Heralded freshmen primed for action

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

This year's men's lacrosse team poses a question parallel to that age-old one: which came first, the team's new aggressive offensive scheme or the freshmen who will be the first rookie Tigers to start playing in it?

But the answer doesn't matter.

All that does matter is that this year's contingent of freshmen fit into the scheme incredibly well in virtually every facet of the game.

The freshman class features an impressive array of players that, perhaps a bit unusually, will help the Tigers not only in the years to come but are also certain to have a dramatic impact on this year's season . Their level of skill is such that they were ranked the No. 1 recruiting class in the country by "Inside Lacrosse" magazine.

On offense, the Tigers acquired three players that will give Princeton a vicious new edge in how it attacks the goal.

That is to say, midfielders Josh Lesko and Mark Kovler and attack Tommy Davis share one thing in common: they're all lefties.

In lacrosse, each player is theoretically equally adept at handling his stick in either his left or right hand. But it's hard to make up for one's natural tendency towards one side or the other — especially because younger players inevitably learn to pass and catch with one hand before working on the other.

The presence of several natural left-handers — all of whom are skilled shooters — means that the Tigers can attack the goal from all sides of the field with equal strength.

"We recruited the three of them to try to get one of them," head coach Bill Tierney said. "We said, 'Well, we need a lefty desperately, we need a lefty shooter [and] we need a lefty feeder.' We were thrilled to get all three."

The trio hasn't disappointed so far. In Saturday's game against Canisius, Lesko had one goal, Kovler had two and Tommy Davis had a hat trick. He was the first freshman to do so since the legendary Jesse Hubbard '98 recorded three goals as a freshman in the 1995 season opener.

Fortunately for the Tigers on Saturday, the three rookies were given free rein to shoot whenever they thought they had a shot, which marks a departure from Princeton's more reserved offensive strategies in years past.

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"You can't stifle them, [which] we've done [with freshmen sometimes] in the past when we've been a little slower, or a year ago, when we've been overly conservative with the offense," Tierney said.

Tierney was most surpised, not by the trio's shooting ability, but by the remarkable speed of this year's freshmen.

"We knew they were quick [and] we knew they were fast, but when the kids move from high school to college, sometimes that doesn't translate into the effect that it's had," Tierney said.

Though the speed of Kovler, Lesko and Davis was clear on Saturday in their scoring, the Tigers' defensive recruits are equally quick and skilled.

In particular, defenders Chris Peyser and Charlie Kolkin will see time on the field with the longpoles.

"Peyser was the guy who was on our radar for years, and [as for] Chris, we needed somebody like Tim Sullivan ['05]," Tierney said. "He's the guy that can really get this thing going, and as soon as he learns a little bit more about the defense, he is going to be the 'director of operations' like Sullivan."

As Tierney noted, Peyser is poised to become coordinator of the defense, calling out slides and other defensive tactics to keep the unit cohesive and effective against even the most powerful offensive of teams like Syracuse or Johns Hopkins. Kolkin, who Tierney said had already far exceeded expectations, will play a critical role in the defensive rotation; Tierney said that he had already far exceeded his expectations. And of course, both share the hallmark speed that has characterized this year's rookies.

While it may not be apparent at first, a defenseman's speed is important for more than just staying with the man he's covering. Especially in the new faster and more aggressive offense that , speedier defensemen will help push the Tigers into their transition game even more quickly.

Whether on offense or defense, the recruits have become good friends with each other and an integral part of the team.

"They've already bonded really well together and they mix in well with the older guys, which is what you want to see," Tierney said.

Their camaraderie is perhaps indicative of the personal quality of each recruit — something Tierney attributes largely to the way Princeton recruits players.

Many schools will try to force a decision from a high school player in the spring of junior year; Princeton, though, does not come through with decisions for prospective athletes until the fall of the player's senior year.

"If the kid sticks with us ... it means he has a sense about his education, his family has a sense about the values of what it's like here, and [he has] the strength and courage to fight off the other ones and say no. That brings you a real high quality person," Tierney said.

The quality of this year's recruits points to an answer to that old riddle: it doesn't matter whether recruits or offense came first.

All the Tigers know is that the players and the gameplan have come together in a way that is sure to make for an exciting season.