March 12, 2007

OFF THE FIELD WITH EVAN FOX

With roughly 40 players on the Wolverines' roster, the range of lacrosse experience amongst the squad is quite varied.  On one end of the spectrum are players who belonged to fledgling teams or participated in regions where lacrosse was a relatively new option.  On the other hand, there are some who contributed to squads with rich traditions or played in traditional lacrosse hotbeds and at early-ages. 

Senior Evan Fox belongs to the latter of the two groups.  Growing up 30 minutes north of Manhattan in Suffern, N.Y., Fox found himself playing high-school lacrosse with the same group of kids he'd grown up playing the game with since boyhood.  The result was a well-tuned machine that enjoyed the heights of success during his four years.

Now entering his final year as a Wolverine, Fox looks back on his decision to attend Michigan, what made him join the squad in his sophomore year, and what he means to this year's team. 

On his high school lacrosse experience...

"Playing for Suffern was a pretty unique experience.  It was me and a bunch of friends who had been playing together forever.  A lot of us started playing when we were in first and second grade.  Our high school program had been pretty well developed, but when our group of guys came in, and we'd been playing together for so long, we were definitely ready to take it to a new level."

On playing with his friends and the resulting cohesive effort...

"We knew exactly what we were going to do all the time.  We'd have set up plays just between us, where someone would call my name twice, I'd cut back door, and, boom, goal.  We always knew where we were going to be and what each of us wanted to do.  We all knew each so well from playing together for so long."

On his decision to attend Michigan...

"Growing up I had always expected to go somewhere like Duke, or Harvard or Yale to play lacrosse.  Around my junior year I really started to get frustrated with lacrosse.  I had been playing it for so long it started wearing on me, to the point where I almost quit my senior year.  I didn't end up quitting for a number of reasons, and I knew I had to stick it out for at least one more year.  I ended up deciding to do something completely different and I came to Michigan.  My sister was a student out here so that made it an easier decision.  When I look back at it, I think I'd make the same decision.  I wanted a school that was good at football, good at basketball, had everything.  Its fun going to a school where you get to watch football games between #1 and #2 on Saturday's.  When I came to visit my sister, I knew I'd love the whole experience."

On whether the thought of playing during his freshman year ever crossed his mind...

"I never thought I'd ever play lacrosse again after high school.  I knew Michigan had a team but I only knew that because Danny Stevens (former teammate and current member of the Colorado State Rams) was going to play at CSU.  He ended up coming to play a game here our freshman year and CSU beat us.  I remember sitting there and thinking to myself how I could have made a difference.  I knew immediately I was going to play the next year.  The funny part is, we haven't played them since.  I can't wait to play them this year.  I hated watching my friend help beat our school."

On the start of his career at Michigan...

"First off, I'd like to thank Krauss for missing that team meeting before Missouri which gave me the start.  It was interesting because I didn't lack any confidence going into that game, but I don't know how much confidence the team had in me at that point.  I don't practice well at all.  I think it comes from high school when practicing hard meant getting pounded by our defensemen.  I always took it a little easier in practice to save myself.  I sort of feel like one of those grizzled NFL veterans who can go out there and just do it - I've been playing long enough.  I think even the freshmen this year had the same feeling until the first game and they were like 'Wow, Fox can actually play?'". 

On the end of that first season...

"Well, I put up good numbers during the regular season.  But during the final four games of the year I think I had two points total.  Up to that point I had been averaging four points a game.  We were still winning, and that made it fine, but I still wanted to help the team."

On his injury issues last year...

"When I played I felt ok most of the time and I wasn't looking at the numbers because we were ranked #1 at one point.  My knee was bothering me before the Michigan State game but I was starting to feel better, and then I get knocked out of the State game and I can't play at all during the CCLA's.  We lose to State, we lose our #1 ranking, and that hurt.  It gave other guys good experience and made our team better though.  Look at how much Blechman and Kearns contributed."

On his mentality entering the game...

"To be honest, I hate everybody I play.  I want every single person on the field to know how good we are when we're out there.  I piss a lot of people off, and if they hit me, they hit me, but that's my game.  A lot of people get pumped up and crazy before the game but this is what I do.  I'm quiet out there at the beginning and I'm just thinking about what I need to do."

On being a "finisher"...

"A lot of people think that's all I do.  My junior of high school I led the team in assists.  My first year here I had 50 goals, but I was also second on the team in assists.  So yeah, you might not see me dodging and flying all over, but we've got guys who are great at that and I know they're happy when I put away their passes.  But we don't really have a go-to guy on this team.  We're looking to spread the ball around and keep everyone involved.  I think that really helps us in the end." 

On what it means to have a high "lax IQ"

"Yeah, I feel like I've been playing forever, so I'm comfortable out there, and as a result I guess I try to make sure everybody knows what we have to do.  We've got a lot of smart, talented players though, and guys who know what they're supposed to be doing."

On his post-collegiate plans...

"Yeah, I have another year of eligibility left, but I plan on graduating this year.  I was really packing in the classes early on, and taking like 18 credits a semester, so now it's nice and I'm only taking like four.  I might go to law school, or perhaps something in banking or finance.  Real-estate seems interesting as well.  I don't know, I'm all over the place.  I'm weighing a lot of options.  I took a lot of classes for Med School, but it's nothing I want to do.  I've got a really fancy Bachelor's of Science degree now, but overall I just didn't want to be a doctor.  If you go that route, you're committed to that and right now I don't know what I want to do."

• Complete list of Off the Field interviews on the Features Page

Contact: Joe Hennessy (734) 276-8493, jjhennes@umich.edu