Tim Paul is considered one of the most accurate shooters in college lacrosse. So it's probably no surprise that the junior attackman for No. 12 Navy is just as precise when it comes to the status of his sprained left ankle.
"Right now, I'd probably say it's around 88 percent, and hopefully, we'll get it into the 90s by game time on Saturday," he said Tuesday. "We're getting there. Baby steps. We're doing a lot of things to get this thing ready."
A less-than-100 percent Paul is still a bonus for the Midshipmen (11-4), who travel to Durham, N.C., to face No. 3 seed Duke (13-3) in an NCAA tournament first-round game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
In Paul's 11 starts this season, Navy averaged 9.5 goals. In the four games Paul has missed or played limited minutes since spraining the ankle during the April 3 victory over Maryland, the Midshipmen have averaged 8.3 goals.
Paul is tied for the team lead in points (31) with junior attackman Brendan Connors, but CBS college sports analyst Paul Carcaterra said Paul's value isn't limited to goals and assists.
"I think what Paul does is he stretches a defense from that right goal-line extended area," said Carcaterra, a former All-American midfielder at Syracuse. "Guys like [Joe] Lennon and [Patrick] Moran have more room to operate when Tim Paul is on the field because the defense has to compensate for him being a shooter."
Navy has gone 3-1 since Paul's injury, including upset wins over Colgate and Bucknell that lifted the Midshipmen to their fifth Patriot League tournament crown in six years. Paul has cheered every accomplishment from the sideline, but he acknowledged that the ankle has been a source of frustration.
"But at the same time, we beat Army, we beat Colgate, we beat Bucknell, we beat Maryland, and we lost to Hopkins. So the only true frustrating moment was not being out there at Hopkins," said Paul, a Parkton native and Loyola graduate. "But it's been more of an eye-opening experience, and it has heightened my appreciation for being out there more because it truly is a privilege, and that's not something you always get to feel."
Paul said he has been rehabbing his ankle every day, sometimes twice a day. Pain isn't the biggest issue, but movement is a concern.
