Coach Corinne Desrosiers has been named the Duquesne; fourth head women's lacrosse coach. She was the (FIT) Head Women's Lacrosse coach and made a significant impact on the program since taking the head coaching position in 2013. Desrosiers was named the 2016 SSC Coach of the Year, a first in the program's history. Coach Desrosiers has coached players receiving honors including SSC Player of the Year, All-SSC selections including First Team and honorees, as well as various academic awards. Before coaching at FIT, Desrosiers was the head coach at Merrimack College for six seasons, where she was named WomensLacrosse.com Division II National Coach of the Year as well as an assistant coach for Division III lacrosse and field hockey teams at the University of New England.

2aDays: What is the most important quality you look for in a recruit?

Coachability, personality, good family (parents that let their child handle recruiting), and good references from coaches and personal acquaintances.

2aDays: What is the best way for a recruit to get on your radar?

Email with some clips, game tape, highlight reel and academic documents (transcript, test scores, anything). If they look like they are a good fit for our school, we respond and we look to watch them in upcoming recruiting tournaments and events.

2aDays: When should an athlete contact you, what is the best way? (age, grade, time of year, email, phone, or other)

June 1 or after in the summer heading into their Junior year. I won't recruit an athlete I can't call. Email is great, and be persistent, especially if it's summer and we are getting hundreds of emails!

2aDays: What are your expectations for incoming players in the classroom, in the weight room, and on the court?

Nothing but a high standard and transparency. We have a tough school. If you're struggling, coming and talk to the coaching staff so we can help you. Players under a 3.0 GPA have mandatory study hours to fulfill with us and players under a 2.5 GPA are suspended from team activities in certain (and most) cases. In the weight room, we expect energy, teamwork, and a “try harder” attitude. Our weight room culture has grown over the past two years and we are in a great place with it now. Field is just the same – physically and mentally tough. Have fun, play hard, enjoy your sport and bring that passion every day. Utilize lacrosse as an outlet for stress, not as an added burden. It's hard work but we reap the benefits daily by getting to call our teammates family.

2aDays: What are the do's and don'ts of being recruited?

Do: Be persistent, be honest, be communicative, and be professional. Do NOT: Show us anything you wouldn't want us to see on social media, tell us if you've already verbally committed somewhere else, and have your parents take over your recruiting process (we want to talk to them, but only after we've decided you're a potential recruit).

2aDays: What is the best advice you can offer a recruit?

Be honest and know about the school you're emailing.

2aDays: What really jumps out to you when reviewing a recruit's highlight tape?

Two-way play (not just being good at one thing), energy, hustle, and athleticism, good sportsmanship. Being a good teammate and a team leader.

2aDays: What are the main do's and don'ts for a recruit's highlight tape?

Coach Desrosiers: Don't make it too long (over 4-5 minutes). Please show us all the ways in which you could help our program (i.e. not just scoring goals, but pressure in the re-defend, ground balls, draws, assists, good decision-making on offence, etc.)

2aDays: When do you recommend recruits put together and share their highlight reels? Is it best to make their highlight reel during offseason, in the middle of season, or after each game?

Coach Desrosiers: Offseason!

2aDays: What advice do you have for recruits who get turned down by their dream schools? What are their options if they don't gain the recruiting attention they desire?

There is a school for everyone. Please be persistent and remember there are lots and lots of schools out there and some schools finish recruiting earlier than others. Ask where they are in the recruiting process! Be direct!

2aDays: How big a factor is social media when recruiting players? What advice do you have for athletes regarding social media?

I look at all social media I can find. If a player isn't posting things I would be proud of, I tend to stop recruiting them. Vulgarity, nudity, and drugs and alcohol are completely unacceptable for us at the collegiate level, so I can't imagine why a high schooler would feel confident in posting these things.

Update as of 10/23/18: Corrine Desrosiers is now the Head Lacrosse Coach at Duquesne University. 

* Originally published on May 8, 2017, by LRT Staff