Quint Kessenich, a 1990 graduate of Johns Hopkins University, is a TV analyst for college lacrosse on ESPN. Kessenich, twice named the Outstanding Goalie in Divison I and a four-time All-American, played on the 1987 NCAA championship team with the likes of attackman Brian Wood and current Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala.

I emailed him with some questions and he sent me the answers.  Continue to check out his blog on Inside Lacrosse.

He answers questions about Canada winning the World Championships, youth lacrosse, selfish/unselfish play and a little bit about his 1987 National Championship Hopkins team with greats Brian Wood and Dave Pietramala.

Coach Till: What priorities should youth, high school, college and pro coaches be teaching lacrosse players?

Q: The most important skills youth level coaches can teach lacrosse players are the basic individual skills. Passing, shooting, dodging, defense, cutting, faceoffs and basic goaltending. Too many young coaches focus on team schemes and not individual skills. Once a certain level has been achieved coaches can introduce more complicated scenarios - 1 v. 1's, 2 v.1's, 3 v. 2's, 4 v 3's, 4 on 4's, and 5 on 4's.

CT: What would be some questions you would put on a lacrosse IQ test?

Q: Lacrosse IQ has nothing to do with a written test. It's a players understanding of "in game" scenarios. Where do I go? Where is the open man? Who has onside responsibility? Who has the back-up? Who's hot? Who's the second slide?

CT: How can coaches teach lacrosse to impress the idea of unselfish play?

Q: This is the catch 22 facing youth lacrosse - give the ball to your stud middie and let him run through 5 or 6 defenders and score...or ask him to pass the ball to kids who can't catch a cold...I don't think youth teams should be playing formal full field games until age 12. I'm a big believer in 'pick up' sports. Nobody plays freelance pick up anymore.

CT: What can players do to learn unselfish play outside of practice?

Q: Selfish athletes are some of the most successful in the world. I practiced for hours against the wall.

CT: What kinds of things have you seen, that people do, to encourage creativity in lacrosse? Team chemistry?

Q: Chemistry is built off the field, away from actual practice. Creativity is fostered by playing against a wall, playing pick up in the yard, practice is not the time to experiment with creativity.

CT: Finish this sentence: Good teams have great players, great teams have...

Q: Players that make their teammates better.

CT: What are some of your favorite, unselfish, teams?

Q: UVA 2006, Bay Hawks 2005, Denver Outlaws 2006.

CT: How good was your '87 Championship team?

Q: Wood, Bubier and Morrill attack all played for Team USA. The greatest long pole middie ever in Steve Mitchell (another USA team member), the best defender in the games history (Dave Pietramala), and then role players who would have been stars at other programs - Greg Lilly, James Detommaso, Bruce Chanenchuck, Damon Stewart, Larry Ledoyen, John Wilkens, Greg Kelly, Jeff Ihm, Greg Gunning, Steve and John Ciccarone.

CT: How good was Brian Wood?

Q: He had a balanced game - there was nothing he couldn't do. He was unflappable, very even keeled, and a threat to score from anywhere in the offensive zone.

CT: How soon do you see a D1 college getting a lacrosse team on the West Coast?

Q: Gender equity is killing  DI men's lacrosse growth. I wish football were taken out of the current equation. The Duke scandal doesn't help potential growth.

CT: What did you think of Canada winning the World Lacrosse Championships?

Q: I'm a huge fan of those guys - from the older players like Gary Gait and Tom Marechek to the new faces like Gavin Prout, Brodie Merrill and Geoff Snider. They respect the game. They love the sport, and they have a sense of pride associated with wearing the red jersey. Canada's win over the US is the best thing that's ever happened in international lacrosse. There goal all along was to beat Team USA and they knew they had to gel as a unit - meanwhile the US guys goal is to MAKE Team USA, not to beat Canada.

CT: It was a great team effort in my opinion and you put yourself in a position to win when you get so many faceoff's.  I remember you were critical of Shannahan on the US team, looks like you were right.  Don't know if I should be critical of the players or the coaching for the US team?