James Finlay was introduced as an assistant coach for Harvard men’s lacrosse on Aug. 17, 2010. Finlay serves as the Crimson’s defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator.

In his first spring in Cambridge, the Crimson won 10 games and tied for third in the Ancient Eight with a 3-3 conference mark. Harvard also earned a spot in the Ivy League tournament final, defeating Penn, 12-8, in the semifinal round. In addition, Finlay coached defenseman Paul Pate, who garnered All-Ivy League honorable mention.

Finlay, who served as head coach at Trinity College for the last five seasons, guided the Bantams to a 40-37 record during his tenure.  Finlay coached Trinity to the No. 1 defense in the New England Small College Athletic Conference and No. 15 nationally in 2010.  In addition, Trinity’s man-down unit ranked No. 1 in the NESCAC and No. 6 nationally.  In 2009, Trinity’s defense ranked #2 in the NESCAC.  During the 2009 season, Trinity boasted a 10-6 record, marking the team’s best finish since the 2000 campaign, helping the Bantams to a national ranking and a third straight berth in the NESCAC tournament.  Finlay, who coached Trinity to a 9-7 record in 2010, arrived at Trinity in 2006 after spending seven years as an assistant coach at Brown.

With the Bears, Finlay helped Brown rank No. 1 in the Ivy League and No. 7 in the nation in defense in 2004 in his role as defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator.  Prior to his stint at Brown, Finlay worked as an assistant coach at Notre Dame University for two years, helping the Irish capture the 1999 Great Western Lacrosse League title and advance to the NCAA Tournament. He served as the top assistant and defensive coordinator at Springfield College for three seasons, compiling a 25-16 record. In 1995, Springfield posted a 13-1 mark and advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Division II tournament.

Finlay earned his bachelor’s degree in history and Classical studies from Gettysburg College in 1992, where he was a three-year letterwinner in lacrosse on teams that posted a 33-9 overall mark and captured two Middle Atlantic Conference Championships. Considered one of the outstanding young defensive coaches and recruiters in the nation, Finlay went on to earn a master’s degree in physical education from Springfield College in 1997.