Hopkins Looks to Defense for Answers
from press release
What a difference a year can make. Entering the 2008 season the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team was built around one of the top midfield tandems in school history, returned two-thirds of its starting attack, had a first-year starter in goal and was coming off its second national championship in three years.
Only the appearance in the national championship game - Hopkins' fourth in six years - is the same as the Blue Jays enter the 2009 season. Gone are those two midfielders and two-thirds of the starting attack. The first-year starter in goal from a year ago is no longer a secret and the strength of the team this season will be its defense, which is sweet music to the ears of head coach Dave Pietramala, who is generally regarded as one of the top defensive players in the history of the sport.
A year ago the question surrounding the Blue Jays entering the season was whether the offense could hold down the fort while the young goalie developed. The thought process this year is just the opposite; can a defense ranked as the top unit in the nation by Inside Lacrosse keep the Blue Jays in games early while a young, talented offense gains experience? Only time will tell, but Pietramala likes what he sees from his veteran defense and any unit that earns his blessing must have at least a puncher's chance of being pretty good.
Defense
The unquestioned leader of the 2009 team is senior defenseman Michael
Evans, a co-captain who is arguably the top defensive player in
the nation. Evans, who has started all 34 games in the last two
years and earned Third Team All-America honors last season, doesn't
have blazing speed that fans covet or the stick skills of the
now-graduated Matt
Bocklet (99 ground balls in 2008). What Evans does have is the
tenacity that Pietramala loves.
Although the Blue Jays fell short in the national championship game a year ago, Evans more than held his own against two of the top three scorers in the nation at the final four. Duke's Matt Danowski (2g, 1a) and Syracuse's Mike Leveille (1g, 2a) combined for just six points in two games playing primarily against Evans. He will continue to draw the assignment of marking the opposition's top attackman and is a strong candidate to become JHU's first national defenseman of the year since Brian Kuczma in 1997.
Sliding down from the rope and returning to his natural position of close defense is senior Matt Drenan, who returned last year after missing the entire 2007 season with an injury. Drenan has totaled 54 ground balls in two seasons and teams with Evans to give the Blue Jays one of the top defensive tandems in the nation.
"In Michael and Matt we feel we have two players who bring a greater level of athleticism to the defensive end of the field than we've had since we arrived (in 2001)," Pietramala noted. "At the same time, they are both adept at using their skills and athleticism within our system and that is exciting."
Joining Evans and Drenan on close defense will be junior Sam DeVore, who is technically not counted as a returning starter, although he has played in 32 games with 10 starts over the last two years. DeVore has a flashier stick than either Evans or Drenan and is an aggressive on-ball defender. Pietramala likens DeVore to former standout Chris Watson, who started every game for the Blue Jays from 2002 through 2005 and is generally regarded as the most intelligent defender Pietramala has ever coached.
Two freshmen may follow DeVore's track to the lineup - significant contributor/part-time starter - after enjoying a solid fall. Newcomers Gavin Crisafulli and Andrew Blasko both made an impression early on as the left-handers demonstrated good stick stills and a high level of coachability (a key in the Blue Jays' complex defensive schemes). Both are likely to be worked into the defensive rotation early with Crisafulli also seeing time on the wing on faceoffs.
Seniors Will Jawish and John Franklin headline a group that bolsters the Blue Jays' depth on defense. Pietramala is quick to point out that the best stick on the defensive side of the field belongs to junior Max Levine, while freshmen Tyler Mordecai and Kyle Kaufmann bring solid skills to Homewood and need only gain experience to make an impact.
Pietrmala and his coaching staff have worked hard to develop a rotation on the rope unit that will keep the Blue Jays fresh late in games and late in the season. No one should be surprised to see several players earn playing time here. That said, not one player who is likely to see time at long-stick has played a significant minute for the Blue Jays.
Charlie Wiggins is the headliner of the group as he played for two years at Maryland (2005 & 2006) before enrolling at Hopkins this year. Wiggins provides a physical presence to match up with many of the big, strong midfielders the Blue Jays will face this season. Yet he is also very skilled and excellent on ground balls. His ability to regain his form after a two-year layoff will be crucial to the direction this unit takes.
Sophomore Orry Michael could be the "X" factor for the Blue Jay defense this season. A tremendously gifted athlete, he missed virtually the entire 2008 season with an injury and sat out the fall as a precaution. He is perhaps the most athletic long-stick the Blue Jays have had in Pietramala's tenure and needs only game experience to take his game to the next level.
Like Michel, junior Greg Harrington and sophomore Eric DiProspero are returning from injury. Harrington has a great understanding of the Blue Jays' defensive system, while DiProspero is a hard-nosed competitor. Both could flourish with additional experience.
A pair of newcomers - sophomore Peter Swerz and freshman Andrew Cote - could also figure into the team's plans here this season. Swerz, who is picking up the position for the first time this spring, could also see time on faceoffs, while Cote is an athletic player who should only improve with playing time.
Senior co-captain Andrew Miller returns for his fourth season as JHU's top short-stick defensive midfielder. While the long-stick defensive midfielder spot has become the "glamour" position in lacrosse, the short-stick defensive middie spot is the polar opposite - who would want to play a position where the intention of every opponent is to expose you?
Enter Miller, who combines strength and athleticism, quietly takes pride in his role and now stands among the best players in the nation at the position. Miller has played in all 48 games in his career, counts three goals, three assists and 78 ground balls to his credit in the last three years and is just the second short-stick defensive midfielder to be selected as a captain at Johns Hopkins in the last 15 years.
Joining Miller as a short-stick defensive midfielder is junior David Spaulding, who is easily the best-conditioned athlete on the team. What the Blue Jays may have lost in now-graduated George Castle's lacrosse savy, they make up for with Spaulding's raw athleticism. Spaulding, who thrives in transition, has played in 28 games in the last two years and teams with Miller to give the Blue Jays an experienced, athletic tandem at a crucial spot on the field.
The Blue Jays have regularly run a three-man short-stick rotation and this season should be no different. Fighting for time behind Miller and Spaulding are freshmen Trevor Brown and Marshall Burkhart, sophomore Matt Dolente and junior Conor Cassidy. Brown is making the move from offense and just needs to learn the defense. Burkhart enjoyed a solid fall and has positioned himself for playing time at both ends of the field.
Dolente and Cassidy both figure prominently into the team's plans on faceoffs, but could also see time here as well.
"We may have had individuals more athletic at a particular position on defense in the past, but this is without question the most athletic group we've ever had," Pietramala stated. "That doesn't mean we'll change what we do, but it certainly gives us some options to try things. Our combination of athleticism and experience on the defensive end of the field is very exciting."
Goalies
The Blue Jays have an abundance of riches in the cage with the
return of junior Michael
Gvozden and the emergence of freshman Steven
Burke in the fall. Add in fellow freshmen Guy
Van Syckle and senior Tim
Everson and Pietramala and his staff have exactly what they
want everyday in practice - competition.
"You would probably have to go back to the Nick Murtha-Rob Scherr era to find a time when we had as much depth in the goal as we do right now," Pietramala noted. "We are obviously excited to have Michael back, but we're excited about the young players we've brought in as well."
It would be hard to find a goalie in school history who had a season quite like the one Gvozden had a year ago. After a solid start, he struggled, along with the rest of the team, through a midseason slump that threatened to derail JHU's NCAA Tournament hopes.
The Blue Jays rallied all the way to the NCAA Championship game on the hot play of Gvozden, who sparkled down the stretch with 118 saves and just 51 goals allowed (.736 save percentage) over the final nine games. He posted 17 saves in the NCAA Semifinal victory over Duke and added 20 in the title game against Syracuse to earn a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament Team. He finished the season with an 8.10 goals against average and a .598 save percentage and will look to develop more consistency in his game in his second season as the starter.
Burke, the younger brother of Brown standout goalie Jordan Burke, quickly earned the trust of the coaching staff in the fall as he demonstrated a solid ability to stop the ball. He earned a significant amount of playing time in the fall scrimmages and will only improve as he gains experience and learns to take command of the defense. Although not as highly touted as his classmate in the cage, Van Syckle enjoyed a strong showing in the fall and impressed the coaching staff with his energetic style. Everson, a walk-on a year ago, adds depth.
Faceoffs
The loss of Stephen
Peyser will be tough to overcome. It can be argued that a
Peyser - either Stephen or his older brother, Greg - has taken
every significant faceoff for the Blue Jays in the last three years
and many of the most important ones since 2003. While that fact
isn't lost on Pietramala, he has confidence in his group, which is
led by Dolente.
Dolente won 53-of-119 (.445) faceoffs a year ago as the Blue Jays' number two man on faceoffs. He then led the United States to the Under-19 World Championship by winning 115-of-175 (.657) faceoffs in seven games. He was especially effective in the semifinals and finals as he combined to win 34-of-48 (.708) in the wins over England and Canada. Likened by many to former Blue Jay standout Eric Wedin, Dolente's ability to take the next step as a faceoff specialist will be crucial to the Blue Jays' success this season.
Cassidy and junior Michael Powers have also seen spot duty on faceoffs in the last two years and will have every opportunity to assume more of a presence here. Burkhart, who brings a physical element to the "X", and Swerz could also see time here, while freshman John Davis joined the team in January and also has experience on faceoffs.
Attack
For the first time in recent memory, the offense will be more
attack-driven as Hopkins goes six-deep here. As many as five
different players could start for the Blue Jays and four of those
five have at least two years of eligibility remaining. "We have a
very diverse group of attackmen to work with this season,"
Pietramala stated of a group that could at times start three
players with at least two years of eligibility remaining. "This
unit has a lot of potential and we will be a much different team to
defend than we have been in recent years," he added.
Junior Steven Boyle is the headliner on attack as he has started 33 straight games entering the 2009 season. Boyle has drawn the opposition's top defenseman since arriving at Homewood and is primed to take over as the Blue Jays' go-to player with the departure of Kevin Huntley, Paul Rabil and Peyser.
Boyle earned Honorable Mention All-America honors as a freshman and has 42 goals and 29 assists to his credit through two seasons. His ability to emerge as the leader on offense will be crucial to the Blue Jays' success this season
If Boyle, who has the ability to score or feed, takes the next step in his development the main beneficiary will likely be sophomoreKyle Wharton, who might be the next great goal-scorer in school history.
Wharton played in all 17 games and scored four goals last season, including one in the national championship game, but he returned in the fall determined to take over where Huntley, JHU's eighth all-time leading goal-scorer, left off
Wharton has demonstrated the ability to stretch the defense with his left-handed laser and brings a very positive energy to the field. Pietramala has compared his demeanor to former Blue Jay attackman Jake Byrne, a fierce competitor on the field with a relaxed, charismatic personality.
The fight for the remaining starting spot involves four players - juniorChris Boland, seniors Josh Peck and Tom Duerr and freshman Tom Palasek.
Boland sat out last season, but returned with a renewed commitment in the fall and enjoyed a very productive off-season. He has great game-sense, is equally adept at passing and scoring and could be the perfect complement to the talents of Boyle and Wharton. He played in four games as a freshman during JHU's run to the 2007 NCAA Championship and should hold down a prominent role this season
Peck, who was selected by his teammates as a co-captain, is a slick off-ball player who could find a role in certain offensive sets. He could also contribute in extra-man situations
Duerr missed the fall with an injury and will battle to be back in time for the start of the season. He has 18 goals and five assists to his credit during his career and has seven goals in 10 NCAA Tournament games. If healthy, the Blue Jays will need him to perform at a consistent level
Palasek brings impressive prep credentials to Homewood after leading Rocky Point to a New York State Championship last season. He is very quick, passes the ball with accuracy and is much different than the attackmen the Blue Jays have had in recent years. He is likely to find playing time either on attack or at midfield, where his quickness could create matchup problems
Senior Nick Donoghue and freshman Will McCance will battle for time on attack as the season unfolds.
Midfield
It's hard to argue that the Blue Jays have some holes to fill at
midfield, where Rabil and Peyser take their nearly 100 combined
starts, 259 points and 347 ground balls over the last four years
with them. While it's clear the Blue Jays may not be as dynamic at
midfield as they have been, they may actually be deeper. No fewer
than nine players could see regular playing time as the season
unfolds.
"It would be foolish for us to think that any one player will make up for the loss of a Paul Rabil or a Stephen Peyser," Pietramala stated of his departed All-America midfielders. "The differences on attack should help this group, but it is still going to come down to this unit developing chemistry. There is plenty of experience returning, but the question is can we get consistent production from our midfield."
Junior Michael Kimmel is the most accomplished returning player at midfield as he has played in all 34 games with 24 starts over the last two years. He has 36 goals and 25 assists in his career and is one of the most versatile players on the team.
Kimmel slid to the second midfield in the middle of last season, a move that increased his production and should pay dividends this season as he regularly drew the pole in the second half of last season.
A trio of seniors - Brian Christopher, Austin Walker and Mark Bryan - have the collective talent to make the Hopkins midfield into one of the more formidable units in the country, but they must all perform more consistently for that to happen. Christopher has played in every game of his career and has 29 goals and nine assists. He has the ability to play behind the goal and is adept at shooting on the run.
Walker is the best athlete among the team's midfielders and excels between the boxes. He has shown flashes of brilliance (two-goal effort at Maryland in 2007 helped turned the Blue Jays' season around) and could be ready for a breakout season after scoring a career-high eight goals last season.
Bryan may have the highest lacrosse savy on the team as he seamlessly slips into open space and excels as an off-ball player. After playing through an injury for most of the 2008 season, he could provide the spark the Blue Jays need at midfield and may prosper with the attack-driven offense.
Junior Max Chautin emerged from the less experienced midfielders on the team in the fall and appears certain to find an increased role this season. He possesses good skills and great field sense and is an early candidate to be the team's surprise player of the year.
Sophomores Tim Donovan and Mark Goodrich should benefit from the departure of Rabil and Peyser as both appear likely to have an increased presence in the offense. Donovan played in 15 games as a freshman and scored one goal before gaining invaluable experience as a member of the United States Under-19 World Championship team last summer. He is cut from the same physical mold as Rabil and Peyser and creates a matchup problem up top.
After bouncing between attack and midfield last season, Goodrich has found a home at midfield and has the potential to be the latest in a long line of Blue Jay midfielders who have emerged during their sophomore year (A.J. Haugen, Kevin Boland, Kyle Harrison). He scored one goal and added an assist in eight games last season and returned this season with a desire to learn the midfield position. He is a talented player who could turn a productive unit into a lethal unit.
A pair of freshmen - Burkhart and Hunter Rodgers - worked themselves into a position to earn playing time in the fall. Burkhart is a talented athlete who can play at both ends of the field and drew praise from the coaching staff as someone who they need to find playing time for. Rodgers is a converted attackman who is skilled with both hands and shoots the ball well.
In addition to an expected increase in his role on faceoffs, Powers is poised to assume a more dedicated role on a regular midfield.
A wild-card in the rotation could be sophomore Michael Maydick, who had a good fall and excels in Hopkins' invert offense.
Nate Matthews and Zach Tedeschi will battle for time in a reserve role. Matthews is making the move from attack after playing in three games a year ago, while Tedeschi saw action in four games a year ago.
Analysis
JHU's 2009 slate has been ranked as the toughest in the nation by
Inside Lacrosse as there are eight 2008 NCAA participants on the
docket. With the loss of Rabil, Peyser, Huntley, Bocklet and the
rest of the seniors that led the way last season the Blue Jays will
need to rely on a solid defense early as new leaders on offense
emerge.
If Evans, Drenan, Gvozden and the rest of the defense can hold teams down while Boyle, Kimmel, Wharton and the offense develop chemistry, the Blue Jays could be a dangerous team in May, and that's where Pietramala has done some of his best work. Johns Hopkins is 18-6 in the NCAA Tournament under his guidance and the Blue Jays have not lost at Homewood Field in the final month of the season on his watch.
