking to expand out West we are looking for teams to jump on board for next season….
