Tillman alters mindset in his first year as coach
A 20-8 blowout win over Georgetown in February suggested that the Maryland lacrosse team had undergone a transformation under first-year coach John Tillman.
But the most compelling evidence came later, when the Terrapins donned coats and ties for postgame interviews. Gone were the flip-flops, backward caps and other accessories of their casual past.
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When Maryland (12-4) plays Duke (14-5) on Saturday in Baltimore in the NCAA semifinals in search of its first national championship since 1975, the formerly underachieving Terps will serve as an example of improvement through discipline.
| NCAA MEN’S FINAL FOUR |
| Where » M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore |
| TV » ESPN2 |
| Virginia vs. Denver |
| When » Saturday, 4 p.m. |
| Maryland vs. Duke |
| When » Saturday, 6:30 p.m. |
| WOMEN’S FINAL FOUR |
| Where » LaValle Stadium, Stony Brook, N.Y. |
| TV » Comcast SportsNet |
| Maryland vs. Duke |
| When » Friday, 5 p.m. |
| Defending national champion and top-seeded Maryland (20-1) will try to ward off the upset bid of No. 5 Duke (15-4), which has never played in the title game. The Terrapins rolled past the Blue Devils 18-11 in February. Maryland is led by Tewaaraton Trophy finalists Sarah Mollison (52 goals, 45 assists) and Katie Schwarzmann (60 goals), who will battle Emma Hamm (48 goals, 25 assists). The title game is Sunday at 4 p.m. |
| North Carolina vs. Northwestern |
| When » Friday, 7:30 p.m. |
| No. 2 Northwestern (19-2), stung by its loss last year to Maryland in the title game after winning the championship five straight years, hopes to avenge its loss. No. 3 UNC (15-5) has never won a women’s championship. In its lone trip to the title game in 2009, the Tar Heels lost to Northwestern 21-7. The Wildcats are propelled by Tewaaraton finalist Shannon Smith (78 goals, 41 assists). |
| MEN’S DIVISION II FINAL |
| Adelphi vs. Mercyhurst |
| When » Sunday, 4 p.m. |
| Where » M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore |
| Adelphi (16-2) has won seven Division II titles, the most recent in 2001. Mercyhurst (13-2) is seeking its first title. Junior Joe Vitale (37 goals, 28 assists) paces Adelphi. Mercyhurst sophomore Brian Scheetz (20 goals, 30 assists) will try to score against junior Eric Janssen, who leads Division II with a .661 save percentage. |
| MEN’s DIVISION III FINAL |
| Tufts vs. Salisbury |
| When » Sunday, 7 p.m. |
| Where » M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore |
| Defending Division III champion Tufts (18-2) will be tested by Salisbury (20-1) in a rematch of the 2010 title game. Tufts is propelled by senior D.J. Hessler (54 assists) and junior Sean Kirwan (65 goals). Junior Sam Bradman (48 goals) and sophomore Tyler Granelli (.661 faceoff percentage) lead Salisbury, which has won eight Division III titles since 1994. |
“It’s the same players but a different team,” senior midfielder Dan Burns said. “There’s more professionalism and attention to detail. We do all the little things better.”
When Tillman arrived last summer, he found a team much more talented than those he guided as an assistant for 12 years at Navy and as a coach for three at Harvard. But the missing components, he believed, were mental focus and commitment.
“Going back to Navy, I learned some great things from people that were in the military,” Tillman said. “A part of that was great leadership doesn’t mean you’re scaring people into doing things. You want people to take ownership.”
The transformation began in the fall, when Tillman put the Terps through a formalized, week-long training camp. The program, developed by Eric Kapitulik, one of Tillman’s former players at Navy, was designed to build leadership and teamwork.
“The guys found out that we were going to do something the first week, and they were pretty nervous,” Tillman said. “The first thing I said to them was ‘The University of Michigan field hockey team has done this program. If they can do it, you can do it.’?”
The rigorous training still was a shock to many of the Terps, according to senior attack Grant Catalino. When some failed to touch the ground as they ran line drills, they were back the next morning at 5 a.m.
“He taught us how to be disciplined,” said Catalino, who didn’t own a suit until Tillman was hired.
Catalino was one of the leaders who emerged through the program, according to Tillman, along with senior long-stick midfielder Brian Farrell and junior attack Joe Cummings.
Discipline has been evident on the field in the form of hustling for loose balls and valuing possessions. In unseeded Maryland’s 6-5 upset of No. 1 Syracuse on Sunday, the Terps won 11 of 14 faceoffs and 19 of 31 ground balls, holding the ball for more than 40 of the game’s 63 minutes.
On Saturday, Maryland will strive for the same formula against the Blue Devils. The Terps split with the defending national champions, losing in overtime 9-8 in the regular season and winning 11-9 in the ACC tournament final.
“This is where those 16, 17 [seniors] will really help us,” Tillman said. “They’re so close to getting what they want. We put it on them a little bit. This weekend can change their lives forever. It already has somewhat. But let’s take it one more.”
