Coach Scott McLean

Q: When was the first time you realized you loved lacrosse?

A: When I was in college, which is where I learned the game.  I loved the speed, skill, athleticism and friendships I’ve built through the sport.

Q: When or how did you decide that coaching was in the table for you or that it was something you wanted to do?

A: Like a lot of folks, I got into coaching for my own children.  I found a real passion for helping our youth develop as athletes and people.  This is particularly true for the high school level, which is one of the most important and challenging times in life.

Q: What drives you as a coach?

A: I do have a healthy competitive side that wants to see our program grow and compete with the best teams in Colorado.  There are a lot of steps between where we are today and achieving that potential.  When you see the individual players grow and the team succeed on and off the field, that’s truly one of the best feelings in life.

Q: What goals do you personally have for your time with this program?

A: We set goals every year and we’ll continue to seek that growth.  Specific things I’d like to see with the program—have 75 or more players come out for the sport, we want to win our league, beat Lewis Palmer and win a playoff game.  Once we achieve those goals, we’ll set new ones that stretch us even further.

Q: What values do you hope to instill on the team or in the lax community at large through your time with these players?

A: Our Core Values are a great place to start:  Family, Integrity, Resilience and Excellence.  Family is about building the friendships within the team that last beyond the field.  Integrity is about playing with the utmost intensity, honoring the game, and the hard work it takes to excel.  Resilience is foundational because things often don’t go the way you want them to go and we have to pick ourselves up, assess where we’re at and how to move forward.  Excellence is really the ultimate performance goal.  Everyone can strive to be the best version of themselves they can be.  They can set goals and work hard to achieve them. 

Q: What do you think is the most important thing an athlete can do to grow as a player and as a person?

A: Set a goal, create the action plan to achieve that goal and put in the work to achieve the goal.  Without a goal, anything can be defined as success.

Q: Who has been your favorite or most inspirational coach or athlete? 

A: Mason Goodhand, my first coach at the Air Force Academy.  He gave me the opportunity to learn the game and took the time to mentor me as a player, person and now as a coach.  If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be coaching lacrosse today.

Q: What are 3 words you would use to describe yourself? What 3 words do you think your players would use to describe you?

A: My description would be goal-oriented, hard-working and player-focused (I know that’s 6 words). My players would say demanding, committed, and team focused.

Q: What advice would you give yourself as a high schooler?

A: You are more than your activities and life will get so much better after high school. (I didn’t grow up in a good environment)

Q: What qualities or skills do you hope to have (or grow) five years from now?

A: I need to keep growing as a coach.

Q: What are some other hobbies or interests you have and how do they help you with coaching?

A: I play lacrosse, workout and other sports such as skiing and mountain biking.  By continuing to play sports, particularly lacrosse, you’re constantly reminded and humbled about how challenging the sport can be.  The provides empathy when working with a player but it also provides the insight on the challenges of the game and small nuances to help the players really grow.

Q: What song are you walking out to?

A: Champion.  Carrie Underwood / Ludacris

Scott McLean is the Head Lacrosse Coach for the boys at Pine Creek High School in Colorado Springs. Coach McLean has helped to grow lacrosse in the Springs beyond the high school level, and his staff regularly hosts camps and clinics for all ages. The staff’s motto is “Develop players for the field and men for life.”  They work hard to teach the fundamentals of the sport and the need to work together as a team.  Scott believes if they do those things, the wins tend to come, but the wins are secondary to player development. Similarly, Coach McLean and his staff ultimately want to teach life lessons the players take beyond the field—the need to show up, take risks, to do your homework, grow and persevere are all lessons they teach through lacrosse.

Pine Creek Eagles are located in the 5A - League 1 for Colorado Lacrosse. Their instagram handle is @pinecreek_boyslax. Check out their MaxPrep page here and follow their progress across the year.

**Art was done by Jessie Downs. Her instagram handle is @whiksers and to view more of her work you can check out her page here.