The men’s lacrosse team has resumed practice after a three-month summer hiatus with a familiar face roaming the sidelines.

After the offseason brought the resignation of both head coach Doug Shanahan and lone assistant Vince Smith, the lacrosse program handed the reigns of the team over to Illinois alumnus and former All-Conference attack Joe Dodson.

Due to Dodson’s familiarity with the Illini lacrosse program and the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference (GRLC), his selection as new head coach is not a curious one. But what is remarkable is just how recent of an alumnus Dodson is.

Only a few months ago, Dodson was in uniform for the Illini, playing for the now-departed Shanahan and Smith.

He graduated in spring 2007, but due to an injury during his undergraduate years, Dodson received an extra year of eligibility, allowing him to continue playing in 2008. And after ending his collegiate career in May, Dodson is now back coaching players who were once teammates.

Team president Jimmy Driscoll did not hesitate to hire his former teammate when other top candidates began to drop out for various reasons.

“When the process was working itself out, and we realized that him becoming the coach was a possibility, I have to be honest, the possibility made me very, very excited,” Driscoll said. “It is an unusual situation, but to those around the program, it makes sense.”

Aside from learning the role of a coach, the biggest obstacle for Dodson has been the transition from being a teammate to head coach.

When Dodson took the position, he sat the entire team down to let it be known his relationships had changed.

“He told us straight up that by him taking this job, all of our friendships with him were completely over,” senior Joe O’Malley said. “He made it clear to us that now he is only an authority figure.”

The one player caught directly in the middle of this transitional process has been Dodson’s younger brother, Phil, who is a senior defenseman and captain on this season’s team.

“Not only has he been my older brother my entire life, he was a leader on the team every year I’ve been here, and he was the president of our fraternity, so I’ve been taking orders from him forever,” Dodson said with a smile. “It kinda sucks. It kinda sucks a lot.”

Other than perhaps a disgruntled younger sibling, the transition has been a smooth one so far for the elder Dodson.

“Going from being a team leader to a coach is a big step, but I’ve always conducted myself as a player in a way that has allowed me to step into this job,” Dodson said. “As a player, I always demanded respect from my teammates. I think that’s been the key to this entire transition.”

Besides the transition, Dodson and the team have been busy preparing for the upcoming season. The regular season does not begin until spring, but the preseason kicks off at Purdue on Oct. 18.

Dodson may not have much coaching experience, but he believes his five years with the program provide a valuable asset.

“As a player, you have the first-hand experience of the competition,” Dodson said. “I know what it takes to succeed offensively in this conference.”

Dodson has all the parts in place for a successful season, as the team returns 12 players who received All-Conference honors, including sophomore goalie Eric Racozky and sophomore attack Scott Pfiffner.

But for Dodson and the team, success for this season consists of only one thing: qualifying for Nationals for the first time in the program’s history.

The team lost the conference championship and the chance to go compete at Nationals last year in its 14-13 loss to Lindenwood University, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of Dodson and company.

“That’s why Joe is the man that can take us to the next level,” Phil Dodson said. “He wants it just as bad as we all do.”