Bill Tierney

Lacrosse legend Bill Tierney leads the Philadelphia Waterdogs into the 2024 PLL Draft as their new general manager

The Premier Lacrosse League will host their 2024 Collegiate Draft tomorrow night as the Philadelphia Waterdogs and new head coach Bill Tierney prepare to strengthen one of the league’s best rosters.

The Waterdogs went from an expansion franchise with a 1-4 record during the 2020 bubble season to the 2022 PLL Champions under former head coach Andy Copelan. After losing both the 2023 PLL Championship and the 2024 Championship Series Final, Copelan decided to retire, but his impact on the Waterdogs franchise is forever cemented.

I am proud of the Waterdogs culture. It’s real. The fanbase that the team has built both in Philadelphia and around the world has happened for a reason. I can’t wait to watch the Waterdogs succeed and will continue to support the PLL for years to come.

Waterdogs hire legendary Head Coach Bill Tierney

Bill Tierney is one of the most decorated coaches in lacrosse history, bringing more than 40 years of experience to the Waterdogs organization. The Hall-of-Famer expressed his desire to be the first ever to win a championship at both the college and pro levels. As a collegiate coach, Tierney helped Princeton win six national titles from 1988-2009 and helped the US team defeat Canada in the 1998 World Lacrosse Championship. In 2010, he took over the head coaching role at Denver University, leading the program to new heights and their first-ever national title in 2015. Bill Tierney is the only college coach to have seven national championships under his belt.

At 71, Bill Tierney decided to bring in some young guns as assistant coaches who are familiar with his system and can grind in areas where being young is an advantage. Also, as the general manager, he will be more hands-off in the X’s and O’s this season and more of a motivational factor for the Waterdogs.

I needed two young guys that will dive into the film and the grunt work, because I’m past that prime. I don’t even mow my own lawn anymore.

Dylan Sheridan is Bill Tierney’s son-in-law. He coached with him in Denver for four seasons before becoming an assistant at Princeton. There, Sheridan worked with two of the Waterdogs’ most important offensive players: midfielder Zach Currier and star attackman Michael Sowers. Louie “Sweet Lou” DeDonatis assisted under Andy Copelan during the Championship Series and received rave reviews from the staff and players alike. Copelan explained the significance of an optimized substitution box in the PLL to Bill Tierney, and Sweet Lou fit the job description perfectly.

With a pedigree for getting the most out of versatile, box lacrosse-type players, Bill Tierney should provide his coaching tandem with future talent to work with, especially on defense. The Waterdogs have a top-tier long-pole unit with the defensive trio of Ben Randall, Liam Byrnes, and Eli Gobrecht, along with Ryland Rees as a long-stick midfielder. The team led the PLL in defensive efficiency, causing 80 turnovers in 2023. The Waterdogs love to move the ball quickly in transition and are one of the only PLL teams to dress four short-stick defensive midfielders consistently, so adding more offensively gifted, long-pole defensemen amplifies that strategy and brings depth.

With their “anti-faceoff” agenda reshaping how teams view the FOGO position (face-off-get-off), Bill Tierney should focus on defensive and attack depth. With the seventh pick in all four rounds of the 2024 PLL Draft, look out for two names as potential early selections. Ajax Zappitello, a shutdown long pole from Maryland, is an elite cover defender who can contribute immediately at either close defense or as a long-stick midfielder. One scout noted PLL teams are looking for smooth defenders with quick footwork who can hang with players like Michael Sowers, a potential future teammate.

The other is Albany’s long-stick midfielder Jake Piseno, who offers more offensive upside and depth at LSM. Piseno is second in college lacrosse this season with 2.4 caused turnovers per game, along with 11 goals and five assists. Either pick should be an immediate contributor in whatever role Bill Tierney, the new mastermind of the Waterdogs, assigns them.

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