Scoring goals was not a major problem for the Michigan lacrosse team in 2014, but defending against goals was a bit of an issue. That's where Aaron Madaisky comes in.
The British Columbia native played one season for the UMass Minutemen, starting 11 out of 13 games in which he appeared as a true freshman last year. He's a big addition to the defensive unit. And when I say big, I mean big. Madaisky comes in at 6' 7" and 225 pounds. That means he's something like this...
...but carrying a longpole.
Perhaps this video is more accurate...
So he's clearly half Sasquatch and half gazelle. Seriously, though, Michigan could definitely use his 15 GBs and 9 caused turnovers that he had last season. Welcome to Michigan, young man; we look forward to seeing you on the field.
---
In other news, the Wolverines have also hired Conor Ford as their new offensive coordinator. Ford comes over from Drexel University where the team was quite an efficient offense, scoring almost 12 goals per game and taking the advantage on 45% of their extra man situations. Plus, they were able to do something pretty cool against the Penn Quakers in last year's NCAA Tournament...
Please bring some of that to Ann Arbor!
The fact that Ford was able to do some pretty amazing things with the Dragons should give Michigan fans some hope for increased output next season. The team's leading scorer, Ian King, is back along with practically everyone from last year's offensive unit, giving Ford a ton of talent to work with during the season.
The addition of Madaisky on defense and Ford directing the offense means good things for the Wolverines. After winning a school-record five games in 2014, both newcomers should be able to make immediate and measurable impacts to the success and progression that we've seen each year already.