NLL Colorado Mammoth

Mammoth Names Coaching Staff

Published on March 10, 2003 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


Denver, Colo. – The Colorado Mammoth has turned to two veteran player-coaches – with eight national championships between them – to lead the Mammoth through the rest of the team's inaugural season in Denver.

Jamie Batley, the team's interim head coach following the firing of Rod Jensen, has been named head coach. Batley had served as the Mammoth's assistant coach and offensive coordinator through the first nine games of this season. Former Philadelphia Wings head coach Tony Resch has been named associate head coach. Ward Sanderson will continue to serve as assistant coach.

Batley, a former All-American at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, was named the Ontario Lacrosse Association's Coach of the Year in 2001. As a player with Six Nations, Batley won two Mann Cup championships.

Resch is a former two-time All-American from Yale. He coached the Philadelphia Wings to four Championship Cups (1994, 1995, 1998, 2001) and was the National Lacrosse League's Coach of the Year in 2001. He won two additional Championship Cups as a player with the Wings.

"This was a unique opportunity to go in a new direction with our coaching staff," said Steve Govett, president and general manager of the Colorado Mammoth. "Jamie Batley is extremely capable and will be a great head coach. He has the respect and admiration of the players and that was the determining factor for me in naming him to the position.

"In addition, when I was presented with the opportunity to bring Tony Resch on as the associate head coach, I felt I had the best of both worlds," Govett said. "Tony's experience and leadership qualities are unmatched in this league. I have extensive experience with Tony and I know that he and Jamie together will motivate this team and take it to the next level."

"I am excited about the prospect of working with Tony," said Batley. "He has such an amazing amount of experience and proven results in this league. Combined with what I have learned in working with these players all season, I think it is going to be great opportunity for us all. I am completely confident we can bring the level of effort, consistency and heart that these players showed last week against Vancouver on the road with us and through the rest of the season."

"I am thrilled to get the opportunity to work with Jamie, a fantastic organization and a talented group of athletes," Resch said. "I feel strongly that Jamie and I together can help bring this excellent team up to the level of greatness they are capable of."

Batley began his lacrosse career in the Peterborough Minor Lacrosse system in Ontario, Canada. Batley continued on in the Peterborough Junior A program from 1984 through1988, winning the Minto Cup in 1986 and 1987. He was named the Ontario Lacrosse Association's leading scorer in 1986 and 1987. He scored over 750 points in five years and was named the OLA's Most Valuable Player in 1987. Batley was a member of the Peterborough Senior team, the Six Nations senior team and Akwesasne program. With Six Nations, he won the Mann Cup in 1995 and 1996. Batley also had a career in field lacrosse. He was a member of Team Canada from 1989-1994, winning a silver medal in 1990 and a bronze medal in 1994. Batley played for the NLL's Buffalo Bandits (1995 and 1999), the Syracuse Smash (1998) and the Pittsburgh Crossfire in (2000).

In 2000, Batley turned his focus to coaching when he joined the Peterborough Junior A program and was voted OLA Coach of the Year in 2001. In 2002, Batley took on the head coaching position for the Peterborough Senior A team. He also is the founder and director of Peterborough Summer Lacrosse Camps including the Hiawatha First Nations and Curve Lake First Nations Lacrosse Camp.

Batley currently resides in Peterborough, Ontario in Canada with his wife and four children. Batley works for the Canadian federal government. Resch's lacrosse career includes both indoor and outdoor lacrosse experience as a player and a coach. Resch was the head coach of the Philadelphia Wings for eight years, winning four NLL championships. In his 14 years with Philadelphia as a coach and a player, the Wings won six league titles and appeared in the championship round nine times. Resch compiled an overall record of 69-31, including a 10-4 postseason mark and four championships (1994, 1995, 1998, and 2001). He also served as the head coach of the US Team in the 2000 NLL All Star Game and is currently the head coach for the US World Indoor Lacrosse Team that will compete at the World Indoor Lacrosse Games in Toronto in May.

Resch was a player for the Philadelphia Wings for six years as a defensive specialist, scoring 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists), was team captain for three years and was a member of two championship teams and one All-Star squad. Resch also was a member of the 1990 Team USA that won the gold medal at the World Games.

Resch is the athletic director and a teacher at La Salle High School in Philadelphia. He resides in Flourtown, PA with his wife Mary and sons Patrick, Brendan, Conor.

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