Centre College

"I am a member of the class of 2021 and was a part of the transition from Sharbaugh to Zimmerman. Upon noticing the negative reviews, I am rather annoyed. I was not a player who got the playing time they wanted and I could not disagree more with the negative reviews below. Zimmerman was always fair and the opinions presented are excuses and those players and parents are soft and don’t understand how the world really works. He is a highly capable coach who recruits talent and is explicit in his reviews of players. He plays the players who will do the best on the field and turned a losing program into a top 16 team in the nation. His resume and expertise are far beyond what any DIII program deserves and any high school athletes being recruited to this program would be lucky to play under such a knowledgeable, personable, and experienced coach. Phil is also an amazing coach and Centre lacrosse is lucky to have him. Centre men’s lacrosse is ann impressive program and they have a bright future ahead of them. Go Colonels!"

"I have never felt worse than when I played for him."

"Great coach! Really set the tone on becoming a championship program! I do belive he never gives other players a chance. I come from an athletic family where you earn everything, but there were times where I feel like I didn’t get the opportunity to earn PT, or leadership. Z is honest and straight forward but sometimes it’s unclear of his expectations of an individual player. He did carry the program as if it was a division 1 program, which I loved and really appreciated. Will never forget winning a conference championship and making the NCAA tournament. However I do feel like I wasn’t able to shine or show my worth. He also did a great job of creating an amazing team culture. I still talk to former and current teammates and members. "

"Another vote for Coach Z! From day 1 of meeting him I knew he was someone who cares about players, wants them to succeed on and off the field. He wants to develop and take his team to the next level. For those complaining about playing time thats life . Plenty of opportunities to play and be a guaranteed starter at schools with less competitive programs. Thats not what this program Is about. Its about utilizing the state of the art training facilities and bringing in the best possible talent. Our son couldn’t be in a better place that fits him to a T! He’s getting an amazing education and growing as a player on and off the field. "

"I had the opportunity to play for him as well as the previous coach and can honestly say Coach Z completely reshaped this program for the better. I see lots of poor reviews due to lack of playing time and that has to be the case when you compete at such a high level and create an environment where all players are hungry for an opportunity. The cold hard truth is that not everyone who is recruited gets the opportunity play. I played at a public high school and not once did that fact get brought up or matter in terms of playing time. in fact, the opposite is true, I was not a starter when Z took over and due to injury, I was given the opportunity to start and earnered the right to remain a starter through consistent production. Off the field, Coach Z places a strong wmphasis on academic achievement & does all he can to ensure you taking the right steps to hit the ground running after graduation. "