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05/07/2020 12:00 AMPeter Greco grew up in what he describes as a “lacrosse household.” His father Mike played at Hobart College from 1977 to 1980 and then coached at Canisius College from 1993 to 1998. For Peter, the transition into becoming a coach himself one day essentially “came natural.”
Peter was named the new head coach of the North Haven boys’ lacrosse team heading into the 2020 season. Peter has been a coach for the past 13 years and says that joining the program at North Haven gives him an opportunity to work with a quality squad in a competitive conference.
“They’ve had a strong program in the recent past. They have been pretty good for a while now. My goal is to try to help this team get over the hump,” says Peter. “We are going to try and bring a state championship to North Haven, which is not easy to do. The challenge is the biggest draw for me, personally.”
When Peter saw that North Haven had an opening for a coach, he reached out to Athletic Director Steve Blumenthal to discuss the position. With Peter now instilled as the Indians’ new head coach, Blumenthal expects his hiring to bring a wave of excitement to the program.
“Coach Greco brings a solid understanding of lacrosse to the North Haven boys’ lacrosse program, both as a former player and a coach. His energy and enthusiasm will be very effective when he gets the opportunity to be on the field with the team,” Blumenthal says. “We are very excited and fortunate to have Coach Greco in North Haven.”
Prior to becoming a coach, Peter played lacrosse at both the high school and collegiate levels. Peter attended the Canterbury School in New Milford, where he earned All New-England accolades; and St. Francis High School in upstate New York, where he was named an All-American.
Peter went on to play lacrosse at Sacred Heart University before graduating in 2007. He was selected to the All-Colonial Conference Team during his time with the Pioneers and led the squad as a captain in his senior season. After graduating from Sacred Heart, Peter immediately began his coaching career when he was named an assistant coach at Fairfield Warde High School.
“It kind of just came natural. I grew up doing this. I’ve seen it all, and I’m around it 24/7,” Peter says. “I was comfortable running the offense, and [Head Coach] Tom Cunningham gave me a chance to make mistakes and get better. It was a great first couple of years. I had the freedom that a new coach might not have the luxury of. You learn a lot. Some work, some don’t, but it was good to have that opportunity right away.”
Following a two-year stint at Fairfield Warde, Peter served as an assistant coach at West Seneca East High School for one season before becoming head coach at Grand Island High School—both of which are located in his hometown of Buffalo—for the next few years. For the past six seasons, Peter was the head coach at Amistad High School in New Haven, which is where he lives.
Now, Peter is getting ready for his first campaign at North Haven. He’s already met with the athletes on the team and has gotten to know them. However, with the restrictions placed on the spring season, Peter has been unable to watch his team play.
When the Indians take the field, Peter will be looking to implement a style that could potentially take North Haven boys’ lacrosse to the top of the state ranks. As a coach, Peter wants North Haven’s athletes to focus on competitiveness, whether they’re running drills in practice or playing a game. He also wants them to stay positive in all circumstances. Overall, Peter is emphasizing the importance of mastering the basics and developing leaders.
“From what I’ve seen on the field from last year, it’s a tough group. They play really hard. It’s a huge plus,” says Peter. “They’re a hardworking team from what I’ve seen on film. To get over the hump, we just have to build on the fundamentals and build on their strengths. We’re building leaders. The freshmen that are coming in, make them leaders, so the kids coming in the following year see how the program operates and set the precedent going forward.”
Peter feels honored that he’s followed in his father’s footsteps by getting into the coaching game. Now that he’s at North Haven, Peter wants to build a program that not only notches its fair share of victories, but does so as a unified group where everyone has each other’s back.
“First and foremost, I’d like to have a positive program culture. From top to bottom, from varsity to JV to the youth, everybody is on the same page, everybody is working for the program,” Peter says. “Our main goal is to develop a program from varsity to JV as one cohesive unit. That’s a big goal. Building a program goes hand in hand with winning contests.”