Faces in the Crowd is a regular feature that provides a detailed and intimate look at the coaches, student-athletes and staff people that comprise Lincoln Memorial University athletics. The subject of today's feature is legendary Long Island lacrosse coach Jim Konen, who launched LMU men's lacrosse coach Ryan Kuhn on the path to coaching and has made an impact that resonates within the program to this day. 

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Everybody has a guy.  That person you go to when you need a roof repaired or work done on your car.  Someone you turn to for advice and guidance.
 
For Lincoln Memorial University Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Ryan Kuhn, his guy is Jim Konen, his former high school coach and a legendary coach in the lacrosse hotbed of Long Island, N.Y.
 
"He was the guy I gravitated to.  He was the coach of both sports I played (soccer and lacrosse) in high school," recalled Kuhn.  "He's been the guy for me throughout my life outside of my family."
 
Kuhn is entering year four as the LMU Director of Lacrosse, overseeing the building of both the men's and women's programs.  He, along with Women's Coach Caitlyn Corace, came to LMU from Division III Defiance College in Ohio, and have steadily grown both programs from their infancy. 
 
Kuhn began building his relationship with Konen coming up through the lacrosse ranks on the south shore of Long Island, playing in youth leagues and middle school before entering Copiague High School where he played from 2000-03. 
 
"I had a great relationship with him," Kuhn remembers.  "No one wants to upset the varsity coach.  I always went to school every day with the mindset that I never want my coach to question my effort and that I was doing the right thing on and off the field.
 
"The carrot and the stick there was to go on to play in college," Kuhn continued.  "And he always pushed people to be the best that they can be.  He still does that to this day."
 
The relationship between Kuhn and Konen is as strong now as it was during his high school years.  All you have to do is look at the men's roster to see the Long Island influence.  Assistant Coach Dwayne Stewart is a former player under Konen and no less than a dozen players have come to Harrogate from Long Island to play for the Railsplitters.  Kuhn and Stewart keep in close touch with Konen to keep their fingers on the pulse of Long Island lacrosse.
 
"I don't know why or how Long Island became such a hotbed," said Kuhn.  "I just think there is a strong heritage there for the sport.  Now it's a tradition, it's one of those hotbeds, but now it is spreading out across the country."
 
Kuhn and Stewart keep the lines of communication open with their former coach.
 
"I talk to him either by text or phone once or twice a week," said Kuhn.  "He's very in touch with the lacrosse community and tells me what's going on.  We talk weekly whether it be about recruits on Long Island or all over the place.  He has his pulse on the sport not only on Long Island.  He has helped us out quite a bit."
 
For his part, Konen is strongly invested in his players and former players.
 
"He (Kuhn) was the best captain I ever had," complimented Konen.  "Ryan was a great leader who really worked hard at his game.  He has a great attitude and has always been a natural born leader.  Dwayne is the same kind of kid."
 
Konen has been a fixture in Long Island lacrosse circles for over 31 years.  He has helped well over 50 of his high school player's move on to collegiate careers and the National Lacrosse Team.  Getting his players ready for the next level involves more than just on the field skills.
 
"On Long Island lacrosse is a tradition," pointed out Konen.  "It is the best area in the world for the sport and kids here are used to playing at a very high level.  I ask them 'how hard do you want to work?'  I tell them they have to put in the time and have got to love it.  I make sure they understand what they are getting into before going down that road."
 
Currently Billy Kopsky and Ryan Benck are former Konen players on the roster and former player Chris Smith, who is finishing up his undergraduate degree at LMU, played for Konen.  Kyle Arcuri, Richie Russo, Josh Hernandez and Robert Tucker are also Long Island natives on the current roster.
 
"You need high energy guys with great attitudes," commented Konen on the recruiting process.  "Dig into the intangibles, their game and will they do okay away from home.  Kopsky and Benck are very high energy players."
 
Konen helped guide Kuhn on his career path to coaching thanks to a scheduling conflict one summer.
 
"I always worked at his camps during the summer," recalled Kuhn.  "I think there was a scheduling conflict between him and another coach and he actually asked me if I would want to coach at this camp where I would be coaching the high school team.  It was the Battlefields Lacrosse Camp and I was coaching Copiague and Bayshore combined teams.  That's where I caught the coaching bug."
 
That one opportunity launched Kuhn into his college coaching career.
 
"That camp is where I met the Suffolk Community College coach Dan Luciano," said Kuhn.  "I was going to grad school but I really wanted to get into college coaching.  I spoke with him and he gave me his card and said to call him.  I called him and that is how I got my first college coaching job."
 
Since then Kuhn has had coaching stops at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansa, The College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, N.Y. and Defiance College prior to coming to LMU.  He played his collegiate lacrosse at Adelphi and Manhattanville College, both New York area powerhouse lacrosse schools.
 
The relationship between Konen and his former players is about more than the game.
 
"I was playing in eighth grade when he noticed me," recalled Stewart.  "He took me under his wing.  I was 13-14 and he was my summer league coach.  I knew who he was, he has this aura about him, a big personality.
 
"He is a shower, more than a talker," continued Stewart.  "He helped me go to SUNY-Albany where I played college lacrosse.  For him it's about more than the game.  He bought me everything for my dorm room when I went to Albany.  He gave me lacrosse gear and took me to each recruiting trip.  He told me to be the best person I could be and work hard.  I told him I look at him like you are my pops.  Last time I was home I had lunch with him and his wife.  They are family to me."
 
Former player Smith has a similar story.
 
"I started playing in seventh grade and Coach Konen came to talk to us," said Smith.  "He bought into me and got me on the Long Island Tomahawks travel team.  He got me into some high level camps and provided equipment.  He gave me guidance and held my hand through a lot of things I didn't understand."
 
Kuhn echoes those sentiments.
 
"We don't necessarily talk about lacrosse," said Kuhn.  "He may call and ask me how my daughter is doing or how I like married life. I know he is going through a change with his sons now playing college lacrosse.  I remember when they were born!"
 
That sense of family that Kuhn, Stewart and Smith gained from Konen is the bedrock of LMU's lacrosse program.
 
"When we talk to recruits a big thing is that we are about family," pointed out Kuhn.  "We probably recruit a little bit differently than a lot of schools.  The closest any player on our roster is from home is probably about two hours away.  We all go through the same emotions of missing home and family, but we band together and get each other through it.
 
"We want to cultivate great relationships with our guys," continued Kuhn.  "That is something that Coach Konen taught me from a very early age.  LMU is a great place to do that.  This place pushes students to be the best version of themselves, athletically and academically.  We are here to empower young men to be the best version of themselves every single day."