Tim McCormack: Growing Up A Goalie To Johns Hopkins WLAX Coach

Deemer Class and Matt Dunn welcome Tim McCormack, head women’s lacrosse coach at Johns Hopkins, and review his path from UMass All-American goalie to Northwestern assistant under Kelly Amonte Hiller, Arizona State head coach, and Johns Hopkins leader since 2022, where the Blue Jays set a program-record 17 wins and reached championship weekend. McCormack describes the steep learning curve transitioning into the women’s game, emphasizing authenticity, relationship-building, and confidence-building differences he observed versus coaching boys. He recounts growing up on Long Island, becoming a goalie at age five, and developing broad stick skills through constant play. The conversation focuses on his coaching evolution: creating decision-heavy, principles-based practice environments, using constraints and point systems, leveraging trust and player ownership, managing accountability through core values and principles, embracing “messy” gameplay, and offering recruiting advice around strengths, comparisons, and social media.

Timecodes
0:00 - Intro
6:15 - Growing Up A Goalie
27:45 - Coaching Journey
46:30 - Coaching Principals
1:00:00 - Leadership Trust
1:06:00 - Recruiting Landscape Today