Charlotte Hounds

The Charlotte Hounds are a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) field lacrosse franchise on hiatus until 2021 that began play in the 2012 MLL season and played their home games at American Legion Memorial Stadium.[1]

Charlotte Hounds
SportLacrosse
Founded2012
LeagueMajor League Lacrosse
Based inCharlotte, North Carolina
StadiumAmerican Legion Memorial Stadium
ColorsRoyal Blue, Tan
       
Head coachJoe Cummings
General managerMike Cerino
MascotBlue the Plott Hound
Websitewww.charlottehounds.com

Franchise history

In January 2011 the MLL voted to grant expansion franchises to Charlotte and Columbus, Ohio for the 2012 MLL Season.[1][2] The team's first hire was Wade Leaphart, also a former Charlotte Bobcat, who was instrumental in establishing the team's identity, sales, marketing and operations, among other things. McPhilliamy and Leaphart launched a Name the Team Campaign, sponsored by OrthoCarolina, the official team physician of the Hounds, and was heavily run via social media – Facebook. First, fans pitched in ideas for the team name and location identity (Charlotte, Carolina, Queen City, etc.) Then, fans voted on the location ID, choosing Charlotte easily over Carolina. The next stage was mostly on the team staff, in choosing 6 finalists for team names and logo prototypes. Fans then voted on those, narrowing it down to the final three, Hounds, Legion, and Monarchs. A final vote was held, and Hounds won by a mere 21 votes over the Legion. On June 21, 2011, the team name was announced to be the Charlotte Hounds and their colors to be royal and tan. On September 29, 2011, the team announced the hiring of head coach Mike Cerino. On February 10, 2012, the team announced the hiring of assistant coaches J.B. Clarke, Chris Phenicie, and Brad Touma.

The Hounds announced on February 7, 2012, that they had signed a landmark deal with WMYT (MyTV12) Charlotte to broadcast 7 of the 14 scheduled games. The TV broadcasts will alternate with the Radio games on WFNZ, with the exception of the home opener and season finale, which will be covered by both stations. WFNZ will air all home games, while WMYT will broadcast the away games as well as the home opener and season finale. The local TV deal with WMYT is the first of its kind in major league lacrosse, as WMYT will be the only local broadcast station in the nation to offer Major League Lacrosse Broadcasts.[3]

On May 12, 2012, the Charlotte Hounds beat the Ohio Machine 18–15 at American Legion Memorial Stadium to earn their first win in franchise history.

2013: Quick start

On August 3, 2013, the Charlotte Hounds clinched a playoff spot in just their second season after defeating the Hamilton Nationals, 14–11.[4] On August 24 in the semifinals, Charlotte defeated top seed Denver, 17–14 for their first playoff win and championship berth in team history.[5] Before that, the Denver Outlaws were the first team in league history to complete a perfect 14–0 regular season. On August 25, the Hounds took on the Chesapeake Bayhawks in the Steinfeld Cup. The Hounds lost 10–9 to the Bayhawks, who won their league-record fifth championship.

2014-15: Team struggles

The Hounds struggled out of the gate in 2014 starting 1–4. But on June 7, the Hounds defeated the Outlaws again, 18–15 at home. The loss for Denver snapped a 25 regular-season-game win streak for the Outlaws.[6] Charlotte would finish 4–10 in 2014 for the worst record in the team's three-year history. Things didn't get better in 2015; the Hounds actually posted a worse record: 3-11, the worst record in 2015.

Road to recovery

Before the 2016 season, the Hounds announced head coach Mike Cerino would move to general manager, a role held by Leaphart since 2012. Jim Stagnitta was hired as the team's new head coach. They started the year out with three straight home games against the Boston Cannons, Rochester Rattlers, and Florida Launch. As a result, the team got off to a 3–0 start for the first time in franchise history.

On August 6, the Hounds came back from an 11–6 deficit to defeat the Chesapeake Bayhawks, 15–13 to clinch not only their second playoff berth in franchise history, but their first winning record in franchise history at 8–6. On August 13 in Minnesota, the Hounds' season would be ended after a 16–10 loss to the top-seeded Ohio Machine.

In 2017, things would hit a speed bump. The Hounds would get off to an 0–3 start thanks to two meetings with the defending champion Outlaws. Despite being able to win five of their next eight and put themselves in the top four in the league, the Hounds were not able to finish the season strong. Charlotte posted a 6–8 record in their 2017 campaign, finishing in seventh place. One highlight from the year including drafting of Maryland attackman Matt Rambo, who led the Terrapins to their first NCAA championship since 1975 and won the 2017 Tewaaraton Award.[7]

The Hounds began the 2018 campaign at home against the Boston Cannons. Charlotte scored 16 of the first 17 goals, setting many team records in a 25–7 win including most goals in a game, largest margin of victory, and tied the team record for fewest goals allowed in a game.[8] Head coach Jim Stagnitta became the team's all-time leading wins leader on June 9 with a 19–13 victory over Atlanta.[9]

Despite the hot start, Charlotte would fizzle down the stretch. Charlotte played their last "home game" on June 30 against the Atlanta Blaze at MUSC Health Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina, also the site of the year's championship game. They lost the game, 16–10. Charlotte played the Cannons in their last game of the season and lost, 14–7, a point differential of 25 goals compared to Week 1's 25–7 thumping. The Hounds were eliminated that week from postseason contention.

Season-by-season
Charlotte Hounds
YearWL%Regular season finishPlayoffs
201259.3576th in LeagueDidn't Qualify
201377.5004th in LeagueWon semifinal 17–14 over Denver Outlaws
Lost championship 10–9 to Chesapeake Bayhawks
2014410.2868th in LeagueDidn't Qualify
2015311.2738th in LeagueDidn't Qualify
201686.5714th in LeagueLost semifinal 16–10 to Ohio Machine
201768.4297th in LeagueDidn't Qualify
201877.5006th in LeagueDidn't Qualify
Totals4058.408Total Playoff Record 1-2
Playoff Win % = .333

Roster
2018 Charlotte Hounds
# Name Nationality Position Height Weight College
0Bill MiloneG5 ft 11 in185 lbPfeiffer
1Mike ChanenchukM5 ft 11 in180 lbMaryland
2Charlie CiprianoG5 ft 11 in185 lbFairfield
4Ryan BrownA5 ft 10 in190 lbJohns Hopkins
5Connor FieldsA5 ft 11 in160 lbAlbany
6Will HausM6 ft 1 in185 lbDuke
7Danny SweeneyD6 ft 3 in230 lbVillanova
8Michael HowardD6 ft 5 in220 lbVirginia
9Matt RamboA5 ft 10 in210 lbMaryland
11Joey SankeyA5 ft 5 in160 lbNorth Carolina
13Tim RotanzM6 ft 1 in210 lbMaryland
14John ScheichA5 ft 10 in180 lbCatawba
17Adam OsikaSSDM6 ft 3 in205 lbAlbany
18Jake WithersFO5 ft 11 in192 lbOhio State
19John CrawleyM6 ft 0 in205 lbJohns Hopkins
20Brendan HynesLSM6 ft 3 in185 lbRichmond
21Kevin CrowleyM6 ft 4 in200 lbStony Brook
22Joe McCallionM5 ft 11 in200 lbPenn
25Dylan MaltzA5 ft 8 in170 lbMaryland
26John HausM6 ft 0 in190 lbMaryland
27Jake RichardM6 ft 0 in180 lbMarquette
28Michael EhrhardtD6 ft 5 in210 lbMaryland
32Adam DiMilloM5 ft 11 in190 lbMaryland
33Pierce BassettG6 ft 3 in200 lbJohns Hopkins
40Kevin CooperA6 ft 4 in190 lbMaryland
41Kevin MassaFO5 ft 10 in200 lbBryant
43Noah RakFO6 ft 0 in203 lbMassachusetts
44Brett SchmidtD6 ft 0 in181 lbMaryland
45James BarclayD5 ft 11 in195 lbProvidence
48Tom NoellLSM5 ft 10 in215 lbUNCW
50 Morgan Cheek A 6 ft 1 in 200 lb Harvard
55Scott HooperD6 ft 1 in200 lbVirginia
91 Matt McMahon D 6 ft 4 in 225 lb Penn
  • Regular season 25-player protected roster updated 2018-07-16

Head Coaching History
# Name Term Regular Season Playoffs
GC W L W% GC W L W%
1Mike Cerino2012–2015521937.339211.500
2Jim Stagnitta2016–2018422121.500101.000
3Joe Cummings2019–--------


Award Winners

Coach of the Year

Rookie of the Year

Most Improved Player
  • Mike Chanenchuk: 2016

Draft history

First round selections

References
  1. Babo, Zach (January 21, 2011). "MLL Expanding to Charlotte, Columbus for 2012 Season". Inside Lacrosse. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  2. McLean, Derek (January 21, 2011). "Major League Lacrosse To Add Two New Franchises in 2012". Major League Lacrosse. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  3. http://charlottehounds.com/press-release/4491/wmyt-mytv12-to-broadcast-charlotte-hounds-games/
  4. "Hounds punch ticket to postseason with 14–11 win over Nationals". Archived from the original on 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
  5. "Hounds stun Outlaws in Semifinals, 17-14". Archived from the original on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
  6. "Charlotte 18, Denver 15". Archived from the original on 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2014-06-08.
  7. "2017 Draft summary". Archived from the original on 2017-08-06. Retrieved 2017-08-06.
  8. Hounds cruise in season opener 25-7
  9. Hounds score seven unanswered and extinguish the Blaze, 19-13
  10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2014-02-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-09. Retrieved 2014-02-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2016-04-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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