Hugh Donovan Reviews

I was a player during his 2013 Community College run at Harford Community. At our first team meeting, he said: “I don’t care about any of you guys. I’m using this as an opportunity to get back to coaching D1”—from that meeting several players left. During his time coaching he is very good at X’s and O’s, but his self-aggrandizing story telling of himself and deifying every HS, College, and Pro player that is better than your play, was a constant mental game. He would single guys out who would work hard, and then pick on guys that were injured or hurt—always finding fault. He would say things like “are you hurt, or are you injured”. The feeling of never being good enough was always a looming feeling. Every player on the team only stayed because they were looking to play at the next level, and because we only carried a roster of 15 guys (when we could have easily carried 20+) due to his treatment of players; meant you would play in each game. Several of our All-American players quit multiple times that year, prior to and during the season. The word “shithead” was used to describe guys a lot. It was a known secret that several of the guys on the team had substance use issues. Nothing was done to curb the behavior. Until ultimately he kicked one guy off from the team. Still don’t know if that particular guy ever got help. Than you have the fact that Donovan was constantly looking around to poach guys from other teams right before the season started (Jan/Feb) was another great feature. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to have a larger team, it was that your place on the team always felt in contention with Donovan. Everyone was replaceable. Did we win? Sure? But when you’re on a team where your getting screamed at constantly when you’re trying to be the best, never congratulated, never hyped up or praised; why would anyone want that? To the point that one of our guys was so messed up mentally, he started a fight with a Canadian team by slashing one of the players on the ground in the back, ultimately getting suspended. One would think there would be some indicators for players that are off, and neither he nor the school did anything to protect their guys. He’s smart and intense, but with so many places to play these days, and value of college degrees going down—I would steer clear. Unless you’re a 80+ Point per year player; or a defensemen that’s having 25 takeaways a game; there are other places. He only wants you, so that he can further himself. It’s not about creating a winning culture or team atmosphere. It’s about him. Go somewhere, where you can gel with guys that are like you and have common goals and values. Life is longer than just lacrosse.