Sept. 25, 2008
by Jac Coyne, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
When you're a physics and computer science double major at Williams College, pursuing a career in stand-up comedy is probably not one of the top agenda items during a meeting with your academic advisor.
Michael Gerbush, who is pulling off the egghead double-dip with a 3.6 grade point average, won't get a gig at the Laugh Factory anytime soon, but his comedic chops have factored into the resurgence of the Ephs men's lacrosse program.
It started in spring 2006, when Gerbush, a goalkeeper, was a freshman. His first career start came in the 10th game of the season. In hopes of shaking up a moribund team that was losing more than it won, Gerbush gathered the defensemen together before the opening whistle.
The players huddled quietly around him, perhaps expecting some sort of motivational rant or a last bit of strategic advice, when Gerbush nailed them with a gut-busting zinger.
(LMO is a family website, which precludes publishing the joke here, but it was a raunchy start to the Gerbush era.)
"He knew the guys were kind of tense and cracked everyone up," said Williams head coach George McCormack. "It was history after that."
It's a tradition that could have died quickly after one game if it didn't coincide with results, but Gerbush made 17 saves to beat NESCAC rival Connecticut College.
"We got on a pretty good run. We upset Wesleyan, which was top-five in the country, and was our biggest win at the time," said Gerbush. "And then we had a good game against Middlebury, and made it to the [conference] playoffs. Our season didn't start out that well, so we kept doing it while we were rolling."
The Ephs finished 8-6 in 2007, boosted by Gerbush's 6.94 goals against average.
In 2008, however, Williams stumbled out of the gate again, losing three of its first four games, including one-goal setbacks to NESCAC lightweights Colby and Connecticut College.
The jokes were still coming, but Gerbush utilized his sometimes-unpleasant high school lacrosse experience to refocus for the stretch run.
At North Shore High School on Long Island, Gerbush suffered through a 1-14 season, including punishing losses to traditional powers like Garden City and Manhasset. They weren't fun at the time, but they helped him keep a level head when things went amiss at Williams.
"I definitely saw a lot of shots, and we had a lot of one-sided games where I got scored on a lot, so I learned to gather myself and forget my mistakes," said Gerbush.
Lacking prep success and with a 5-foot-8 frame, Gerbush didn't get a lot of attention on the recruiting trail. But McCormack received a tip that there was a kid on the Island who was taking his lumps, but could contribute at the collegiate level. The fact that he could get into Williams on his academics alone certainly did not hurt.
"I got a phone call from a coach who said there is a really good goalie. If you saw him in person, you might not think much of him because he's a little guy, but you should take a look at him," said McCormack. "So he didn't come in with a lot of [hype], but once he got here, we were really impressed with him. And we certainly felt as though, with his consistency and demeanor of being calm and cool regardless of the situation, he was someone who could lead us to more victories than losses."
With Gerbush's placid mien providing an emotional anchor, Williams shrugged off its weak start to win seven of its last nine contests heading into the NESCAC tournament. After dispatching Tufts in the first round, 14-6, Gerbush and the Ephs were slated to play conference titan Middlebury - which had won the previous seven league titles.
The Ephs raced out to an early lead, and clung to a one-goal advantage with left than a minute to go, but Middlebury scored with 25 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the game into overtime and forcing an uncharacteristic burst of emotion from Gerbush.
"There was a lot on the game. After that goal I had to calm myself down a little bit and get ready for overtime," said Gerbush. "It worked out alright."
It did indeed, as Richard Reuter potted the game-winner to send Williams into the finals and, eventually, a NESCAC title with a championship game win over Bowdoin.
"You go as far as your goalie will take you, and I thought he was definitely in the zone as far as seeing the ball, and had a great command of defense," said McCormack, who watched Gerbush make 16 saves against Middlebury. "He liked the idea that Williams had never won a championship, and he came here to win a championship and take the program to the next level. Next year, he's motivated by trying to do it again."
McCormack's team is going to be targeted all year after its 2008 success, and Gerbush knows it. And he knows opponents will continue to shoot high - something he tries to bait them to do - because of his relatively short stature.
Some may be amused by a vertically challenged goalie from a poor high school program leading a team to a conference championship, and perhaps consider it a fluke. Others might deem Gerbush a clown for his pre-game comedy ritual.
When the final whistle blows, however, they might find the joke is on them.
