Duke's Costabile Provides Change of Pace
by Elizabeth Cozart | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
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Freshman CJ Costabile's versatility on faceoffs and as an offensive threat with a long pole has been instrumental in Duke's red-hot run through the ACC tournament and NCAA tournament first-round victory over Navy. The Blue Devils meet North Carolina in the NCAA quarterfinals Sunday in a rematch of the ACC championship game. © Keith Maynard |
Duke freshman CJ Costabile surprisingly said that the best
memory of his rookie year with the Blue Devils' was not winning the
ACC men's lacrosse championship.
Costabile, a long pole, had an assist in a first-round win over
Virginia and breezed to a three-goal hat trick in the championship
game against archrival North Carolina en route to being named
tournament MVP.
But Costabile cited a more obscure accomplishment, when no one was
watching.
"That was fun," Costabile, 19, said of winning the award, "but one
day in practice, I made a suggestion to Coach Gabs (Duke assistant
Chris Gabrielli) and he said, ‘That works,' and that was
cool. It felt like I was learning, and he was trusting me."
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Costabile has learned that little
adjustments, like whether his wingman is three or four yards out on
a faceoff, can make a big difference.
Costabile has won 41 of 72 faceoffs (.569) as Duke's
change-of-pace alternative to Sam Payton. He has also chased down
69 ground balls. No wonder one of the words he uses to
describe himself as a player is "hungry."
"Versatile," is another word he uses.
"I can take faceoffs, do wing play, defense, shoot the ball," said
Costabile, whose greatest satisfaction remains stripping an
opponent of the ball. "It's almost starting to feel like a
lost art, with the way sticks are today. It's awesome to check
someone and knock the ball away. It sort of demoralizes the other
guy."
With new NCAA stick regulations in 2010 mandating shallower
pockets and wider heads, the lost art could soon be
rediscovered.
"Right now," Costabile said, "people are throwing more violent
checks, because the ball doesn't dislodge as easily. The stick
changes are designed to calm the game down a little bit."
Costabile strings his pocket at the middle to bottom of the stick
for maximum feel. He uses two shooting strings across the top with
a "V" pattern, saying that it gives him extra hold to carry the
ball and that the two shooting strings on top let him feel the ball
come out of his stick.
"The only thing that bothers me," he joked, "is that with the new
rules, manufacturers are producing new heads with new technologies
and now I have to figure out how to string them."
Costabile has managed to figure out just about everything else.
Following his ACC tournament heroics, the soft-spoken freshman won
five of eight faceoffs and snared six ground balls in Duke's 14-5
win Saturday over Navy in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Blue Devils meet North Carolina again Sunday, this time in the
NCAA quarterfinals at Navy Marine-Corps Memorial Stadium.
Despite the accolades, Costabile, who also described himself as a
"happy oddball," said his skills are far from complete. In addition
to coaching one of the teams he grew up with in New Fairfield,
Conn., he has a laundry list of elements of his own game that he
plans to work on over the summer.
"I could be better at faceoffs, definitely," he said. "I'm going
to keep working on approaching someone from the side, and I can
always work on my left hand. You can't be happy with the way you
are now. I'll definitely do some summer leagues in Connecticut. You
can shoot alone, but the best way to get better is by going out
there and playing a lot, by being in a real competitive
environment. The only way to get better is by playing a lot."
Naturally, Costabile was recruited by the majority of Division I
schools. He chose Duke for its combination of athletics and
academics.
"Plus," he added, "it's in the South, so there's warm
weather."
"CJ is an extremely balanced and even keeled young man and
athlete," Duke head coach John Danowski said of Costabile. "He
loves to play and is loved by his teammates. His development has
been impressive, and he will continue to improve as he gains more
Division I experience."
Asked if, looking back on an outstanding freshman campaign that
includes ACC tournament MVP and a chance to advance to the NCAA
final four in Foxboro, Mass., he thought the decision to come to
Duke was a good one, Costabile replied: "Best decision of my
life."
