April 14, 2008

by Matt DaSilva, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

There's nothing like the last minute.

Two years ago today, I drove to three different states - New York, Delaware and Maryland - for tax forms due two years ago tomorrow. Sure, they're available in January. But for some reason, I refuse to file tax returns until April 14.

It reinvigorates me. (I must not get out much.)

In the interest of procrastination and fiscal irresponsibility, with a touch of self-preservation, today I appeal to a baser journalistic instinct - unbridled opinion.

A look at the prevailing storylines, stars and stinkers thus far in the 2008 Division I men's lacrosse season follows. If you'd like a good laugh, check out these 20 predictions made in February.

Hey, at least Army beat Navy.

Coach of the Year
John Desko, Syracuse

Give Desko credit - the man has had a Midas touch for the resurgent Orange. After Syracuse went 5-8 and missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years, he did not hide from his problems, shaking up the staff to include Lelan Rogers as a full-time defensive coordinator and move Roy Simmons III to offensive coordinator. Desko also had the fortitude to go with a freshman, John Galloway, in the cage, and outfit freshman Joel White with a long pole to make him one of the more disruptive defensive middies in the country. It has all amounted to a 10-1 start and No. 1 national ranking for Syracuse.

Player of the Year
Matt Danowski, Duke

Lisfranc fractures can be a mess, so LM went with Hopkins' Paul Rabil as its Division I Preseason Player of the Year.

Pooh on us.

Danowski has gotten a good run from his own line mates, including Zack Greer, who has added deft feeding to his finishing skills, and Max Quinzani, whose 43 goals this year are one better than soon-to-be all-time leader Greer. But with a nation-leading 67 points on 28 goals and 39 assists for the top-ranked Blue Devils, well, this is Dino's honor to lose.

Attackman of the Year
Matt Danowski, Duke

If it were not for the Duke triumvirate, we might be talking about Delaware's Curtis Dickson in this space. The Canuck has scored in 22 straight games, the longest streak for a Blue Hens player since 1981, and has 41 goals this season. Just a sophomore, Dickson's finishing ability has given Delaware a presence around the crease like it has not had since the days of John Grant.

And that's not to mention Mike Leveille, who's enjoying his best season in a Syracuse uniform.

Midfielder of the Year
Steven Brooks, Syracuse

Coming into this season, the talk was all about how Hopkins' Paul Rabil and Cornell's Max Seibald would wow us next - and Brooks has surpassed them both. His statistics aren't the gaudiest, but Brooks (18g, 10a) has been by far the most clutch player in Division I, with three game-winning goals and two that sent games against Georgetown (a win) and Virginia (a loss) into overtime.

Defenseman of the Year
Jerry Lambe, Georgetown

Navy's Jordan DiNola could merit some consideration here, considering he's the best defenseman on the nation's stingiest defense. But no one has been able to take Danowski out of his game like Lambe did in Duke's lone loss this season. Lambe also kept Leveille under wraps for much of the Hoyas' game against Syracuse, which ended in a double-overtime defeat. One-on-one, Lambe is unparalleled.

Goalkeeper of the Year
Jordan Burke, Brown

The Bears have won seven straight, and they get outshot nearly every game. Their philosophy: they trust Burke to make saves. While other goalies have affected better teams in different ways (like freshmen John Galloway and Adam Ghitelman at Syracuse and Virginia, respectively), between the pipes, none are better than Burke.

Rookie of the Year
Jay Card, Hofstra

Card edges fellow Canadian Jordan McBride of nearby Stony Brook, as well as Galloway and Ghitelman, because of his consistency and clutch scoring. Of his 15 goals, two are game-winners, including an overtime tally to down Johns Hopkins and a last-minute goal in a victory over Villanova. McBride, meanwhile, has piled on goals in relatively meaningless games (his 10-spot against Delaware notwithstanding). Galloway and Ghitelman have been just good enough, but unspectacular at best.

Maryland's Travis Reed (18g) would warrant consideration, but we hear he's busy tuning up his motorized scooter for another jaunt around the 7-Eleven parking lot. College is the time to test your boundaries, after all.

Comeback Player of the Year
Danny Brennan, Syracuse

It's not a comeback, per say, but Brennan has won an NCAA Division I-leading 67.7 percent of faceoffs after getting cleared for another year of eligibility in the fall. He has helped the Orange stay on top of the possession game and is having his best season by far as Syracuse's lone go-to face-off specialist after being demoted to split duties with Jon Jerome in 2007. But as a full-time player, Brennan has proven no worse for wear.

A nod here also goes to Delaware's Cam Howard, who red-shirted 2007 to rehab a surgically repaired knee, with 19 goals and 20 assists.

Biggest Surprise
Navy

Nobody expected the Midshipmen to maintain the kind of level they achieved the last four years, considering what they graduated. LM picked them to finish third behind Bucknell and Colgate in the Patriot League, even. Coaches consulted were in agreement that this would be a rebuilding year for Navy. Hardly the case for the 9-3 Mids, who can cause an even greater stir by beating Hopkins this week for the first time, which would put the defending Division I champions in a situation where they must win out the balance of their schedule.

Biggest Bust
Yale

The Bulldogs, ranked 19th in the preseason by LM, are 3-7. Not that they've been terrible, but they have been terribly inconsistent. Also considered: Albany (preseason ranked 12th; now 5-6, but with a big win over Princeton); Colgate (the Raiders were everyone's favorite in the Patriot League, and only now are they treading water with three straight wins).

Filing for an Extension
Johns Hopkins

Welcome to the 2008 season, Paul Rabil and Stephen Peyser. The two physically impressive middies had not been in sync all year until the Blue Jays' backs were to the wall against Maryland on Saturday. Credit coach Dave Pietramala for putting Mark Bryan on their line to promote ball movement, but Rabil (3g, 1a) and Peyser (12of-13 faceoffs) were the dynamic force everyone envisioned in Hopkins' 10-4 win.

Still, the Jays (4-5), who snapped the first five-game losing streak in school history, must win at least three of four remaining games against Navy, Mount St. Mary's, Towson and Loyola.

Contact Matt DaSilva at mdasilva@uslacrosse.org.