When I think about how I want to play, how I want us to play, one animal comes to mind — the honey badger. That’s the fearless lacrosse mindset I expect from myself and my team.

The honey badger isn’t big, it’s not the fastest, and it definitely doesn’t look like the apex predator. But it’s the most relentless, most unshakable, and possibly the most underrated creature in the wild. That’s exactly how I want us to show up on the field — unbothered by the odds, undeterred by size, and unwilling to back down.

Adaptable Under Pressure

Honey badgers don’t wait for the perfect situation — they create it. They thrive in the heat, the dust, and the chaos. They’ll eat just about anything, including venomous snakes and sharp-quilled porcupines. When I step onto the field, I want that same adaptability. No matter the weather, the opponent, the ref, or the score, I want my team to adjust, adapt, and keep attacking.

Tough Skin, Tougher Mentality

Honey badgers have loose, thick skin that protects them from bites and stings. That’s the kind of mental armor I’m building in my players. I want them to take a hit — on the scoreboard, emotionally, physically — and bounce back like nothing happened. Shake off the stings, get back up, and go again.

Intelligent and Opportunistic

They don’t just charge blindly — they’re smart. Honey badgers have been caught on camera using tools to escape cages, tricking predators, and even baiting other animals. I want my players to think fast, to make smart decisions, to play the game, not just go through the motions. Game IQ is just as important as grit.

Fearless, Not Reckless

The honey badger doesn’t start fights to be reckless — it knows it can finish them. It stands up to lions, steals from bigger predators, and doesn’t flinch when faced with danger. That’s the kind of fearlessness I want in every ground ball battle, every fast break, every overtime moment. We don’t back down. Ever.

Tenacious, Together

We may not be the biggest or flashiest team, but like the honey badger, we’re going to earn our respect. Through sheer effort, discipline, and heart, we’re going to compete with anyone, anywhere, anytime. That’s who we are. That’s the fearless lacrosse mindset we live by.

So when we play, we play like honey badgers — scrappy, smart, fearless, and relentless. That’s how we win. That’s how we grow. That’s how we become unstoppable.