Schlesinger’s second career leads him to PHS girls lacrosse
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
After a successful career as an investment banker, David Schlesinger found another successful career in coaching.
Schlesinger first became involved as a volunteer coach with youth lacrosse in Moorestown and once he retired, became even more involved with the sport. He has moved on to become a successful high school coach.
”I was a youth coach in Moorestown and worked with a lot of players there,” Schlesinger said of the successful girls lacrosse program. “When I retired from my career I decided I wanted to give back to the community and the way to best do that was to become a high school coach.”
His coaching road in the sport has led him to Princeton High School, where he is the Little Tigers’ new head girls lacrosse coach.
Schlesinger was an assistant coach at Rancocas Valley for three years, where he worked under another product of the Moorestown program, Sara Shelley. He spent two years as the head coach at Eastern High School before spending the last two years as the head coach at Wissahickon High School in Pennsylvania.
”Sara gave me a chance to be the lead assistant and I learned a lot from her,” Schlesinger said. “When I heard about the opening at Princeton I applied. I had worked with a bunch of the Princeton girls through my lacrosse academy.”
Now in his eighth year of high school coaching, this will be Schlesinger’s fifth year as a head coach. He played at Harriton High School in Pennsylvania and then Colgate University.
”It keeps me busy and young,” Schlesinger said. “There is a lot that you learn as a professional. Some of the challenges young women face I’ve learned through my wife and her career as a physician and also watching my daughter grow as a student-athlete. It is a privilege to help young student-athletes develop confidence and become wonderful young adults.”
Schlesinger takes over a Princeton team that was 17-4 last year and returns a solid nucleus. While there were heavy graduation losses, there is still plenty of talent on hand.
”It is a very nice situation,” Schlesinger said. “The girls have been terrific to work with. They are very enthusiastic and athletic. They have been great so far and the parents have been wonderful.
”I have wonderful senior leadership with my three captains — Mira Shane, who will be playing at Michigan, Gabrielle Gibbons, who will be playing at VCU, and Oona Ryle, who is still deciding on her school and will play at a high level Division 3 school.”
Schlesinger’s roots are in teaching the sport and that is what he plans to do at Princeton. He has seen part of the tryout process for US Lacrosse all-star team selections, where he got to meet and see some of the former Little Tiger players.
”I used to help run South Jersey Select and was a lead coach there,” said Schlesinger, whose team opens the season March 25 at Shore Regional. “I coached there five years and the last three years I have been with Ultimate Lacrosse in Princeton. I also have a training academy where we teach kids everything from little scoopers up to the higher levels.
”Running the girls youth program in Moorestown and being the parent of a high school player that won three state championships, I learned a lot about how to run a program the right way and how to treat kids and build a sense of team. We have had very good training.”
With the start of the season closing in, Schlesinger is hoping for good things in Princeton.
”We have had a week and half of practice and it is going very well,” he said. “We had a strong turnout for the team and a lot of returning players as well as some freshmen who have looked good. Everything is going well right now.”