Tony Seaman

His numbers are down, but Blake Best's morale is high. Playing in only his second game of the season, the Towson senior attackman recorded an assist in the No. 19 Tigers' 18-13 loss to No. 2 Virginia on Saturday. He has a goal and two assists this season. Best, who is returning from a right knee injury that wiped out his 2007 season, said the results, while modest, are encouraging. "It's getting there," he said. "Lacrosse-wise, I'm getting back. I just need to get in shape and get game-ready.

Now, the waiting begins -- not for the Towson men's lacrosse team, but for head coach Tony Seaman. For the second time in as many seasons, the Tigers offered up a flat performance, scoring just once in the second and third quarters of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament final before trying to mount a rally that eventually failed in a 12-9 loss to visiting Delaware before an announced 2,189 at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson. The Blue Hens (10-6), who last won the CAA title in 2007 when they beat the Tigers, 10-7, in Towson, sewed up the automatic qualifier and will join the field of 16 in the NCAA tournament when the bracket is revealed tonight.

Towson's Matt Hughes is often on the receiving end of some pointed criticism from coach Tony Seaman. But Hughes said he doesn't mind the panning too much. "He seems to yell at me a lot during practice," Hughes said with a laugh. "He continues to tell me it's for my own good, that he only yells at me because he knows I can be a good player. I believe him. I feel like I'm starting to play with more confidence in every game." The freshman attackman is beginning to display that confidence.

Tony Seaman knows exactly how Rick Sowell feels. On April 27, 1996, Seaman watched as his Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team, which was ranked No. 5 in the country, was upended by Towson, 13-12. So Seaman, now the head coach at Towson, could empathize with Sowell, who was forced to watch his No. 4 Stony Brook squad get upset by the host Tigers, 9-8, before 1,323 at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson on Saturday. "I was the coach of that team in '96 that Towson beat," Seaman recalled.

Selection Sunday was followed by Manic Monday. Less than 24 hours after the unveiling of the 16-team field for the upcoming NCAA tournament, the men's lacrosse programs at Towson and Navy parted ways with their head coaches. In a span of less than three hours Monday afternoon, the vacancies created by Tony Seaman at Towson and Richie Meade were characterized as resignations by their respective schools. But several people close to both coaches scoffed at that description. Seaman, who had signed a series of three one-year deals after the 2010 campaign, couldn't hide his disappointment about being ousted, which was first reported by WNST 1570 AM. "It's not the way I wanted to end my legacy at Towson," said Seaman, whose went 3-10 overall and 1-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association this past spring.

Here is the second installment of a series that checks in with the seven Division I programs in the state to give a glimpse into the past and the future. Teams are scheduled to appear according to the chronological order in which their seasons ended. Monday's visit was with Navy . Tuesday's visit is with Towson. REVIEW The good: After wrapping up 2011 with a 3-10 overall record and a 1-5 Colonial Athletic Association mark that got former coach Tony Seaman dismissed, the team went 7-8 overall and 2-4 in the conference, finishing in fourth place and qualifying for the league tournament.

T he road to the national championship goes through Syracuse. And C.W. Post. And SUNY Cortland. And Onondaga Community College. Last year, the aforementioned New York schools captured the Division I, Division II, Division III and National Junior College Athletic Association titles, respectively. So, has the Empire State replaced Maryland as the pre-eminent lacrosse hotbed? One former player turned analyst doesn't see it as a trend, but as a continuation of what has always been.

Towson's four losses have been to opponents in The Baltimore Sun's Top 20. "We played a couple of really, really good teams," Tigers coach Tony Seaman said. "Hopefully, we grow on that." ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/ lacrosseblog)

COLLEGE PARK -- Johns Hopkins, which recorded a 4-0 mark against state teams, has been awarded the inaugural Maryland Cup as the top Division I men's lacrosse team in Maryland this season.The Blue Jays (10-3) were the fourth seed in the NCAA tournament, but lost to fifth-seeded Duke, 12-11, in the quarterfinals."We're proud to have won this award," Hopkins coach Tony Seaman said.The Blue Jays defeated Maryland, Loyola, Towson State and Navy by a combined score of 67-40.Pub Date: 5/22/97

Yesterday afternoon's lacrosse game between No. 6 Maryland and No. 13 Towson at Minnegan Stadium was postponed because of snow.It has tentatively been rescheduled for May 5 at 7: 30 p.m. The decision was made by Tigers coach Tony Seaman and Terrapins coach Dick Edell 40 minutes before game time when Towson's grass field had already been covered by a few inches of snow.The Terrapins lead the series, 15-4, and have won the last four meetings. Maryland has never lost in nine appearances at Minnegan.