Re: The Journey of Shea Mengel (CH2k8)
Scott Van Pelt: Welcome back. Now we are going to head to a place where most people have probably never seen or heard of. Easton, PA. Located 60 miles from Philedelphia and 70 miles from New York City. Home of the annual Garlic Festival and also the home of the Lafayette Leopards. We are welcoming in first year head coach Shea Mengel.
Shea Mengel: Thanks for having me Scott.
Scott Van Pelt: Don't mention it. We like to give the little guy a little bit of pub every now and then. During the football season we have the Wyoming coaches on and a few other schools and this is your opportunity to talk a little bit about your program. Tell us about how your season is going.
Shea Mengel: Well we are about three quarters of the way through the schedule and we are at 9-13. It has definitely been an up and down season as far as the wins and losses goes. We just won a buzzer-beater against American where our 2-guard Wheeler hit a 23 footer with 1.3 left to win it for us. I think that we are improving, but we still have a long way to go.
Scott Van Pelt: Being part of the Patriot League, what is that like?
Shea Mengel: It's fun. There are a lot of great teams, with good tradition in the Patriot League. You have Holy Cross, which has dominated the Patriot League for a few years. Gotten to the NCAA Tournament a number of times. Then you have Bucknell, who has been to the NCAA Tournament in recent years and even won a game. American has been to the tournament. There are also the service academies Army and Navy in our league which provides great competition and those games are always tough, hard fought games. Then you have up and coming programs like Colgate and Lehigh.
Scott Van Pelt: Sounds like a solid mid-major league. Lafayette is in the middle of the pack right now in the standings, what do you have to do to get it rolling and make a run to the NCAA Tournament?
Shea Mengel: We just have to stay focused at the task at hand. Scott, the biggest thing is mental toughness and not getting too high or too low. The guys are starting to get that concept and it is showing in their play. If you ride the emotional wave of a game or a season you are going to have an up and down season and hopefully we are going to turn the corner in that category. Otherwise we just have to be more consistent in finishing games. We have had leads in multiple games that we just haven't been able to hold and that has led to a few of our losses.
Scott Van Pelt: What was it like leaving your job as a pharmacist to come coach a the D-1 level? Tough decision?
Shea Mengel: Obviously that is a tough decision. I think in both professions you are helping people. Here you are helping build young men to be great on and off the court, where as a pharmacist you are helping people through therapy and consultation. Moving from the Midwest (Indiana/Wisconsin) was a little bit of a transition. This is a fast paced area of the country, being by New York City and Philadelphia, but I am adjusting and we are making the transition well.
Scott Van Pelt Where do you go from here? Next Season?
Shea Mengel: Well we are working on the recruiting class. Need to bring in about 5 guys this year and we are working diligently at that. Have offered a few guys and I think we are doing fairly well. Can't really go into details as you know, but once signing day rolls around I can talk about the recruits we have signed. Should be interesting moving from year 1 to year 2 and getting a few more of your recruits into the system that you are developing.
Scott Van Pelt: The coach of the Lafayette Leopards, Shea Mengel. Thanks for joining us and good luck the rest of the year.
Shea Mengel: Thanks for having me.
Shea Mengel: Thanks for having me Scott.
Scott Van Pelt: Don't mention it. We like to give the little guy a little bit of pub every now and then. During the football season we have the Wyoming coaches on and a few other schools and this is your opportunity to talk a little bit about your program. Tell us about how your season is going.
Shea Mengel: Well we are about three quarters of the way through the schedule and we are at 9-13. It has definitely been an up and down season as far as the wins and losses goes. We just won a buzzer-beater against American where our 2-guard Wheeler hit a 23 footer with 1.3 left to win it for us. I think that we are improving, but we still have a long way to go.
Scott Van Pelt: Being part of the Patriot League, what is that like?
Shea Mengel: It's fun. There are a lot of great teams, with good tradition in the Patriot League. You have Holy Cross, which has dominated the Patriot League for a few years. Gotten to the NCAA Tournament a number of times. Then you have Bucknell, who has been to the NCAA Tournament in recent years and even won a game. American has been to the tournament. There are also the service academies Army and Navy in our league which provides great competition and those games are always tough, hard fought games. Then you have up and coming programs like Colgate and Lehigh.
Scott Van Pelt: Sounds like a solid mid-major league. Lafayette is in the middle of the pack right now in the standings, what do you have to do to get it rolling and make a run to the NCAA Tournament?
Shea Mengel: We just have to stay focused at the task at hand. Scott, the biggest thing is mental toughness and not getting too high or too low. The guys are starting to get that concept and it is showing in their play. If you ride the emotional wave of a game or a season you are going to have an up and down season and hopefully we are going to turn the corner in that category. Otherwise we just have to be more consistent in finishing games. We have had leads in multiple games that we just haven't been able to hold and that has led to a few of our losses.
Scott Van Pelt: What was it like leaving your job as a pharmacist to come coach a the D-1 level? Tough decision?
Shea Mengel: Obviously that is a tough decision. I think in both professions you are helping people. Here you are helping build young men to be great on and off the court, where as a pharmacist you are helping people through therapy and consultation. Moving from the Midwest (Indiana/Wisconsin) was a little bit of a transition. This is a fast paced area of the country, being by New York City and Philadelphia, but I am adjusting and we are making the transition well.
Scott Van Pelt Where do you go from here? Next Season?
Shea Mengel: Well we are working on the recruiting class. Need to bring in about 5 guys this year and we are working diligently at that. Have offered a few guys and I think we are doing fairly well. Can't really go into details as you know, but once signing day rolls around I can talk about the recruits we have signed. Should be interesting moving from year 1 to year 2 and getting a few more of your recruits into the system that you are developing.
Scott Van Pelt: The coach of the Lafayette Leopards, Shea Mengel. Thanks for joining us and good luck the rest of the year.
Shea Mengel: Thanks for having me.
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