Less than two months after Mike Messere coached his final game for West Genesee’s boys lacrosse team, his successor is in place – one that Central New York high school fans know well.
Shaun Smith, who started the varsity lacrosse program at Corcoran High School more than two decades ago and then continued to coach with the combined Syracuse city team after it merged with Henninger, was announced as the new coach of the Wildcats on Tuesday afternoon.
“I’m shocked, but very honored and humbled,” said Smith. “I was lucky to get this appointment, but I’m up for the challenge.”
West Genesee superintendent Dr. Chris Brown said the search process was an extensive one that involved lots of candidates before Smith was selected.
“He is very vision-oriented,” said Brown. “He’s going to be phenomenal (and) a next great chapter for us.”
The school had more time than usual to consider the next step for West Genesee, the owner of 15 state championships, tops among New York State programs. Messere announced in the middle off the 2017 season that he would coach through 2018.
Once the Wildcats lost the state title game to Ward Melville in June, full attention turned to the search process, with most figuring that someone that played for Messere at WG would likely get the nod.
As it turned out, though, an outsider was chosen, though not by too many degrees. Smith did not attend WG, but his son, Ryan, just graduated from the school, having earned All-Central New York honors on his way to attending the University at Albany.
What Smith did possess was the experience of building a lacrosse program, having started a modified program at Corcoran in 1996. Four years later, the Cougars were playing at the varsity level.
Smith remained head coach when Corcoran and Henninger’s teams merged into the Syracuse Cougars, and the team stayed competitive, for the most part, with more-established programs.
Though surprised that he was chosen, Smith said that any coach would jump at the opportunity to lead a top program, similar to managing the New York Yankees or following Jim Boeheim with Syracuse University basketball.
“(West Genesee”) is the epitome of high school lacrosse and what everyone tries to emulate,” he said.
In terms of his staff, with both Messere and long-time assistant Bog Deegan retiring, Smith is bringing defensive coordinator Kevin Brady from Syracuse, and said he hopes to hire another assistant before the spring.
More importantly, Smith said the high expectations – winning league, sectional, regional and state championships – have not changed for the Wildcats, and though there’s eight months to go before the 2019 season gets underway, “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
