ICON is about total Athlete/Player development. It is our goal to assemble the best players available and help them grow as athletes and lacrosse players. This is accomplished with a thorough assessment of each players skill set and understanding of the game. With the current generation of lacrosse players spending so much time on their individual skills, young players today are far more skilled than in the past but are actually less knowledgeable about how the game works. At ICON, we are committed to improving the lacrosse IQ of our players and preparing them for any and all situations. While we believe it is important for our players to show a commitment to the game of lacrosse, we encourage our players to be complete, well rounded athletes. Multi-sport
athletes have a great advantage over the specialized athlete who only plays lacrosse. Those who add the physical play, agility and endurance of sports like soccer, football, basketball and wrestling to their lacrosse game are only helping themselves to succeed. We believe lacrosse should be a big part of a young persons life but should not be their only activity. More importantly, we consider ourselves educators and mentors. The ICON experience is rooted in our obligation to the next generation of student/athletes. Throughout our lives, we have been impacted by the great teachers and coaches who have led us in the classroom and on the field while also inspiring us to become better people. These people have left an imprint on each of us and are responsible for who we have become. It is our responsibility to not only coach and teach but to inspire. Each player we have the privilege of coaching has a different personality, skill set and motivation for playing the game. We as coaches must find a way to build the confidence of each player and bring out the best in each of these young people both on and off the field. "Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny". - Author Unknown
ICON'S LEADERSHIP
ICON was conceived and will be directed by National Hall of Fame Defenseman Pat McCabe. Throughout a successful career as a player at the High School, College, Professional and International levels, Pat has accomplished as much as any player Long Island has seen. After winning a NY State Championship at Elmont Memorial HS, McCabe went on to Syracuse University where he was a four time All American and three time National Champion. At Syracuse, Pat was a part of teams that many consider to be the best in the history of the NCAA. Following college, Pat was a member of a LI Hofstra Lacrosse Club team that won numerous championships, leading up to the formation of Major League Lacrosse and the rise of the Long Island Lizards. As Captain of the Lizards, Pat was a mainstay on the team that won 2 of the first 3 MLL Championships in 2001 and 2003. In addition to his playing career, Pat has coached at every level in the game of lacrosse and continues to train lacrosse players from the youth level all the way up to current Division I college players. The most important aspect of Pat McCabes lacrosse career, however, may be the coaches he has had the opportunity to
learn from and the relationships he has developed throughout the lacrosse world. Having been given the freedom to use his imagination by the great Roy Simmons Jr., Pat developed a style of play that took risks and saw him play on the edge of what some would say was out of control. While playing on the 1998 US National Team, Pat had the opportunity to learn the discipline and responsibility of a defensive system crafted by Bill Tierney of Princeton and now Denver. As a player, he had the honor of playing alongside, and later being coached by, John Detommaso, who is without a doubt one of the top defensive players and coaches of all time. Johns passion for lacrosse and commitment to teaching young people to honor the game and play correctly has had a great impact on Pat and is a large part of the inspiration that has become ICON Lacrosse.
