The Best Shooting Coach You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Paul Rabil is considered the best lacrosse player on the planet. If you have ever wondered how he got so good, just ask Scott Pugh, his coach for three years at DeMatha Catholic High School and one of the men Rabil credits for winning championships in high school, college and as a professional. With resume boasts like this, Coach Pugh has become one of the most sought after private instructors in the DC-Metropolitan region.

Just this past weekend, on Sat Oct 4th, Coach Pugh teamed up with former pupil Pat Harbeson (DeMatha ’10 / University of Virgina ’14) for a Shooting Clinic on the campus of Mater Dei School in Bethesda, MD. Players from the most prestigious schools in the area including Gonzaga, Georgetown Prep, DeMatha, The Heights, Landon, & Richard Montgomery came out to match their skills with the best in the area. The clinic included top-notch instruction on the proper mechanics of shooting, dodging, & how to create separation from your defender.

The coach/mentor relationship Pugh has successfully used throughout his career created synergies in reconnecting with Harbeson: “I think its important for kids to find someone to emmulate and really study what makes that player great. For these kids to be able to shoot around with someone like Pat, who I think is one of the top middies to come out of the DC area in the past 10 years, it truely is an awesome opportunity. I know its not that ‘cool’ or appealing for these kids to work their butts off with me for an hour & have me really push them hard; but when they get to do it alongside other top players & someone who has played where they are aspiring to get to – thats pretty motivating as a young man.”

Below are a few training videos from this weekend via a GoPro camera.

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Follow Coach Pugh – @coachpughlax
Follow Pat Harbeson – @pharb19