By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/11/17
Former Neumann University and Upper Darby coach Rolly D’Ortone has been named head boys’ lacrosse coach at Lower Merion.
New Lower Merion coach Rolly D’Ortone (left) is flanked by his staff, Mike Lennon, Jamie Gaffney and Chet Laubach.
George Chou is not pictured
D’Ortone, who played in the Central League at Springfield-Delco, was head coach at Upper Darby from 1993-2004 before serving as the Offensive Coordinator at Ursinus College for three years. He then was Neumann’s head coach from 2010-12. He also was a volunteer assistant at Neumann last year.
D’Ortone answered these questions about his job at Lower Merion:
What are your short-term goals? “I am just trying to make sure guys at Lower Merion are having a good experience.”
What are your long-term goals? “I want to get Lower Merion back where it used to be. I have watched a lot of film and the talent is there. We don’t have one big star but a lot of kids can play.”
What is your general coaching philosophy? “The first thing is that all the kids have to have a good experience, from the top of the roster to the bottom of the roster. It doesn’t always have to be about wins and losses, but what’s the pint of playing if there aren’t good experiences?”
Why did you want this job? “The tradition is part of why. I played with the Ashbee all-stars and I knew what a big rival Lower Merion was. Our senior year at Springfield we were co-champs. They have great alumni support and a very good youth program in Ashbee.”