Kevin Crowley is the darling of college lacrosse, with a case full of preseason awards to prove it. In January he was the first overall pick of the Major League Lacrosse draft and was also named Lacrosse Magazine's Division I preseason player of the year. He set the Stony Brook record for goals in a season last year (51) and is currently 21 points away from the career record. One game into his senior season, Crowley talked with Patch.
Patch: As the No. 1 overall draft pick of Major League Lacrosse, you already have your first after-college job set up. How do you stay grounded and focused on the task at hand?
Kevin Crowley: To be honest, I really don't think about that too much. Right now, I'm worried about this season and making sure we get better.
Patch: Did any of the guys have some fun with you after being the No. 1 pick in the draft?
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KC: The guys were real congratulatory. It's exciting to be able to share it with my friends.
Patch: You're closing in on many of the all-time records at Stony Brook. What do you think your legacy will be?
KC: I just want to be known as a good person and a good teammate. Someone who made the people around me better.
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Patch: How did the game plan against Virginia change when you heard the Bratton twins would not be playing?
KC: The game plan didn't change. At the time we found out, it was just a rumor.
Patch: Did your pregame confidence change when you heard that they were suspended?
KC: Didn't change at all. Virginia has a ton of talented players and we knew they had guys who'd be ready to step up.
Patch: In the Virginia game, you're down two goals with less than 25 seconds left. What's going through your head at that moment?
KC: The first thing is making sure you grab that ground ball after the face-off. You can't think of scoring without the ball. We've been pretty good scoring goals in a short amount of time. [They scored twice in 25 seconds to send the game to overtime.]
Patch: You tie the No. 1 team in the country with three seconds left in regulation. What were you feeling right then?
KC: Stick to the game plan. It's about staying focused. I think this team is one that is capable of playing with adversity.
Patch: With the game behind you, what do you think is the biggest challenge remaining?
KS: We're just trying to get better every day and playing up to the level we're capable of. Like Coach said after the Virginia game, we've got a lot of lacrosse to play.