Minichiello and Gibson Ready to Lead Jamaica at World Lacrosse Box Championships

The chance to represent your country on the international lacrosse stage doesn’t come around often for many players, which is why it’s so special when they are selected for world championship rosters.

This year, defender Marcus Minichiello (Philadelphia Wings) will play for Team Jamaica at the World Lacrosse Box Championships, which begin September 20 in Utica, NY. It will be his second time representing his father’s home country – he was also on their field team that competed in San Diego in 2023 at the World Lacrosse Championships. He’ll be joined by Albany FireWolves’ assistant coach Darryl Gibson, who will be the head coach for Jamaica after previously suiting up for Scotland in the first-ever box championships. NLL.com correspondent Anna Taylor recently sat down with the pair to talk about their experiences with the team thus far and their expectations for the tournament and beyond.

(Responses have been edited for length and clarity)

AT: How did you guys become involved with Team Jamaica?

MM: I got involved through Brian Silcott (former Buffalo Bandit/Rochester Knighthawk), the head coach of the field lacrosse team there. We connected over Instagram. Classic lacrosse world, a small world.

DG: I came around through Brad Brewster, one of our owners in Albany. Brad serves as a consultant for the Jamaican board, and when they got into box, Brad recommended… an NLL coach. Brad suggested Glenn Clark first, and Clarkie is a little busy with Team Canada, so they asked me next, and I was all over it. It’s my opportunity to give back. This game has given me so much, and I’ve always wanted this type of opportunity to help really grow the game and (pass on) what I’ve learned to some kids that otherwise wouldn’t have this opportunity for this type of coaching.

AT: So have you been down to the island?

MM: Yes. It’s gorgeous. I was there in May actually (for the first time). I didn’t do too much lacrosse stuff. A lot of sightseeing and seeing the land and all that kind of stuff, experiencing it and just having fun with everybody out there. I wanted to stay for months and go everywhere, but could only stay for a couple of weeks. So definitely will be going back very soon if I can.

AT: What was the coolest thing you saw while you were there?

MM: So for me, I love the ocean, I love water. So we were in the water every day snorkeling and stuff. Just looking at fish and seeing what we could find. My fiancé and I did the Blue Hole, Luminous Lagoon.

DG: I haven’t been there yet. I do plan to go sometime down the road. I’m working with Mark Wilson a lot. He runs the field team and he’s running Sixes for the Olympics. So I do plan at some point to get down there and do more grassroots. That’s the real meat and potatoes of why I want to do this. I plan to be involved with the program for the whole thing. Anyway I can help.

AT: Tell me about the state of box lacrosse in Jamaica. I know they’ve been up and coming in field, but I don’t know much about their box team yet.

MM: Yeah. For the most part, it’s a lot of our field guys making the transition. On the island itself, again, is mostly field. In Kingston (the capital), there’s a high school field lacrosse program that runs. But just in terms of facilities, obviously, we’re on the lower end of that, so we don’t really have facilities to be playing box… Some little things get implemented, but it’s very, very grassroots in terms of the box part of lacrosse down there. Myself, Gibby, coach Mark Wilson, we’re all just slowly trying to get it going.

AT: You guys practiced at the TRAC (Toronto Rock practice facility in Oakville), back in June. Was that local guys? Or was it guys that flew up from Jamaica to join?

MM: It was a mix of everything. We had guys flying in, we had guys from the States. It was a lot of players from the field side, and a few new faces, which was awesome to see. It was honestly a phenomenal weekend. The boys caught onto it really, really quick and their work ethic is fantastic, not to mention their athleticism. Damon Edwards (Ottawa Black Bears) was out there as well. Even he, such a vet in the league, he was very surprised at how fast they picked it up and their excitement to play.

DG: That was the first time I had ever met them. First time a lot of them had ever experienced real indoor lacrosse. And it was an unbelievable experience. Bobby Keast (former Minnesota Swarm assistant coach) is helping me coach in Jamaica and we both commented after the first day, it was some of the most fun coaching we’ve had. You’ve got grown men that are really good athletes, and they’re so raw, and they’re so receptive to the coaching… It’s just a genuine trueness of the game. The expectations of NLL or senior are gone, where it’s all about winning. This is really just about growing and letting these kids grow into themselves.

AT: That said, how do you expect the team to do at the tournament? And is it about winning there?

DG: I have no idea how it’s going to go down. I’m pretty positive we’re going to be a problem for teams. We are very big. We are very athletic. And obviously, the new passport rules (only 4 players with parent/grandparent connections can be on the roster) help us as well because England can’t load up with 18 NLL guys from Canada anymore. We’re limited by that. We only have Marcus and Damon, so the field will be balanced. I think, defensively, we’re going to really open eyes, but offensively we’ll see what happens. I think we’re going to get a lot of transition. But who knows? I don’t like to predict. Then we put that layer of expectation on them. Again, this is more about them growing and learning and we’re really looking to make noise four years from now.

MM: I’m more focused on ourselves rather than who we’re playing. If we could play hard, I think we have a good chance of being within that top 10 just like field lacrosse. So for my personal expectations of the team, I would like to do better than we did in 2023. We more than lost to Canada in the quarterfinals. Because for me, box lacrosse is my game and that means a lot to me. I would love to finish above that eighth-place finish from field.

NOTE: Jamaica finished in eighth place in 2023, going 4-0 in conference play, beating Germany, Switzerland, Poland and New Zealand before losing 20-1 to Canada in the quarterfinals.

AT: But was that matchup for the team, against Canada, maybe awe-inspiring a little bit? You’re facing this juggernaut and getting to see how well you guys match up and what you could be in the future.

MM: I think for most of the guys it was eye-opening. Our Jamaica team is made up of guys that would’ve looked up to some of these guys, like Josh Byrne and Dhane Smith. So getting to see them in person and then having to play against them, I think a lot of the guys were definitely in awe, but also excited. And now understand the level that you have to be at to win or to at least get to the gold medal game.

AT: Alright Marcus, tell me about your coaches for this team. What wisdom have they imparted to you so far?

MM: They’re fantastic. Gibby is a student of the game. He’s incredible. I also play under him in Cobourg (MSL) too, so I have a little bit of experience with him. I love his coaching style and the way that he approaches the game. I also think that his coaching style is great for our team. He lets us butt heads; he lets us go at it in practice. And let me tell you, we go at it in practice! Everybody’s going full force and he loves it. He chimes in when he needs to. He makes sure that everybody’s set up for success. And then Bobby has so much experience. Helping out with the back end, I think he’s done an excellent job working with Damon, getting those guys ready to go. Simplifying the game and just making it easy to be successful. We also have Taggart Clark… doing our front end. Glenn Clark’s kid. So Glenn’s with Canada, and hopefully his wealth of knowledge is getting passed down.

AT: Tell me who we should watch out for during the tournament.

DG: Oh my gosh, you’re asking a lot now. Can I answer that question… after we see them in a couple practices, in a couple of games?

MM: Some key guys to look at would be Isaac Newland and Khairi Sears, who were noted out of the World Games. And on the back end, guys like Channing Thomas, he is a beast out the back end. Tony Diallo, he’s a big boy too. Matthew Merritt as well, just big strong guys that are super athletic, that are incredible in the field game.

DG: Stone Evans would have been one to watch, but he’s at Providence and he can’t miss classes his first year. He’s only 17. He’s going to be a phenomenal lacrosse player. Again, it’s tough to say. I don’t really want to single them out because I think it’s going to be a true group effort. We’ve just got a bunch of good solid athletes that are pretty raw from a skill set in terms of the indoor game.

AT: Any future NLL prospects, do you think?

MM: I hope so. I’m talking to the guys now and a few guys have reached out about getting their name out there. Isaac and Khairi both have showed interest in coming down here or down to Canada next summer, playing some senior and trying to get their name in the mix. Channing Thomas, he’s also more than willing to come down, play some senior ball and try and work his way up the ranks.

AT: And now we come to the most important question. What are you looking forward to most about the World Lacrosse Box Championships?

DG: Probably the thing I’m most excited for is to get to coach with Bobby Keast. I’m not going to lie, I’m so excited to coach with him. He coached me for nine summers with the Peterborough Lakers. We still talk monthly since the last summer I played there.

MM: I can’t wait to get back to my guys. Every time we get together it truly feels like family and it’s just an awesome experience. Outside of the game, for me personally, it’s all about just being with those guys. Lacrosse is my life, this is what I do, this is what breathe, sleep, everything. So to be able to do it with this group and then go play lacrosse on top of that, it means the world to me. These experiences for me are everything.

AT: And getting to represent your dad’s country.

MM: Yeah. Exactly. I also grew up playing pretty high-level hockey and those were my two main sports. You don’t see many people of color in those sports. So to me, it means the world. It means the world that there are little kids coming up after me, that are looking up to us and saying, “Oh, look at that. They have dreads. They can have braids and still be in these sports.” Play and be sought after. For me, that’s what is most important. And I can’t wait to represent.