Nick Grill
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT COACH / FROM THE DIRT CO-FOUNDER
Nick is an active PLL player with the Denver Outlaws and a former All-American and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at the University of Maryland. He has spent the past four years coaching Division I defense at Binghamton University, University of Vermont, and most recently Harvard University. Nick coaches with detail, discipline, and high standards. He demands consistency and brings real energy every day, pushing players to compete, grow and reach their full potential.
PROVEN EXPERIENCE.
Intentional Coaching for the development of every player, built through years of refinement from the perspectives of a player and as a coach.
REC
Southern Marin Wolfpack: U12A
HIGH SCHOOL
Marin Catholic High School
DIVISION I
Harvard University
University of Vermont
Binghamton University
Where did you grow up and play in high school?
I am from Bridgewater, NJ, Central Jersey. I played at Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School for Coach Chuck Apel.
Why is coaching so important?
Coaching is so important because an external set of eyes can see so much more than you can while you are in the heat of playing. Someone that can break it down step by step that you trust has your best interest at heart serves as an invaluable resource to getting better. Whether they are telling you things you like to hear or not, consistent feedback from a coach allows you to digest the information in real time and make cognizant adjustments on the fly.
Who were your best coaches and why?
The best coaches I've had were John Tillman and Jesse Bernhardt when I played at the University of Maryland.
Both were professionals in their craft, consistent with their process and how they provided it to us so we could rely on them and prepare ourselves for whatever was in store. It made our job of executing that much easier. They both find the minute details that could give us an edge or allow us to make a play that I believe most coaches don't. They pushed us hard not because they wanted to, but because they wanted us to live up to the standard just as badly as we wanted to. They were there to provide us with any resources we needed if we asked for it, but it was on us to take initiative.
Did you have a lacrosse hero growing up?
My lacrosse hero is my brother, BJ Grill.
Growing up, I always watched BJ compete in sports, whether that was football or lacrosse. It motivated me how hard he played and it taught me there was only one way to do it.
When I started to focus primarily on lacrosse, BJ paved the way for shorter lacrosse players to play defense at a high level and prove it didn't matter about height. While he didn't get recruited at all and went to Marquette to start the program, his performance and ability shifted the mindset. When I was starting to get to high school and college, people looked at me more objectively.
BUILT IN REAL TIME. SHARED FROM THE FIELD.
#FROMTHEDIRTLAX