Sean Ferris
(Monday, Aug. 31) – The National Lacrosse League’s (NLL) Georgia Swarm today announced that it has hired Sean Ferris as an assistant coach, marking the first addition to Ed Comeau’s coaching staff. Comeau was named the Swarm’s new head coach in early July.
The Swarm also re-signed defenseman Jordan Houtby to a three-year agreement and signed free agent defenseman Ryan Flanagan to a three-year deal.
Ferris, 48, has worked alongside Comeau for over a decade in the NLL, which includes time together with the Toronto Rock, Rochester Knighthawks, New York/Orlando Titans and most recently the Colorado Mammoth. As one of Comeau’s assistants in Rochester in 2007, Ferris helped lead the Knighthawks to the Champion’s Cup title. In total, the Burlington, Ontario native has spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach in the NLL and was the head scout of the Toronto Rock (1999-2004) for six seasons, where he was a member of four Champion’s Cup titles. In his new role with the Swarm, Ferris will focus on coaching Georgia’s defensive unit.
“I’ve worked with Sean for a number of years, and we know how each other works,” Swarm head coach Ed Comeau said. “Sean is one of the hardest working guys in the NLL; he works tirelessly when it comes to planning, prepping and reviewing. It takes that kind of work ethic to be successful in this league and it’s important to have people putting in this kind of time to help the team be successful.”
“We’re really excited to have Sean join the Swarm franchise,” Swarm Owner and General Manager John Arlotta said. “He’s worked with coach Comeau for many years and we have admired Sean from afar when we have competed against him over the years. It’s great to have him on our side.”
Houtby, 23, saw a significant increase in playing time during his second NLL season with the Swarm in 2015. The Detroit-Mercy product appeared in 15 games and posted career numbers in points (six), loose balls (34) and forced turnovers (15). The Swarm selected the 6-foot-3, 180-pound defenseman in the fourth-round (No. 29 overall) of the 2013 NLL Draft.
“We’re happy to have Jordan back on the defensive side of the ball,” Arlotta said. “He made great progress last year and by the end of the year, he was starting for us and played in some big games against some very good offensive players.”
Flanagan, 26, has posted an impressive four-year career with the Charlotte Hounds of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) from 2012-15. In that time, the University of North Carolina graduate has made the All-Star team each season, and has been regarded as one of the MLL’s top defensive players. In college, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound defenseman was a three-time USILA All-American at UNC and the 2010 co-winner of the Schmeisser Memorial Cup, which is given to the nation's top defenseman.
“Ryan is a very good player in the outdoor league and has expressed an interest in the NLL,” Arlotta said. “With his size and athleticism, we’re really excited to get him into the indoor game and he certainly has a lot of potential.”
Season Tickets for the inaugural Georgia Swarm season starting in January at Infinite Energy Center are now on sale! Lower level Season Tickets (10 games) start as low as $21 per ticket, per game and feature free parking. For more information, call 844-4-GASWARM or visit georgiaswarm.com/seasontickets.
