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February 14, 2003
2003 Season Outlook
Ann Arbor, Mich. --
Perseverance. That is the quality the University of Michigan men's
lacrosse team must have in order to be successful in the 2003 season.
It is said that you can take good measure of someone by noting how they
react to unexpected adversity. If that's the case, this Michigan
team will provide plenty of opportunity for evaluation.
Coming off a 2002 season where the Wolverines finished an impressive
18-3, undefeated for their fourth straight season in CCLA contests, with
their fourth straight CCLA championship, with their fourth straight
USLIA quarterfinal appearance, and ranked 5th in the nation, there was
much to look forward to for this year. This is especially true
when you consider that the team lost only three seniors to graduation,
one of whom, defensive midfielder Kevin Keenan (Birmingham, Mich./Seaholm)
missed most of the year with a knee injury. Sure, the team also
lost two captains: midfielder Eric DeLamarter (Concord,
Mass./Concord-Carlisle) and two-time 1st-Team USLIA All-American
longstick midfielder Dave DiCamillo (Port Washington, NY/Schrieber), but
there was plenty of depth and youth waiting in the wings at both
positions. Then the attrition started...
First, junior midfielder John Schwartz (White Plains, NY/Fordham Prep),
the team's riding and clearing specialist, and starting junior
defenseman Charles Appel (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) both decided to take a
year off to study abroad. Then, in the first two practices of the
fall starting sophomore defenseman Mike Roth (Montclair,
NJ/Montclair-Kimberly) and freshmen midfielder Jim Constantine (Troy,
Mich./Seaholm) both went down with injuries. Constantine is back
now after missing the entire fall, but Roth is still recovering.
In October, the team permanently lost the services of 2nd-Team
All-American midfielder Kevin Toller (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) with his
fourth concussion in less than a year. His 27 points and .725 faceoff percentage will be sorely missed. Three weeks ago
defenseman Matt Bernard (Litchfield, Conn./Litchfield) decided to leave
the team to place more focus on academic goals, and then this week Sooman Kim (Troy, Mich./Troy), a two-year starter, 2002 3rd-Team
All-American and 2003 team captain, was forced to cut his playing career
short due to health concerns. At several points in the fall the
team had as many as 16 players out of practice due to injuries and illness.A
Fortunately, this team seems to have the leadership and focus to
overcome almost any obstacle. They'll have to. With one of
the toughest schedules in the nation, there won't be much room for
self-doubt.
Defense
After taking a semester off in the fall, junior John Morgan (Rockville
Centre, NY/Southside), a 3rd-Team All-American in 2002, returned in
January and will anchor a young, but very talented, corps of longsticks.
Morgan played this summer for the USA West All-Star team that captured
the International Open Division title at the World Championships in
Perth, Australia.
"Having Morgan back is really key for us," said head coach John Paul.
"He's not only our best longstick, and one of the best in the country at
our level, he's also a tremendous leader. Having him in practice
has made an immediate difference in the way our defense is communicating
and working together. He's an impact player."
Joining Morgan in the starting lineup are a pair of sophomores, Brian
Anderson (Lansing, Mich./Lansing Waverly) and Kirk Kozel (Barrington,
Ill./Taft, CT). Kozel got significant playing time last year as a
freshman. His stick skills will make him Michigan's biggest
take-away threat this year. Anderson would have been in the
defensive rotation last season, but a bad back kept him off the field
for much of the schedule.
"This is definitely the best defensive unit we've had since I've been
here in terms of all-around ability," said Paul. "These guys are
all big, athletic and smart. We should be able to match up with
anyone we play this year pretty well at the defensive end of the field."
A freshman, Bill Blake (Troy, Mich./Cranbrook), has earned the fourth
spot on defense. A relative newcomer to lacrosse with an athletic
history in basketball, Blake earned Division A All-State honors last
year in Michigan, despite it being his first year playing the sport.
Also vying for playing time at defense will be junior Jason Hall
(Pittsford, NY/Pittsford) and freshmen Jaewon Chung (Ann Arbor,
Mich./Pioneer) and Joe Stelmark (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich./Grosse
Pointe South).
Goal
With the untimely loss of Kim, sophomore Dan Webber (Weston,
Mass./Weston) has been thrust into the starting role in the most
important position on the team. As a freshman last year Webber
played in 11 games and posted a .618 save percentage, the best on the
team. He is not coming in cold.
Said Paul, "With Dan it is just a matter of confidence. He has the
tools to be an outstanding college goaltender. He has a very good
defense in front of him. If he can do the things he does well with
consistency, he's going to step right in, and we won't lose a step."
Backing up Webber will be senior Jeremy Menkowitz (Ambler,
Penn./Germantown Academy) and sophomore Andy Mast (Bannockburn,
Ill./Deerfield), a transfer from Purdue.
Midfield
Probably the biggest loss to the team this year is Toller, who's .725
faceoff percentage and 131 ground balls created so many offensive
opportunities last season. He was poised to improve on both of
those amazing statistics in 2003. Filling his shoes at the faceoff
X will be junior Justin Gal (Amherst, Mass./Milton Academy). Gal
had an impressive .576 faceoff percentage last year and added 31 points
as a second line middie. He will move up to the first line this
year. Joining him on the first unit are a pair of senior captains,
Brian Marchena (Troy, Mich./Country Day) and Chip Thomas (Tenefly,
NJ/Dwight-Englewood). Thomas, a 3rd-Team All-American in 2002,
played with Morgan on the USA West team last summer in Perth. He
led all midfielders with 52 points on 36 goals and 16 assists last year.
For the first time in some years, the second midfield unit is just as
strong as the first. Senior Jason Gratson (Clinton Twp., Mich./DeLaSalle),
the fastest player on the team, is joined by sophomore Bobby Groenke
(Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) and freshman Jim Constantine.
Constantine was recruited to Michigan to play football, but fortunately
for the lacrosse team he ended up with a stick in his hands this fall.
"Without Toller we don't have the same depth, and we definitely don't
have the dominance we had at faceoffs, but midfield is still our
strongest position," Paul said. "These two lines are completely
interchangeable. The keys have been Gratson stepping up and taking
a more assertive attitude and Groenke maturing and learning to play more
to his potential."
Senior Andy Vilardo (Rockville, MD/Wootton), sophomores Brad Smith
(Miami, FL/Gulliver Prep), Mike O'Leary (St. Louis, MO/Clayton) and
Brian Ray (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Seaholm) and freshman
Brian Vincent
(Farmington Hills, Mich./Univ. of Detroit Jesuit) will all compete for
playing time as well.
At the defensive midfield, a position hit hard by injury last season,
Hampton-Sidney transfer Paul Passino (Houston, Tex./Episcopal), a
sophomore, will provide immediate help. Sophomores Anthony Ragnone
(Flint, Mich./Flint Powers) and Trevor Broad (Grosse Pointe,
Mich./University Liggett) have cemented the other two top spots on the
unit. Also adding depth there is senior Chris Sigakis (Minnetonka,
Minn./Hopkins) and freshman Eric Rimmke (Portage, Mich./Portage
Northern).
It's never easy to replace a two-time 1st-Team All-American, and that's
just what the Wolverines had to do this year at longstick midfield with
the graduation of DiCamillo. Junior Ray Chang (The Woodlands,
Tex./The Woodlands) was DiCamillo's backup last year, and has been
playing very well so far this year. He is being pushed hard by
sophomore Dave Silverman (Potomac, MD/Churchill) who made the move this
season from close defense. Silverman has been hampered by
injuries, but when healthy he's shown the athleticism necessary to be a
factor at the position. The big question, however, will be if Mike
Roth can get healthy. With his speed and stick skills, he could be
a natural to keep that position as dominant as it's been the past few
years.
Coach Paul put it this way, "We need Roth back, but we can't rush him.
He's got to do the work to get back to 100%. Once he's back, he'll
have a role on this team, whether it's at midfield or defense. All
three of the guys at longstick right now will be playing somewhere on
the field. We just have to get them all in there for once so we
can see where the best fit for everyone is."
Attack
The Michigan attack is identical to last year's unit, with one major
addition. Senior Ben Herbst (Pikesville, MD/Pikesville) returns
after spending last year studying abroad. Herbst had 56 points as
a midfielder in 2001, his last season with the team. His quickness
and creativity will blend nicely with the rest of the attack.
All three starters from last year are back as well. Senior captain
Sloan Buchan-McGilliard (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) contributed 44 points
on 20 goals and 24 assists last year. Sophomore Ryan Clark
(Summit, NJ/ Summit) was second on the team in scoring last season as a
freshman with 54 points on 27 goals and 27 assists. The team's
leading scorer in 2002, junior Jeff Hanna (Fayetteville,
NY/Fayetteville-Manlius), totaled 62 points on 51 goals and 11 assists.
Perhaps the most pleasant surprise in the fall, however, was the
improvement of the other two attackmen - junior Ray Lombardi (Lake
Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) and junior Paul Mans (Palo Alto, Cal./Gunn).
Both have positioned themselves to get significant minutes in the
spring.
"We really have six guys who can all contribute right now," said Paul.
"Lombardi may be playing the best lacrosse of the group. The
challenge is going to be finding who is hot each game, and riding those
guys. If they are all having good days, we'll have to be creative
in finding ways to get them on the field. It's a good problem to
have."
Schedule
The 2003 schedule features games against eight teams ranked in the
preseason USLIA national poll, including the top four. In
addition, the Wolverines are playing Whittier College, one of the top
programs in Division III lacrosse - a team that came within one goal of
beating Middlebury for a spot in the DIII national championship game.
Seven of those nine pivotal games are on the road.
"As usual, we will have one of the toughest schedules in the USLIA this
year," Paul said. "We are excited about playing these games.
This team really wants to see what they are made of."
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