Oct. 1st, 2002 - Q & A with Lone Star Alliance Director Tony Scazzero
College teams from Texas and Louisiana converged on College Station last month to gear up for the 2002-2003 Lone Star Alliance (LSA) season. Tony Scazzero, LSA League Director and Texas A&M; Head Coach, led the productive meetings conducted Sept. 14th on the Texas A&M; Campus. LSA Correspondent Brent Burns recently caught up with Tony to discuss the expansion of the conference and the upcoming 2002-2003 season.
Brent Burns: Tony, how many college teams convened in College Station on September 14th?
Tony Scazzero: We had 16 college teams represented at the meeting.
Brent: How receptive were the teams to the idea of Division A and Division B in LSA?
Tony: It was well received by the Division B teams. They were glad to be invited to join the USLIA.
Brent: What are the big changes for the 2003 spring season?
Tony: The main difference is the affiliation of the teams. In this area we have been served by the SouthWest Lacrosse Association (SWLA) since 1974. The SWLA has 2 different levels of college play, plus the men's clubs. With the explosion of non-varsity college teams nationally, it was time to reunite the college teams under the same parent organization. The Division B clubs will now meet requirements in fields, uniforms, player equipment, and have non-playing coaches. The officiating will further standardize with only one college league (the LSA).
Brent: Explain how it works with the LSA Division A teams and LSA Division B teams? Could some LSA Division A teams play against some of the Division B teams? Who will qualify for the national championship tournament in St. Louis?
Tony: Division A is the group that vies to be the Lone Star Alliance champion and represent us at the National Championship Tournament in St. Louis. Several teams play between the two divisions, some games are due to geographic proximity and some due to long standing school rivalries. The LSA Division B Tournament Champion has one year of bragging rights and is in position to move to Division A for the following season.
Brent: What are the benefits of LSA expansion?
Tony: The real advantage is travel. Texas is a big state and even bigger with the addition of the Louisiana teams. Having more teams provides opportunities for more games with less travel. We also gain strength in numbers, teams being more competitive, and we become an even better location for other teams across the US to travel to.
Brent: What kind of impact would the teams from the expanded LSA experience as they compete against teams from other USLIA conferences?
Tony: More LSA teams will see what is "out there" both in terms of talent and numbers. It also increases the regional options available to Texas and Louisiana high school players.
Brent: How did the coaches and players feel about LSA being expanded to two divisions with teams from Texas and Louisiana? How do they feel about the future of LSA?
Tony: Everyone there was really excited about several things. Primarily having more competition at their level of play, the joint LSA Division A&B; post-season tournaments, getting their players on an all-LSA team, the all-star game which was started by Karl Lynch (Head Coach, University of North Texas), less travel, and the reuniting of the college teams under a national umbrella.
Brent: Could the LSA expand again in the future? What about adding additional new teams in the LSA?
Tony: We will take on new teams through the application process, year by year. As to future growth, I would look for two things: 1) Geography might dictate another USLIA league just like it happened with CCLA splitting into the CCLA and Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference this year, and 2) the possibility of a Division C for new programs- smaller schools and JUCOs.
Brent: Tony, thanks so much for your time. Good luck to your A&M; team as well as the entire LSA. We look forward to seeing a lot of exciting LSA games in Texas and Louisiana next spring.
Tony: Thanks for all you do, Brent. It's always a pleasure talking lacrosse with you.