In professional sports, there are rare cases of coaches sticking with and building confidence in players after ending an ugly team and personal season.
For the Philadelphia Waterdogs, that story lies at the faceoff stripe with Alec Stathakis and the man who never stopped believing in him: head coach Bill Tierney.
Tierney first crossed paths with Stathakis when he recruited the specialist to the University of Denver. Over five years, Stathakis became a force, finishing his career second in school history in both ground balls and faceoff wins.
But, the 2024 PLL Draft came and went without his name being called.
Three weeks into the season, that uncertainty ended with a phone call from a familiar voice.
“I know what Alec [Stathakis] brings to the table; he’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met,” Tierney said.
It was a surprising move for some to bring on an unproven player to a team that had been experimenting without a dedicated faceoff specialist. The Waterdogs had won just eight faceoffs through the first three games before Stathakis joined.
It was a big gamble, but Tierney put all of his confidence in Stathakis when many didn’t.
“He’s done more for me than I can ever imagine,” Stathakis said. “I love playing for Coach T and I think he cares about me, not only as a lacrosse player, but as a person.”
Stathakis had a bumpy start to Year 1, ending the season winning 44.8% of draws (second worst in the league among starters) and a career low 26.9% performance against the Atlas in his 2024 finale.
The Waterdogs limped to a 2-8 finish, and with the offseason came the question: Would Tierney stick with his guy?
The answer came after a few offseason conversations, soon after the season ended, resulting in a one-year contract.
“He has the utmost trust in me,” Stathakis said. “You don’t get that a lot from coaches, and when you do get that, you have to take the bull by the horns. You got to go play your best ball.”
A shaky season opener saw him go 10-for-25 against the Whipsnakes, but he quickly found his rhythm, posting three straight games above 50% including an elevated win against Trevor Baptiste, the league’s top draw man.
With the Waterdogs on a two-game skid and needing a win before the All-Star break, Stathakis faced off against TD Ierlan. One of the most dominant specialists in professional lacrosse and a former teammate in college.
From the start of the contest, Stathakis made a statement with the help of his wings. He won 70.6% in the first half and finished the game with a career-best mark.
That handed the Waterdogs two extra minutes of possession and helped fuel a 7-2 run that led to a 12-9 victory over the California Redwoods.
“He has matured over the year,” Tierney said. “Honestly, I think a year in the NLL really helped him all around. We’re talking about one of the all-time greats that he went 71% against.”
It was more than just a win in the progression of Stathakis’ career.
“Without his confidence, I don’t think I would be here playing in the PLL,” he said. “Or I don’t think I would even have had a great college career.”
Now, with a career-defining performance under his belt and Tierney still in his corner, Stathakis isn’t just fighting for faceoffs — he’s making his name hard to overlook.
“A year ago, everybody said, ‘Who’s he?’” Tierney said. “I think the talk of the big two, three, four, five, whatever rhetoric people use, they better start having Alec Stathakis’s name included.”
