New PDS coach brings winning ways

Tuckman wants title for Panther boys’ lax

By: Justin Feil
   Rob Tuckman is no stranger to the Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse team and no stranger to winning.
   For the previous three seasons, Tuckman was an assistant for the Panthers varsity. Tuckman is the new head coach of the Panthers, his first head coaching job since spending six years in Ohio, where he led Cincinnati Country Day to the 2001 Division III championship .
   "I started the program and in the fourth year, we won our first state championship," Tuckman said. "They’ve won two others since."
   Tuckman left Cincinnati Country Day in 2003 to come to PDS, where he is a school counselor. After three years as an assistant to Peter Higgins, he takes over the head coaching duties while Higgins will work in developing PDS’ future.
   "It’s great because one of the things we’re doing is Peter Higgins, who headed the program for the last nine years, moved to the middle school," Tuckman said. "We’re looking to home grow some players. We’re going from a total program standpoint to build up the whole program. I also work with (Princeton Sports Academy), so I can work with some of the younger players. We’re looking toward the future and trying to build it back to the days of (Hall of Fame PDS boys’ coach Bob) Krueger."
   Krueger won several state championships while guiding the Panthers. Tuckman will rely on the experience that he has in establishing an Ohio state champion. In this case, however, he doesn’t have to start from scratch as he did at Cincinnati Country Day. He has been helping mold Panther players the last three years.
   "I’ve been primarily the defensive coordinator," Tuckman said. "As a head coach, you have your hand in a little of everything. I’ve kind of moved around and Mark Adams, who has been with PDS lacrosse for 10 years, he’s going to be running our defense. He’s just an outstanding assistant and he’s very knowledgeable of the game. And I’ll be running the offense and special teams."
   Tuckman will try to establish the same sort of team he had in 2001 at Cincinnati Country Day. That squad finished with a flourish. They won their final six games, including a win over a Division II squad, and culminating with a 10-7 upset of Kent Roosevelt.
   "I’m running the same system," Tuckman said. "A lot of it is dependent on discipline and patience. I’m not an X and O coach. I’m a concept lacrosse guy. I try to build the whole player. I want guys knowing they have three or four options when they get the ball. It’s not X goes to Y and then to Z.
   "And I believe in cohesion. If you look like a team, you’ll play like a team. And I’m big on making sure we make it fun and not a job."
   Tuckman remembers having plenty of fun in his playing days. He grew up in East Brunswick and played scholastically at Rutgers Prep, a Prep B rival of the Panthers now. From there, he went to national powerhouse Syracuse where he was player-coach for the men’s club team that carried a Division III schedule. It was his first look at being in charge of a team. His first head coaching job came when he started the program at Cincinnati Country Day.
   When he left Cincinnati, he brought with him the knowledge of what it takes to be a state championship program. Now, he’s trying to bring in all of his knowledge and resources to help build the Panthers back to a state superpower.
   "I’m a school counselor and another part of my philosophy I have comes from that," Tuckman said. "I try to bring psychology to the game. I work with the mental part to try to get the most out of our players."
   It has worked before. Rob Tuckman hopes that down the line that means there will be some Princeton Day School players that are able to experience the thrill of winning a state title too.