Aug. 29, 2008
It's never too early.
With the 2008 season in the books, our neuroses turn to 2009. From Division I to Division III, MCLA to WDIA, we're spanning the college lacrosse globe for a look at what's in store for coaches and players. Check back to LMO each Friday for a new Q&A feature, as our "Countdown to `09" series continues.
by Jac Coyne, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
For all of the coaches and players out there who think there's no way to compete with the Big Boys, look no further than the Cabrini College men's lacrosse team.
A small college of 2,300 students located outside of Philly, Cabrini doesn't have the name recognition that a lot of the traditionally strong programs have and plays in a weak conference - the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference - but the Cavaliers are one of the most feared teams in Division III.
Each year, Cabrini advances another round in the NCAA - this year it was all the way to the national quarterfinals before losing to Salisbury, the eventual national champions - and seemingly always knocks off one the division's top teams.
Next year, the Cavs will once again be a power, likely ranked in the preseason Top 5, with almost the entire attack and defense intact. Leading the offense will be senior All-American Scott Reimer, who paced Cabrini with 74 points last spring. Countdown was able to bounce a couple of questions off Reimer earlier this summer.
Since you arrived at Cabrini there has been a learning curve for the Cavs as you've advanced a round further in the NCAA tournament each year. Is that something you guys set as a goal each season or is it just a natural progression for a growing program?
I think it's a little bit of both. Our teams have gotten better every single year and we set a goal of getting one step further, if not more, every year. That pretty much sums us up. We want to get better year-by-year and that's how we've been doing it.
Five seniors graduate, but six of the top seven scorers return in 2009 and the entire defense is intact. Am I missing something, or are you guys going to be scary good next year?
We should be scary good next year. We lose two defensive middies, a lot of senior leadership, and a lot of good captains, things like that, so we are losing a lot. The numbers just don't show it.
During your three years at Cabrini have you noticed a change in the amount of respect you guys are getting when you play some of the traditional powers? Is there an understanding they aren't playing a patsy anymore?
It changed dramatically. When I came in we'd be playing Cortland and there would be no respect. Now, year after year - even against Salisbury - teams are coming out respecting us. No one is really joking about it, which is nice.
In the 10 games against Pennsylvania Athletic Conference teams this season, Cabrini won by an average score of 21-3. What do you do to stay sharp in those games? Does Coach Colfer preach anything different during those contests?
He just says exactly that - stay sharp. Our starters usually only play a half. We don't let up, we play as hard as we can, and that's how he coaches us. Granted, the competition isn't as good, but we have to play as good against any PAC team as we do against a Cortland or a Salisbury.
You talk about respect and how you're getting it from the traditional powers like Cortland and Salisbury. Do you make sure to extend that same courtesy to your PAC opponents and not rub it in?
We never try and blow out scores. You look at our scores and in the fourth quarter we didn't score too much; we'd try and hold off. But it's hard to tell kids who don't get to play much against [Cortland and Salisbury] not to score. We still go hard and try not to rub it in their face - we try to be good sports about everything.
Cabrini is 23 miles down the road from where you went to high school. Did you know you wanted to stay close to home or was Cabrini just too good an opportunity to pass up? What factored into your college choice?
To be completely honest, I was dead set on Division I, but Cabrini was the first school I visited. I did like it a lot, but I went through the "I want to be D-I, I want to be D-I" thing. But once I sat back and looked at it, I really wanted to play. Cabrini was a good opportunity for me. I was actually able to work myself into a starting position my freshman year and never looked back.
How did Coach Colfer sell you on the program?
He left it up to the guys on the team for the most part. He explained everything to me and how things worked. I sat through a practice during the fall and saw everything. I liked what I saw.
I kind of wanted to go far away from home, but it just didn't work out that way. It worked out well and Cabrini has been a great fit. But he pretty much left it up to the guys and they showed me a good time, showed me the campus and it seemed like a good fit.
You're 6-foot-3, you've scored 68 goals against just six assists, and you're scoring on 52 percent of your shots. The numbers say you're a classic crease attackman. Is that your game?
To be honest, I hang out on the left wing a lot. I'm built for the crease and when someone else shoots, I'm the first one on the crease to pick up any garbage, but I'm mainly a finisher. I try to find an open spot and one of the other middies or attackmen gets me the ball. That's what I do.
Countdown to '09: Archive
Aug. 15, 2008 - Hobart's T.W. Johnson
Aug. 8, 2008 - Penn's Ali Deluca
Aug. 1, 2008 - Chapman's Mike Wood
July 25, 2008 - Southern New Hampshire's Mary Squire
July 18, 2008 - Michigan's Trevor Yealy
July 11, 2008 - Johns Hopkins' Dave Pietramala
July 4, 2008 - Hamilton's Kallie Briscoe
June 27, 2008 - North Carolina's Joe Breschi
June 20, 2008 - Colby's Jon Thompson
