2008 Woodie Awards
The Daily OrangeMLAX | Deja vu: Defending champs Johns Hopkins hope to again stymie Duke juggernaut in postseason
By Andy McCullough
Posted: 5/22/08, 9:57 PM EST Section: Final Four '08
May 22 -- Dave Pietramala isn't one to gush - the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse coach is more likely to shout than sugarcoat. He was a bulldog of a defender at Hopkins in the late 80s, and that carried over to his reign as head coach, part of the reason for his two national titles in 2005 and 2007.
But when it comes to Duke - the top seed in the NCAA tournament and the Blue Jays' opponent in the national semifinal at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Foxborough, Mass. - well, Pietramala can't help himself. He's been a head coach for 11 years, and to him, the Blue Devils are as good as it gets.
"Duke University is probably the best lacrosse team that I've ever had the opportunity to coach against," Pietramala said of the team that beat his Blue Jays 17-6 earlier this year. "They've got tremendous players. They've found a style of play that is very successful for them.
"And it's going to be a heck of task to put together a gameplan and perform well enough to beat them."
It's not like the Blue Devils (18-1) and fifth-seeded Jays (10-5) aren't familiar with each other - especially in the final four. And it's not like Hopkins hasn't stopped the boys from Durham, N.C., before. They defeated Duke in the title game in both 2005 and 2007. Then-junior Paul Rabil had six points in the 12-11 win last year for Hopkins.
But this year has a different feel. Because even if the Jays are the defending champs, even if they've reeled off seven straight victories, Duke is still the favorite. Understandable, considering the double digit pounding they put on Hopkins earlier.
"Duke is such a high-powered offense," Pietramala said. "And we did not handle that well at all. They basically did whatever they wanted."
The Blue Devils have done that to plenty of teams this year. How? Just look at their attack unit.
There's Matt Danowski: the fifth-year senior is the reigning Tewaaraton Trophy winner and the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, with 350 career points and 94 points this year (39 goals, 55 assists). Danowski was one of five players who accepted an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA, fallout from the false rape allegations that cancelled Duke's 2006 season.
But when it comes to Duke - the top seed in the NCAA tournament and the Blue Jays' opponent in the national semifinal at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Foxborough, Mass. - well, Pietramala can't help himself. He's been a head coach for 11 years, and to him, the Blue Devils are as good as it gets.
"Duke University is probably the best lacrosse team that I've ever had the opportunity to coach against," Pietramala said of the team that beat his Blue Jays 17-6 earlier this year. "They've got tremendous players. They've found a style of play that is very successful for them.
"And it's going to be a heck of task to put together a gameplan and perform well enough to beat them."
It's not like the Blue Devils (18-1) and fifth-seeded Jays (10-5) aren't familiar with each other - especially in the final four. And it's not like Hopkins hasn't stopped the boys from Durham, N.C., before. They defeated Duke in the title game in both 2005 and 2007. Then-junior Paul Rabil had six points in the 12-11 win last year for Hopkins.
But this year has a different feel. Because even if the Jays are the defending champs, even if they've reeled off seven straight victories, Duke is still the favorite. Understandable, considering the double digit pounding they put on Hopkins earlier.
"Duke is such a high-powered offense," Pietramala said. "And we did not handle that well at all. They basically did whatever they wanted."
The Blue Devils have done that to plenty of teams this year. How? Just look at their attack unit.
There's Matt Danowski: the fifth-year senior is the reigning Tewaaraton Trophy winner and the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, with 350 career points and 94 points this year (39 goals, 55 assists). Danowski was one of five players who accepted an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA, fallout from the false rape allegations that cancelled Duke's 2006 season.
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