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May 15, 2007
OFF THE FIELD WITH JARED
BLECHMAN
Coming from one of the most storied high school lacrosse programs in the
country, sophomore attackman Jared Blechman (Setauket,
N.Y./Ward Melville) knows what it takes to win. In his senior year,
Ward Melville was consistently ranked in the top 20 nationally and won
their division championship in his senior year. Coming from a top
program however doesn't necessarily equate to success on the next level..JPG)
Unsure of his role on the team heading into his freshman year, injuries
to fellow teammates helped to accelerate Blechman's jump into the
starting lineup. Once given a chance, the heady attackman quickly
showed he belonged, never playing outside of his abilities and
displaying a high lax I.Q.
Entering his sophomore year, it was apparent that Blechman was ready to
take the next step, moving from solid role player, to one of the top
scoring forces on the team. Coming off a year where he earned top
offensive player of the conference and finishing second on the team in
total points, Blechman discusses his high school lacrosse experience,
his excitement over getting accepted to Michigan, and his efforts in the
off-season to improve his game.
On playing in a lacrosse hot-bed...
"Growing up in the area of Long Island in which I did, lacrosse was
life. With so much competition and so many kids playing the sport, I was
practically forced to play lacrosse in the spring, summer, fall and
winter in order keep enhancing my skills. As a kid I, along with the
rest of my town, went to all Ward Melville lacrosse games. The entire
town would shut down when there was a home game. The benefit of growing
up in a lacrosse "hot-bed" was that I was able learn the game of
lacrosse from watching great players such as Drew Casino, Chris Passivia,
Liam Banks and Matt Monfett and the countless others that wore the green
and gold. Every kid in my town grew up wanting to emulate these players
and to win a State Championship. My turn came when I made varsity junior
year. I learned very quickly that playing in a lacrosse “hot-bed” such
as Ward Melville came with an extreme amount of pressure and
expectations. Every season is considered a failure by the majority of
our town and the lacrosse community if we did not bring home a State
Title, especially if we did not make it out of the County Finals. In my
senior season, I was a starter at attack and my team went 18-0 in the
regular season holding a top 10 national ranking all year. Unfortunately
our only loss came at the hands of our rival West Islip in the County
Finals. Despite our undefeated record and top national ranking during
the regular season, my teammates and I faced constant criticism for not
making it out of the Suffolk County Finals."
On how his high school lax experience helped him early on...
"I feel that I, along with my other teammates who have experienced
similar lacrosse careers, have an advantage over others who did not get
to play against the same type of competition as we did. Also, I was
fortunate enough to play for the winningest coach in high school
lacrosse history ( Joe Cuozzo). Coming to Michigan I knew that if I
played my game and kept working hard to improve each day at practice
coach would see that I could be strong contributor on the field during
my freshman season."
On growing up with some unique athletic experiences...
"Through my father being great friends with former San Francisco Giants
manager Dusty Baker and Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, my family and I
would always go to the Mets games when the Giants were in town and we
would be able to go on the field and go in the club house before the
games. When I was 8 years old Dusty promised me that once I turned 12 I
could be the bat boy for all the giant games at Shea Stadium. Being
Batboy was an unbelievable experience that I will never forget. From
going to so many Giant games my family and I became friends with many of
the players on the team but we became closest with Barry and his family.
For the past 5 years we have been going on vacation with Bonds and his
family every December to Aspen Colorado. Another memorable experience
that stands out in my mind was when Barry took me with him to the
Homerun derby when I was 16 years old. I got to sit in the dugout and
hangout with all the players on the national league all-star team."
On his college selection process...
"Coming into my senior season at Ward Melville, I had decided that I was
not going to go through the recruiting process that my friends had been
going through. I felt that I should choose a university that offered the
best overall college experience rather than settling on a college that
accepted me based on my lacrosse talent. Being that I had played
lacrosse all year every year since the 1st grade, I felt that I needed a
break from the sport. When deciding which schools to apply to, playing
lacrosse was just an after-thought."
On getting the entire experience at Michigan...
"Finding out that I got into Michigan was one the best moments in my
life. Michigan has always been my dream. The stick that my father first
taught me how to play lacrosse with was dyed maize and blue and had "GO
BLUE" written at the top. First and foremost I came to Michigan for its
prestigious academic reputation and for the endless short and long term
opportunities that I knew it offered to me. Michigan is a University
unlike any other with its excellent academics, infinite resources and
one of the top athletic departments in the country. I did not plan on
playing lacrosse at Michigan. I knew a little bit about the team but was
not really sure of the specific details. Once I found out that I was
going to Michigan I decided to write Coach Paul an email just in case I
decided that it was not time to put away my stick. Sure enough, I went
to visit and coach showed me around and the rest is history."
On his expectations headed into his freshman year...
"After tryouts and fall-ball I really was unsure of where I fell on the
depth chart. All throughout my lacrosse career I had been a starter. I
did not know how it felt to be second line and I did not want to find
out. Coming in as a freshman I knew that I was going to have to work
extremely hard to earn playing time. My main goal was to be able to
contribute. I worked hard every day so that when the opportunity came I
was ready to produce."
On the hard work put in during the summer...
"When I look back on my freshman season I feel that I contributed
positively to the team but I was not nearly assertive enough. I moved
the ball around, rode hard, got ground balls and scored when I got the
opportunity, but rarely did I try to create on my own. I wanted to
change that. I knew that in the off season I needed to work on my stick
skills, endurance, and strength in order to play at the level that I
wanted to be at. I trained almost every day with my best friends Nick
Ward and Kevin Kelaher who currently play at Maryland and Delaware
respectively. With all three of us wanting to take our game to the next
level, we pushed each other day in and day out. Through my off-season
work I was able to better my stick skills and improve my strength and
quickness which led to an increase in my confidence on the field."
On his style of play...
"With so much competition at Ward Melville I knew that I was going to
have to out work everyone if I wanted to start at attack. I started at
Ward Melville because my coach knew that not only did I have solid stick
skills but more importantly he knew that I would ride my ass off and
that I would not stop until I picked up the loose balls, basically I
would do all the dirty work on the offensive side of the field. All
through high school and into my collegiate career I have always left the
flashy play to my other teammates. I think that's just the player I will
always be and I am proud of that. From playing for so long I know what
I am capable of doing with a lacrosse stick. I know that if I play
within myself I will contribute greatly to this team."
On his possible post-collegiate plans...
"I am currently in the school of Kinesiology majoring in Sport
Management here at Michigan. Through the various Sport Management
courses I have taken at Michigan I have become very interested in Sport
Marketing. I would have to say that my dream job is to become the next
general manager of the New York Yankees."
Contact: Joe Hennessy (734) 276-8493, jjhennes@umich.edu
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