By Dan Delagrange (CollegeLAX News Intern)

The 2009-’10 season should show an interesting mix of both change and consistency for the Ole Miss Rebels. The squad that went 8-6 during the ‘08-’09 campaign while playing in the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference (GRLC) has moved back to its former league, the Southeastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC). The Rebels will also be under the command of a new head coach. As an assistant last year under former head coach John McCreery, Chris Morrison is now ready to take charge and lead Ole Miss through its welcome back season in the SELC. Morrison, an Auburn alum, spoke with CollegeLAX about the upcoming season, changes in the program, Ole Miss-Auburn football and more.

CollegeLAX: Ole Miss is transferring back to the SELC after spending some time in the GRLC. How many years did Ole Miss play in the GRLC and do you see the transition posing any kind of problems to your team? As a former player at Auburn (SELC Div. I), do you think the talent level in either conference is vastly superior or more competitive than the other?

Chris Morrison: We were a member of the GRLC for two great years. It is a fantastic conference that is up and coming with some extremely talented players throughout. I do not foresee any problems making the transition from the GRLC to the SELC, as it is a better fit for us geographically and the rivalries that are built up during the football season will definitely carry over to the lacrosse field. Having spent four years playing in the SELC for the two-time conference champion Auburn Tigers, I know that there is an abundance of talent in the league. The only difference that I can see between the SELC and the GRLC is the depth of talent that fills each roster. We will be facing some extremely difficult opponents this year week in and week out. While in the GRLC, we were put in the sub conference, so the level of talent, although good, will be much better in the SELC all year.

CollegeLAX: Your squad appears to be returning almost everybody from last year’s team. Do you see that experience giving the Rebels an upper hand this year?

Morrison: I do believe that returning most of our seniors from last year’s team will pay huge dividends this year. I am not sure if it will give us an upper hand, but I do know that we will fight from the opening whistle until the game-ending horn.

CollegeLAX: What was your relationship like with coach McCreery? Do you feel it’ll be tough replacing him or will the fact that you coached in his staff make things a bit easier? What about the coaching change’s impact on the team? Do you think that this will throw them off at all (especially when coupling it with the conference change)?

Morrison: Coach McCreery and I had a great relationship both on and off the field, and I was sad to see him go.  Although he will be hard to replace, I do feel like I have an upper hand having spent two years as an assistant coach. I do not see there being a big change from last year to this year; I have built great relationships with my players, so I will just step in and take the reigns. I do not think the change will throw us off very much, but we will have to be in great shape this year if we are going to be able to compete all season.

CollegeLAX: Who in particular on your roster do you expect to step up into a leadership position in a year full of change?

Morrison: I do believe there will be a number of guys who will step up and show great leadership this season. We are returning Sam Colonell in goal this year, who has shown that he can be a game changer week in and week out. Our attack all rests of the shoulders of Zach Lepchitz and Davey Marrin, both seasoned players who have shown me that they can put the ball in the back of the net as well as lead the team. The midfield will be anchored by Brooks Jewett and defense specialist Parker Lavigne. As far as the defense goes, this will be the strength of the team with the leadership resting on the very capable shoulders of rising sophomore Jared Peters and junior transfer Andrew Lynch (plus numerous freshmen who have yet to prove themselves).

CollegeLAX: How was the fall season? Did you do anything special or out of the ordinary in preparation for the 2010 season?

Morrison: The fall has not gone quite as I wanted it to due to inclement weather keeping us off the field, but from what I have seen, this should be a very good year for Ole Miss lacrosse. Come January, we will be a running team, and I can promise you that we will not be sucking wind in the fourth quarter. Lots of conditioning to say the least.

CollegeLAX: Do you plan on making any big changes in terms of coaching style or the way things are run when compared to the teams coached by McCreery? Also, what things do you plan to keep the same?

Morrison: The only thing that I hope to change is to go from a run and gun team to a more fast paced position offense that can possess the ball when needed as well as take advantage of fast break situations. John and I were two different coaches; I will stress ground balls like he did, but other than that, not much will be the same.

CollegeLAX: Your team made the GRLC conference tournament last season. Is a conference tournament berth enough for you this year or are your expectations higher?

Morrison: This is a tough question. Having come from an Auburn team that made the conference tournament every year, of course my sights are set on getting Ole Miss a conference birth! But I would be naive to think that that is a certainty for us this year. We are in an extremely tough region in the SELC paved with three teams (Auburn, Georgia and Georgia Tech) who not only have been to the conference tourney, but have taken the next step and represented the SELC at nationals. It is going to be a difficult year, but if we can minimize mistakes, I believe we will surprise a lot of teams!

CollegeLAX: As we’ve discussed, the SELC is a tough conference with several very good lacrosse teams. Is there any one team in particular that you feel is most dangerous?

Morrison: We have only played a couple SELC teams the two years I have been here, but if I had to pick one, it would be my alma mater, the Auburn Tigers. Last year, we played them in Auburn and they showed us how different the talent level is in the SELC. Once we settled in and played our game we looked very solid, but spotting them a bunch of goals made it that much harder.

CollegeLAX: Any idea what your spring schedule looks like yet?

Morrison: We are getting our spring schedule solidified as we speak. We have a great schedule in the works with many solid SELC teams and talented out of conference programs. It should be a great year.

CollegeLAX: Who were you cheering for when your alma mater, Auburn, met Ole Miss on the gridiron on Halloween? Which team will end up having a more successful season?

Morrison: There was not a doubt in my mind that my Auburn Tigers were going to reign supreme. Any other weekend I am cheering the Rebels on, but I cannot turn my back on the orange and blue. We are bowl bound with that victory and building a roster for years of success.

CollegeLAX: Thanks for your time and answers, coach. Good luck to you and your men during the 2010 season!

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 9:56 pm and is filed under MCLA News, SELC. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.