Sticking to His Game Plan

Pali High Lacrosse Coach David Bucchino Is Eager to Keep the Dolphins’ City Dynasty Going 

By STEVE GALLUZZO  | Sports Editor

In May, David Bucchino coached the Palisades High boys lacrosse team to its fifth straight City Section championship. As he prepares for his second season at the helm the primary objective is to keep the dynasty rolling in the spring.        

“I learned mostly about the team and the Palisades community as a whole,” said Bucchino, who now lives in Beverly Hills but was born and raised on the East Coast and coached in New Jersey for eight years prior to moving to California. “I learned what type of work ethic the players have and what kind of culture I need to bring to the table. To be honest, I was and still am impressed with the commitment level of our team and the support we get from our parents. I hope to continue to learn how to keep building our program to its highest potential.”

Bucchino had a short window to work with his players last season because of the late start resulting from COVID-19 restrictions, but he is pleased with the progress he made in the time he had.

“Due to COVID our season was shorter than usual so it was challenging to get a good read on areas of improvement because we had to jam everything in within a short time span,” he said. “However, I would like to see us play a complete game. Meaning play our best during every quarter. During certain games we would be inconsistent throughout a quarter.

In terms of the opposition, Bucchino wants to beef up the schedule  because he knows to be the best you have to beat the best: “Next season we plan to play a longer schedule with more competitive games on a more consistent basis. Potentially, teams we haven’t played in the past. I know our players want more competition and if we play tougher teams we will keep growing and become better as a whole.”

Bucchino was previously the varsity coach at Cedar Grove High in New Jersey. The school had no lacrosse program so it was his job to build a foundation and culture. He also served as President of the New Jersey Jetties Box Lacrosse Club. Born in White Plains, New York, he began his lacrosse career after his parents moved to Bow, New Hampshire when he was in fourth grade. He played for the Bow High Falcons, winning two state championships while twice earning All-State goaltender and New Hampshire Player of the Year honors. He holds the New Hampshire state record for career saves.

After moving through the ranks, Bucchino was recruited to play at Elmira College, where he was named Rookie of The Year. He was a two-time Empire Eight MVP and was the Leadership and Dedication recipient two years in a row. He finished his college lacrosse career with 578 saves, making him the current record holder at Elmira.

“I’m often asked to compare the quality of lacrosse here and to be honest it is very different from the East Coast,” he said. “I feel like LA is more fluid and controlled, whereas the East Coast is focused on more physicality on both the offensive and defensive sides—not necessarily hitting, but more body engaging while dodging and throwing defensive checks. However, I am impressed with the toughness of our team.”

Bucchino ran a club program on the East Coast for about seven years prior to moving to Los Angeles and he plans to run a club team this fall as well: “Lacrosse taught me a lot. Mental toughness is a valuable lesson I learned. I hope to continue to push that on our players both on and off the field. It has also taught me that there are ups and downs. There are times I have had great success and times I have been exposed. It is all about making adjustments and working on your position outside of practice.”

Bucchino is also happy to be working with fellow East Coaster Jamie Wand, who took over the Pali High girls program last season and led the Dolphins to the City finals (the girls have played in the title game every season since 2014, winning their only title in 2019).

“I know Jamie very well,” he said. “We are in touch a lot throughout the season. She is an amazing coach and I have heard nothing but great things about what she has done for the program.”

Palisades’ 21-1 victory over El Camino Real was the most lopsided margin in City finals history and marked the sixth time in seven seasons  (there was no season in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic) that the Dolphins were crowned champions. Bucchino joins a distinguished list of coaches that have guided the program to unprecedented success since it was founded 15 years ago.

Palisades was the first City Section school to field a lacrosse team and although the Dolphins were walloped by Loyola 15-1 in their first game at Stadium by the Sea in 2006, coaches Dave Schaller and Scott Hylen quickly brought the team to a level of respectability. The Dolphins competed in the Southern Section for three years until the City started a league of its own. Hylen compiled a 95-30 overall record and a 50-0 mark in City games before accepting a coaching position in Switzerland in 2013. Tommy Johnson briefly took over the reins but first-year coach Bryan Cuthbert guided the Dolphins to the City’s first “official” title in 2014. The following spring, Palisades saw its 71-game section winning streak snapped in the finals by Birmingham, but aside from that blip the Dolphins have continued their domination of City oppponents.

Kevin Donovan took over in 2016 and under his leadership the team won four straight City crowns. Two years ago, he also led the Dolphins to the Los Angeles Invitational Tournament title. Donovan continued to coach the team through 2020 even though all athletics were canceled.    

Palisades’ 2021 lacrosse season did not commence until April 28 and lasted only one month. The team ultimately won six of its eight games, losing only to Southern Section schools Mira Costa and Culver City.

Bucchino understands that Palisades has a proud legacy and he wants to keep the Dolphins the gold standard in the City. He was told about the Palisades opening through mutual relationships he had with coaches. It seemed like a fantastic opportunity and he jumped at the chance. Since then he has never looked back. Given the core group of players returning, the future is bright.

“I am extremely fortunate to have this coaching position—it is really what I am all about,” Bucchino added. “The support from the parents has been amazing and I look forward to continuing our success. Coaching these boys this past year was an honor. All of them bought in to the plan and respected the culture I created. I could not have asked for a better group of kids. Winning CIF was amazing for us. The team put in a lot of hard work and it paid off. Now it is time to get back to work.”