GRAYSLAKE – A sport that for so long was only played on the east coast has started to move west these past few years. Lacrosse was the sport of discussion this week as Lake County Suburban Life contributor Tim Sieck sat down with Grayslake North boys coach Brad Fish.

A businessman during the day, Fish told Sieck what he likes most about coaching lacrosse and recalls how the game has evolved since he and his son started playing.

Sieck: What is your athletic background?

Fish: I grew up in upstate New York and was a multi-sport athlete, playing football, basketball, lacrosse and baseball. I really took to the growth of the sport of lacrosse in the late 70s and went to play at the college level at Rutgers University in New Jersey. While at Rutgers, I played on two NCAA playoff teams. Our highest national ranking was sixth place in 1986.

Sieck: What is your favorite thing about coaching?

Fish: The best thing of coaching for me is the interaction with the players both as a group and as individuals. It’s always great to see the growth from start to finish in both the individual and team aspects of the sport.

Sieck: What has changed the most in lacrosse since you played?

Fish: The equipment. The game’s growth has been tremendous and has allowed equipment to get better and better. If you look back at the game of lacrosse and pictures of all-time greats, such as Jim Brown, it is amazing to see how far the gear and the game itself has come.

Sieck: How do you define a successful season?

Fish: I guess I would say a successful season would be one in which we (the team and coaches) get better every day. The team record is not always a good indicator of your success.  We try to strive for an approach that instills dedication, discipline and desire.

Sieck: Who have been your coaching mentors?

Fish: My only coaching mentor would have been my dad. He always took the time to coach me as a little guy, no matter how busy he was. He always instilled fun first, but also had a philosophy of “you get out of something what you put into it.”

Sieck: What do you like to do when you aren’t coaching?

Fish: I like to spend quality time with my wife and kids. In addition, my son AJ is a second-year student at the University of Virginia and on the school’s lacrosse team. I try to get to games to see him in action as much as my schedule will allow. I also have three other children who are very involved in sports – two girls at the high school level – as well as a sixth-grader who is active in everything.

Sieck: What is the best thing about coaching at Grayslake North?

Fish: Being able to give back to a great group of kids and I mean the entire student body, of which my children are part of. That, in addition to being able to fulfill the competitive side of life, as it is going by fast.