May 31, 2005|By MIKE PRESTON
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.
When Hopkins failed to win the championship in Pietramala's first four years, he was criticized for bringing in players who were too soft. Well, the Blue Jays went 16-0. What can they say now?
"He has done everything for this program," Harrison said. "He came back and focused on us being good people. When I stepped on campus my freshman year, he wasn't talking about lacrosse, he was talking about being a good person, taking off your hat when you go inside, holding the door for people behind you, saying `please' and `thank you' all the time. Go in our locker room, and you'll find a lot of guys who are very much alike."
The Blue Jays are a mirror image of Pietramala on the field. Because of extensive film study, Pietramala is methodical and so detailed oriented. Look at the Blue Jays' offense. It's deliberate and precise, but most of his players could fit well into Syracuse's high-powered transition game.
Pietramala, though, won't turn them loose. Ditto on defense. It's basically soft, hard sliding stuff. Seldom will you see defensemen out of position or over-the-shoulder checks. It's not the Pietramala way.
It's about discipline. You saw it on the field yesterday. Hopkins got over its nervousness in the first half, but Duke panicked in the second when the Blue Devils couldn't get a big lead, and the game became tighter. They had three unforced turnovers in the second half. They took rushed shots from bad angles.
There's a reason Hopkins was 3-0 in overtime games this season. It's not just because of a talented senior class.
"I'm not a guy that believes in destiny." Pietramala said. "I'm a guy that believes in hard work and looks when opportunity meets preparation."
It's fitting that he won yesterday. Few understand the importance of the sport to Hopkins better than Pietramala. At Hopkins, everybody is a lacrosse expert, and everybody wants to tell the lacrosse coach his opinion.
Pietramala has had his share of phone calls, letters and e-mails. He has been chided good-naturedly by former teammates like attackmen Craig Bubier and Brian Wood, members of the 1987 team. Several current players and Pietramala disagreed yesterday with critics who said the team quit in last year's 15-9 semifinal loss to Syracuse.
There should be no argument. The Blue Jays did quit, but their recovery this season is a testament to Pietramala. In three of the previous four seasons, the Blue Jays advanced to the semifinals before losing. After last season, there could have been a pity party.
Instead, the Blue Jays fought back and won with a defense that controlled the nation's top offense. They won it with a style and the presence of a player who once played on the last championship team at Hopkins.
Now, Pietramala is in a different arena, but the results are still the same.
