Coach James Dowell
Assistant Women’s Lacrosse Coach, Union College
Canadian-born. Box lacrosse raised. College defender. Defensive specialist.
Raised on Box Lacrosse
James Dowell didn’t learn lacrosse on a manicured turf field. He learned it in a box—the fast, physical, enclosed version of the game that Canada is famous for. Growing up in Georgetown, Ontario, James played box lacrosse from a young age, and that foundation shaped everything about the way he plays and coaches today.
Box lacrosse demands things that field lacrosse doesn’t always teach: quick hands in tight spaces, constant defensive awareness, shot placement under pressure, and the ability to read the game at full speed with nowhere to hide. Players who grow up in the box develop a feel for the game that translates directly to the field—and it’s a skill set that’s increasingly sought after by college coaches in the U.S.
James brings that Canadian box lacrosse foundation to every session he runs at Rogue. It’s a perspective that’s rare in the Capital District, and it gives our players an edge they can’t get anywhere else.
Three-Sport Athlete
At St. Michael’s College School in Toronto—one of Canada’s most respected prep schools—James was a three-sport varsity athlete in lacrosse, rugby, and hockey, all while maintaining Honor Roll status in the classroom. He captained the lacrosse team for two years and was named team MVP as a senior. He also captained the rugby team.
When he graduated in 2011, St. Michael’s recognized James with the school’s Outstanding Graduating Athlete Award—the highest athletic honor the school gives. It’s a recognition that speaks to more than just talent. It speaks to leadership, commitment, and the kind of competitor who elevates everyone around him.
Division III at St. Lawrence
James crossed the border to play college lacrosse at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York—a top-tier academic institution competing in the Liberty League at the NCAA Division III level. He played as a long stick midfielder and defenseman for the Saints, bringing his box lacrosse toughness and defensive instincts to the college game.
At St. Lawrence, James developed the technical understanding of team defense at the collegiate level: slide packages, clearing patterns, communication systems, and the discipline required to shut down organized offenses. He combined that with the physical, reactive defensive style he’d built in Canadian box lacrosse—making him the kind of defender who could handle both the structured and the chaotic.
St. Lawrence competes against some of the strongest D3 programs in the country, including RPI, Union, Hobart, and Rochester Institute of Technology. Playing in the Liberty League prepared James to understand what it takes to compete at a high level—and what college coaches are evaluating when they watch a young defenseman.
Staying in the Game
After college, James stayed connected to the sport that raised him. He returned to Canada and served as a box lacrosse referee—a role that deepened his understanding of the game from yet another angle. Officiating sharpened his ability to read plays in real time, understand rule nuances, and see the game from a perspective that most coaches never get.
That experience matters when you’re coaching young players. James doesn’t just teach defenders what to do—he teaches them why. He helps players understand how referees see the game, how to play aggressive defense without drawing flags, and how to use positioning and IQ to take away opportunities before they develop.
Coaching at Union College
In 2025, James joined the Union College women’s lacrosse coaching staff as an assistant coach under head coach Alyssa Treanor. It’s his first collegiate coaching position, and it puts him on the sidelines of a Division III program in the Liberty League—the same conference he competed in as a player at St. Lawrence.
Union is located in Schenectady, New York—right in the heart of the Capital District. James works with the Garnet Chargers on defensive fundamentals, game planning, and player development, bringing his unique combination of box lacrosse instincts, college playing experience, and officiating knowledge to a women’s program that’s building under Treanor’s leadership.
Coaching women’s lacrosse adds another dimension to James’s expertise. The women’s game has its own rules, strategies, and nuances—and having a coach on the Rogue staff who understands both the men’s and women’s game at the college level is a major asset for the growing number of girls in our programs.
Why Rogue
James brings three things to Rogue that are hard to find anywhere else in the Capital District:
Box lacrosse fundamentals. Most players in upstate New York never get exposed to the Canadian box game. James grew up in it. He teaches the quick-stick skills, the defensive reads, and the spatial awareness that box lacrosse develops—skills that translate directly to the field and give players an edge their opponents don’t have.
Elite defensive coaching. Defense is James’s specialty. From his playing career as a long stick midfielder at St. Lawrence to his current role coaching college defenders at Union, James knows how to teach the craft of defense: footwork, positioning, stick checks, communication, and the mental side of taking away an opponent’s best player.
Girls’ lacrosse expertise. As an active college women’s lacrosse coach, James understands the women’s game at a level that most training programs don’t offer. For the girls in our clinics, camps, and leagues, that matters. They’re learning from someone who coaches college women’s players every day.
James is the kind of coach who makes Rogue different. He’s been a player, a referee, and a college coach. He’s played box and field, men’s and women’s. He sees the whole game—and he’s here to help your player see it too.
Career at a Glance
Current Role: Assistant Women’s Lacrosse Coach, Union College (2025–present)
Playing — College: St. Lawrence University (2012–15). Long stick midfielder/defenseman. Liberty League, NCAA Division III.
Playing — High School: St. Michael’s College School, Toronto (2011). 2-year lacrosse captain. Team MVP. Rugby captain. Hockey. Honor Roll. Outstanding Graduating Athlete Award.
Box Lacrosse: Grew up playing box lacrosse in Ontario, Canada. Post-college box lacrosse referee.
Specialty: Defense. Defensive fundamentals, slide packages, LSM/SSDM development, box lacrosse skills, women’s game strategy.
Hometown: Georgetown, Ontario, Canada