Team wants top prize as it hosts the world

Second place is no longer acceptable.

That’s the message Landon Miller is trying to instill for all those who will be part of the Iroquois Nationals this year.

The men’s lacrosse team is not only participating in, but will also host, the 2015 world men’s box (indoor) lacrosse championships.

The tournament will be staged Sept. 18 to Sept. 23. All preliminary and quarter-final matches will be staged at the Onondaga Nation Arena near Syracuse.

The tournament will then shift to the First Niagara Center in Buffalo for the semi-final and both medal games. Matches to determine final rankings from fifth through eighth will also be staged in Buffalo.

Eight squads are expected to take part in the event.

This marks the fourth time the global tournament has been held. Canada has won the gold medal at all three previous events. The Iroquois Nationals have settled for the silver medal each time.

“We don’t want to be competitive anymore,” said Miller, who has been appointed as the Iroquois Nationals’ general manager. “We want to be the best.”

Hosting this year’s tournament provides added incentive to win the championship.

“This is historic,” Miller said. “It’s the first world championship on Haudenosaunee territory. We have to win this to establish ourselves in the world.”

Miller, who is from the southern Ontario Six Nations community of Ohsweken, knows a thing or two about building successful teams.

He’s currently in his fourth season as serving as the assistant general manager of the Rochester Knighthawks, members of the professional National Lacrosse League. The Knighthawks are the three-time defending NLL champions.

Miller is also gearing up for his seventh year as president of the Six Nations Arrows, a Junior A club that competes in the Ontario Lacrosse Association (OLA). The Arrows not only captured the OLA title this past summer, but they also went on to win the Minto Cup, annually awarded to the top Junior A squad in Canada.

Besides selecting Miller as its GM, the Iroquois Nationals have also named their coaching staff for September’s tournament.

Rich Kilgour, a member of the Tuscarora First Nation in western New York, is the team’s head coach. A former NLL star himself, Kilgour is now an assistant coach in the league with the Buffalo Bandits.

“It is an unbelievable honour being picked to coach your nation’s team at the highest level,” Kilgour said. “As soon as I heard where the worlds were going to be played, I definitely wanted to be a part of it.”

Kilgour’s brother Darris, who was an assistant coach for the Iroquois Nationals at the 2011 tournament in the Czech Republic, will be an assistant once again.

The squad also has two other assistant coaches, Duane Jacobs and Andy Secore.

Jacobs is no stranger to the world tournament. He played for the Iroquois Nationals at the inaugural 2003 event, staged primarily in Hamilton, Ont. And then he was the team’s head coach for both the ‘07 and 2011 tournaments.

Secore, a former pro player who played in the 2011 tourney, now has coaching experience in both the NLL and OLA.

Though he already has four coaches on the Iroquois Nationals’ staff to assist him, Miller said he will be looking to also bring aboard one or two scouts to assist in the team’s player selection process.

“We’re going to pick the best team,” Miller said. “We’re not necessarily picking the best individuals.”

Miller added the club’s brass will be looking for a particular style of play when choosing those it wants on what is expected to be a somewhat youthful squad.

“We’re going to be aggressive,” Miller said. “It bolds well that we’re going with youth.”

The majority of those who will be named to the Iroquois Nationals’ roster are currently playing in the NLL, which kicked off its 2015 regular season schedule in early January.

But there could be some roster surprises as well.

“We’re not going to exclude anybody that is not in the NLL,” Miller added.

The Iroquois Nationals are expected to invite prospective players to a training camp at some point after the NLL campaign concludes in May.

“We’ll probably keep it at 30-35 (players) tops,” Miller said. “We’ll have already selected all of the top players by then.”

Though it remains to be seen which Iroquois Nationals players will be selected for this year’s team, one thing is certain. The calibre of First Nations players available has gone up from previous years.

“Our program has grown by leaps and bounds,” he said.