Spokesman

Issue date: 7/1/05 Section: Sports

Morgan State is broadening its sports horizons. In the twilight between the basketball and football seasons, a Morgan Lacrosse team fights for their own space in the Morgan spotlight.
"I love this game," said Marc Brooks, using the NBA slogan for his own passion.
Brooks, a left wing attack, has played with the team since its inception last semester. He is just one of over 40 players to lace up their lacrosse sticks for the new Morgan State lacrosse club team. Not yet an officially MSU sponsored sport, these students are playing purely because they love the game.
"I think it is the greatest thing that has happened since I played for Morgan in '81," said Gene White, the club team coach.
White has been a major influence in the team's success. Drawing on his own experiences playing on the lacrosse collegiate level, he tries to help the current incarnation of Morgan's lacrosse team focus their skills and take their talents to the next level.
"We are really better than most of the club teams out there," said Brooks. "We faced Howard and Johns Hopkins' club teams, and we are still undefeated."
After having success on the club team level, Morgan's young men are ready to graduate from a club team and become an official Morgan State sponsored team.
"I would like to see our team playing in Hughes Stadium," said Coach White. "Hughes can handle the size of the turnout that we can expect." For the players, being an official team means the end of playing games in small off-campus parks. "It's frustrating. We had to wear 'Blax Lax' on our jerseys because we couldn't say 'Morgan.' Its like we are from Morgan but we are not from Morgan," said Brooks.
It has been months since the University told his team that they could no longer play on the practice football field, but Brooks still grimaces when he talks about the experience. "It doesn't seem like the university respects us. It's not about being seen, it's about being acknowledged," Brooks said.
However, the upgrade from club team to university team doesn't only mean better equipment and a spot on the field in Hughes Stadium. Morgan's Lacrosse team would also have to deal with more experienced and talented opponents. Morgan is located near lacrosse powerhouses Loyola and Towson, not to mention the defending NCAA lacrosse champion Johns Hopkins Blue Jays.
"I don't think we are at that level yet," Coach White said.
Some of his players agreed. "We have to step our game up before we do that," said Brooks." "We will be better once we start recruiting. There are lots of talented players in this area that want to play lacrosse and attend a HBCU. They had to pick one or the other before. Now they can come to Morgan."
At press time, Morgan State University officials could not be reached for comment on the future of the lacrosse team.

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