PHILADELPHIA - Despite being ahead by a goal with a two-man advantage and the ball at the offensive end of the field with 30 seconds remaining, Johns Hopkins' Dave Pietramala was still coaching. He was clenching his fist, yelling and screaming, putting the final touches on a five-year plan.
As the final whistle sounded, Pietramala hugged his assistant coaches and then a couple of players. He trotted to midfield, where he was doused with the traditional Gatorade shower. Finally, Hopkins had ended its 18-year drought without a national lacrosse championship, but it wasn't time for Pietramala to relax.
Somewhere in America this morning, Pietramala is recruiting, looking for the next Kyle Harrison, Tom Garvey or Chris Watson. One mission was completed yesterday when Hopkins defeated Duke, 9-8, at Lincoln Financial Field, but there's no time to rest.
Yesterday, Pietramala paid tribute to his players, especially his senior class, the Hopkins administration and the school's lacrosse heritage, but he avoided taking much credit for himself.
That's vintage Pietramala, but no one is more responsible for the Blue Jays' return to glory than the 38-year-old native of Hicksville, N.Y. The 2005 Blue Jays displayed the same characteristics Pietramala exhibited in the mid- to late 1980s at Hopkins, when he was the game's best defenseman and a member of the 1987 team that won the school's previous championship.
Do you remember the old Pietramala?
He was tall, thick, had long arms and could run. With a long pole and those long arms, he could intimidate and control any player in the game, including Syracuse's Gary Gait. He was nasty, ornery, stubborn, much like the 2005 Blue Jays, who were gritty, tough and flashy at times, but mostly downright resilient.
Pietramala brought those qualities back to the program when he replaced John Haus after the 2000 season. He also brought in a new culture of player, real character guys like defenseman Watson, a semifinalist for a Rhodes scholarship. He also added senior attackman Peter LeSueur, a political science major who has a 3.68 grade-point average. Harrison, an African-American, has become one of the sport's most marketable players.
The Blue Jays have a Holiday Magic program to raise money and toys for kids in December, and they spend countless hours at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. They're serious about this camaraderie business.
