Last month four-time NCAA All-American Casey Powell recalled a bit of advice a lacrosse coach once passed along to him when he told a group of onlookers, “If you can do the little things, there’s a chance that someday you’ll be able to do something big.”

He’s never forgotten those words. And just like that the 33-year old national championship out of Syracuse, and legend in both the indoor and outdoor game of lacrosse, was at Amway Arena taking part in one of those “big things.”

Titans forward Casey Powell signed a two-year contract with Orlando and announced the formation of the Titans Academy of Lacrosse last month. (Photo courtesy of NLL/Orlando Titans)

Powell signed a two-year deal with the Orlando Titans – the first professional lacrosse team in the state of Florida – moments before announcing the formation of the Titans Academy of Lacrosse, which he hopes will play a key role in improving player, coaching and referee skills at all levels of the game throughout the area.

“Number one on my priority list here in the Orlando area is to help gain exposure to the sport (of lacrosse),” said Powell. “And I think we can do that through hard work and effort.”

Working closely with Powell, the team’s marquee player and captain, is Titans Director of Lacrosse Development Nate Snyder.

The first order of business for the two before the season gets underway on Jan. 8 is a winter lacrosse camp at Barber Park from Dec. 28-31, hosted by players and staff from the newest addition to Orlando’s sports landscape.

It’s a small piece to a broader puzzle that Titans President Steve Donner is planning to put together.

Upon announcing the relocation of the Titans (after three years in New York) back in August, Donner spoke of bringing a championship-caliber team to town that Orlando fans could be proud of while also making a long-term commitment to help turn Florida into the “next power-state of lacrosse.”

Considered the fastest growing participation sport in the country, and one that has seen such a drastic increase at the high school level throughout the state over the past decade, the new franchise found a budding hotbed of interest by way of youth players and enthusiasts who have yet to be exposed to lacrosse at the professional level.

The signing of Powell will likely help provide both a competitive team and those contributions to the lacrosse community that Donner envisions.

“Just as important in our signing (of Powell) is his commitment to grow the game,” said Donner. “For us it’s a win-win.”

Steve Donner (seated from left), Casey Powell and Nate Snyder outside Amway Arena last month. (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

Referred to as a “game-breaking player who can make a difference on the field and in the locker room,” Powell will be an easy target for local fans to root for. He led the Titans to the championship game last season while in New York as the team’s leading goal scorer as his career-high 40 goals and 85 points ranked fifth and eighth in the league, respectively. For his efforts he was named 2009 Inside Lacrosse Magazine Player of the Year.

Through seven seasons in the indoor National Lacrosse League the all-star has scored 176 goals and dished out 258 assists in just 90 games. While competing on the green grass of the outdoor lacrosse fields, he is the all-time leading scorer in the history of Major League Lacrosse with 197 goals and 186 assists to his credit.

While the majority of his playing career has revolved around a rabid following in the northeastern part of the country, where the sport is most prevalent, Powell has already been adjusting to the warmer climate in Central Florida this time of year.

He’s spent the past two months getting accustomed to the surroundings and says he’s been “overwhelmed with the support from the lacrosse community.”

When the season gets underway at Amway Arena the Titans roster will feature four players from the U.S. National Team, including Powell who was captain of the 2006 squad, and three players from the Canadian National Team.

“We’re going to be a lot of fun to watch, we’re going to be very high-scoring,” said Powell. “And our defense is very tough, we have one of the best goaltenders in the league.”

Whether it’ll be enough to make a run at another appearance in the championship game – this time while representing Orlando – won’t be known until the season winds down in April.

What the Titans will soon find out though is whether local sports fans who have witnessed the comings and goings of minor league hockey, arena football and indoor soccer over the past several years care enough about an 11-team league to even show a mild form of interest.

For Powell and his Titan teammates, that little bit might be plenty enough to get them started.

– More Orlando Titans Coverage –

Message board at NLL Insider

Details on radio deal at MLN Sports

Video footage at WFTV

Official National Lacrosse League site at NLL