TOP FIVE FOR 2015
1. Denver
The Pioneers have reached three of the last four final fours and are primed to take another step. They return their entire starting attack — including team leader Wesley Berg and 2014 freshman sensation Zach Miller — and defense.
2. Notre Dame The Irish bring
back an established offensive threat in Matt Kavanagh and an emerging one in Sergio Perkovic, to go with goalie Conor Kelly, who’s coming off an impressive final four.
3. Syracuse Randy Staats
could break out as a bona fide Tewaaraton candidate next year, returning alongside Kevin Rice and Dylan Donahue to lead the offense. That’s a great foundation on which to build an offense.
4. Maryland The Terps’ offense
featured freshmen Matt Rambo and Connor Cannizzaro. It will be a new look without Mike Chanenchuk in the midfield or four-year starter Niko Amato in goal, but eight starters are back overall.
5. North Carolina Joe Breschi shuffled
his staff, parting ways with offensive coordinator Pat Myers, whose replacement will have plenty of talent to work with, including Joey Sankey and Jimmy Bitter at attack and Chad Tutton, Steve Pontrello and Shane Simpson at midfield.
Clockwise from top: Zach Miller (Denver), Jimmy Bitter (UNC) Connor Cannizzaro (Maryland), Randy Staats (Syracuse) and Conor Kelly (Notre Dame)
Myles Jones had to acquire a mean
streak that barely existed when he was younger, unless he was provoked. That edge was in bloom by the time Duke signed him as a high school junior. “Myles was the quietest kid who would
bite his lip and not say a thing when he was being disciplined,” Reggie Jones said. “When he played rec soccer [in elementary school], he was the gentle giant who wanted to be the friend of the little kid he had just run over. Even now, he loves the assist because it makes other people happy. He used to have a complex about imposing his will.” That was not the case with Class or
Jones, once their development in Duke’s picking, read-and-react offense started to accelerate, following solid freshman
A Publication of US Lacrosse
years on the Blue Devils’ second line. Jones started 2014 on the second line but supplanted Jack Bruckner five games into the season. “We were grinding along, getting a
goal here or there, but it really wasn’t clicking yet,” recalled Class, who added at least 40 minutes of additional shooting practice to his lacrosse day. “Christian organized a lot of that, really embraced the role of bringing us along. Then we got so many great looks and started dropping shots against Syracuse, and things just took off from there.” The turning point of Duke’s season
was March 23, when the first midfield put up an astounding 23 points to help the Blue Devils embarrass the Orange 21-7 in a rematch of the 2013 NCAA
championship game. That day, Jones bull-dodged, shot on the run with either hand and did what he pleased while scoring five goals. Walsh (six assists) carved up Syracuse with his feeding and Class (six goals, four assists) slipped open repeatedly for shots and found open teammates with equal precision. “Once those [midfielders] started stepping up, defenses had to start sliding off of [the attack],” Wolf said. “Then it just became of question of who was going to step up each game.” As for who will step up for the
Blue Devils next year — following the departures of Wolf, Walsh, 2013 NCAA hero Brendan Fowler and Duke’s entire defense — the list most likely starts with guys named Class and Jones. LM
July 2014 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 37
©TREVOR BROWN (ZM); ©PEYTON WILLIAMS (JB)
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