Wims and fancy
COLLEGES: MEN
Wims and fancy
10
July 2009
New England Lacrosse Journal
os) hot ll p e (a leg Col
Spencer Wims was named an All-American after helping Limestone reach the NCAA Division 2 national semifinals.
one
the-field pass — too much time to think before the ball got to him. “I would always just drop the ball,” said Wims, a
est
n Spencer Wims’ freshman year at Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C., coach Mike Cerino had a name for Wims’ best play — he called it the “wounded eagle.” Wims showed a penchant for dropping the ball, drawing a crowd, digging the ball out of the dirt and running the full length of the field to take a shot. That made him dangerous not only as a defenseman but as an occasional offensive weapon. You can almost feel Wims blushing, asking him about the play over the phone. He says it’s “not really a great play,” and that it started when he’d get nervous as a freshman and drop a long over-
native of Waltham, Mass. “The attackman would just come after me after that happens. I’d pick it up right away, they’d try to attack me and I’d just run by them.” Said Cerino: “Never attack a wounded eagle. That’s when he’s at his most dangerous. Spencer is most dangerous in transition after he drops it.” The origin of the play notwithstanding, Cerino and his fellow coaches were impressed, and since they had a couple of strong defensemen in Matt Pinder and Mike Piccin, they felt they could throw Wims into the starting lineup right away. “That was something that kind of jumped out at us as a freshman,” Cerino said, “that he was able to make something out of nothing. So, we felt like he was a young kid we could trust in there early.” It seems Wims, who
Lim
I
By Nick A. Zaino III
will be a senior at Limestone this fall, has always been a natural athlete — even the worst aspect of his game is an asset. Wims’ coach at Waltham High School, Steve Duffy, remembers a kid who didn’t take to lacrosse immediately. Though he’d had some experience on the freshman team and in local leagues, Wims was coming to lacrosse from a football and basketball background. But, explained Duffy, now an assistant coach for the Boston Cannons, Wims had the physical tools and “sports IQ” to adapt quickly, and he helped the team almost immediately. “He was intimidating,” Duffy said. “He’s a big, rangy, athletic defenseman, and when he approached you, as an attackman, attackmen always backed up.” From the beginning at Waltham, Wims was a defenseman with the ability to pick up the ball in transition and make a run for the goal. His main job is defense, and he knows his role — after all of his aggression, he still is only averaging two goals per season in his college career. But he loves running with the ball, and it puts opposing teams on the defensive. Wims says he’ll often joke with his Limestone roommate, attackman Thomas Langan, that this might be the year he outscores him. “I always like running up the field and trying to get a little glory for the defense,” Wims said. As a defenseman, Wims is usually asked to take the opposition’s best offensive weapon out of the game. Last year, it was the best midfielder, this year, the best attackman. The “wounded eagle” aside, removing the opposition’s best player is his most important function in the Saints’ approach to the game. “Take [the opposing star] out of the game, we’ll play 5-on-5 over here,” Cerino said of Wims’ role. “But we’ll need you sometimes in the clearing game to be effective running the team defense. The Saints faced a long, depressing bus www.laxjournal.com
COLLEGES: MEN ride home after a loss to Wingate University this past season. They had lost by one goal, and the player Wims was marking had scored the deciding tally. Wims stood up and told his teammates that it was his fault, and if they ever got into that situation again, he wouldn’t let them down. “Everybody says it’s a team sport, you can’t point your finger” Wims said, “but in my mind, my guy scored the game-winning goal with one minute left on the clock for them to win. I just took it upon myself to address the team, telling them that it’s my fault, that’s never going to happen, that’s not how I play, that’s not who I am as a player.” Said Cerino: “Obviously, it wasn’t Spencer’s fault, but he took it as the team captain, kind of in front of everybody that, ‘This game’s on me.’ “He’s very inclusive. He has an ability to rally the defense without a lot of yelling and screaming,” Cerino added. “He’s at his best when he’s supporting his other teammates. He demands so much of himself, it’s hard not to follow him.” Wims was flattered to have been named a team captain in his junior year, and he took his newfound responsibilities seriously. “I was really excited when it happened, but then kind of nervous in the same breath,” he said, “just knowing that, all right, now I need to step up, I need to be
Wims (right) regularly draws the assignment of stopping the opponent’s best player — here Belmont Abbey attacker Michael Brown (Hartford, Conn.).
the person who’s the rock on the team. You can’t really yell at people when you’re making mistakes, too. You’re on even a shorter leash as a team captain.” Leading by example is also important to Wims and the Saints, which makes Wims’ ability to translate the scouting report to a game situation essential. Cerino says Wims is able to face just about any type of opponent based on his preparation.
“He can play a power guy as effectively as he can play a small runner,” the coach said. “He can be effective on a crease finisher inside, even though I think that’s probably a little less than what he’s done. And he can play dodgers from both sides of the cage very well. So, as a cover guy, he gives us a lot of different things we can do with him.” Wims gives most of the credit for
scouting to his coaches and the scout team, but he does feel like half of the battle is won just knowing the other team’s tendencies. The rest is in-game adjustments. After all, the other team is scouting him, too. “Once you get against the better players, they learn that you’re going to try to take away their dominant hand and they’ll score with their off hand,” he said. “You kind of have to feel them out in the first quarter, and then you can play them straight up.” Cerino believes next season will be even better for Wims, and that he’s opened a lot of people’s eyes already. “I really think he has a great opportunity to be Defenseman of the Year,” Cerino said. “I wouldn’t even put it by him to be Player of the Year in Division 2. He has that kind of talent.” Having fallen short in the postseason this year — Limestone fell to eventual champion C.W. Post in the national semifinal — Wims is setting his sights high for next season. “We all came down to Limestone to compete for a national championship,” he said, “and we have yet to get to that game. We just feel if we can get to that one game, we can take care of business.” l Contact Nick A. Zaino III at [email protected].
Breathe. Kick Butt. Repeat.
In today’s game of lacrosse, you need a mouth guard that not only protects, but one that also improves your play. The quality custom fit of a Gladiator Mouthguard allows you to breathe easier so you can play at your peak level, longer. s Easy one-step impression kit s Free Flow™ air system for enhanced performance s FREE personalization with your team logo and identification s Quantity discounts available s 1,000% more protective than any over-the-counter guard* s Made in the USA
1-877-8GUARDS www.customguards.com 12
July 2009
New England Lacrosse Journal
* As stated by the Academy for Sports Dentistry
®
www.laxjournal.com
Wims and fancy
10
July 2009
New England Lacrosse Journal
os) hot ll p e (a leg Col
Spencer Wims was named an All-American after helping Limestone reach the NCAA Division 2 national semifinals.
one
the-field pass — too much time to think before the ball got to him. “I would always just drop the ball,” said Wims, a
est
n Spencer Wims’ freshman year at Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C., coach Mike Cerino had a name for Wims’ best play — he called it the “wounded eagle.” Wims showed a penchant for dropping the ball, drawing a crowd, digging the ball out of the dirt and running the full length of the field to take a shot. That made him dangerous not only as a defenseman but as an occasional offensive weapon. You can almost feel Wims blushing, asking him about the play over the phone. He says it’s “not really a great play,” and that it started when he’d get nervous as a freshman and drop a long over-
native of Waltham, Mass. “The attackman would just come after me after that happens. I’d pick it up right away, they’d try to attack me and I’d just run by them.” Said Cerino: “Never attack a wounded eagle. That’s when he’s at his most dangerous. Spencer is most dangerous in transition after he drops it.” The origin of the play notwithstanding, Cerino and his fellow coaches were impressed, and since they had a couple of strong defensemen in Matt Pinder and Mike Piccin, they felt they could throw Wims into the starting lineup right away. “That was something that kind of jumped out at us as a freshman,” Cerino said, “that he was able to make something out of nothing. So, we felt like he was a young kid we could trust in there early.” It seems Wims, who
Lim
I
By Nick A. Zaino III
will be a senior at Limestone this fall, has always been a natural athlete — even the worst aspect of his game is an asset. Wims’ coach at Waltham High School, Steve Duffy, remembers a kid who didn’t take to lacrosse immediately. Though he’d had some experience on the freshman team and in local leagues, Wims was coming to lacrosse from a football and basketball background. But, explained Duffy, now an assistant coach for the Boston Cannons, Wims had the physical tools and “sports IQ” to adapt quickly, and he helped the team almost immediately. “He was intimidating,” Duffy said. “He’s a big, rangy, athletic defenseman, and when he approached you, as an attackman, attackmen always backed up.” From the beginning at Waltham, Wims was a defenseman with the ability to pick up the ball in transition and make a run for the goal. His main job is defense, and he knows his role — after all of his aggression, he still is only averaging two goals per season in his college career. But he loves running with the ball, and it puts opposing teams on the defensive. Wims says he’ll often joke with his Limestone roommate, attackman Thomas Langan, that this might be the year he outscores him. “I always like running up the field and trying to get a little glory for the defense,” Wims said. As a defenseman, Wims is usually asked to take the opposition’s best offensive weapon out of the game. Last year, it was the best midfielder, this year, the best attackman. The “wounded eagle” aside, removing the opposition’s best player is his most important function in the Saints’ approach to the game. “Take [the opposing star] out of the game, we’ll play 5-on-5 over here,” Cerino said of Wims’ role. “But we’ll need you sometimes in the clearing game to be effective running the team defense. The Saints faced a long, depressing bus www.laxjournal.com
COLLEGES: MEN ride home after a loss to Wingate University this past season. They had lost by one goal, and the player Wims was marking had scored the deciding tally. Wims stood up and told his teammates that it was his fault, and if they ever got into that situation again, he wouldn’t let them down. “Everybody says it’s a team sport, you can’t point your finger” Wims said, “but in my mind, my guy scored the game-winning goal with one minute left on the clock for them to win. I just took it upon myself to address the team, telling them that it’s my fault, that’s never going to happen, that’s not how I play, that’s not who I am as a player.” Said Cerino: “Obviously, it wasn’t Spencer’s fault, but he took it as the team captain, kind of in front of everybody that, ‘This game’s on me.’ “He’s very inclusive. He has an ability to rally the defense without a lot of yelling and screaming,” Cerino added. “He’s at his best when he’s supporting his other teammates. He demands so much of himself, it’s hard not to follow him.” Wims was flattered to have been named a team captain in his junior year, and he took his newfound responsibilities seriously. “I was really excited when it happened, but then kind of nervous in the same breath,” he said, “just knowing that, all right, now I need to step up, I need to be
Wims (right) regularly draws the assignment of stopping the opponent’s best player — here Belmont Abbey attacker Michael Brown (Hartford, Conn.).
the person who’s the rock on the team. You can’t really yell at people when you’re making mistakes, too. You’re on even a shorter leash as a team captain.” Leading by example is also important to Wims and the Saints, which makes Wims’ ability to translate the scouting report to a game situation essential. Cerino says Wims is able to face just about any type of opponent based on his preparation.
“He can play a power guy as effectively as he can play a small runner,” the coach said. “He can be effective on a crease finisher inside, even though I think that’s probably a little less than what he’s done. And he can play dodgers from both sides of the cage very well. So, as a cover guy, he gives us a lot of different things we can do with him.” Wims gives most of the credit for
scouting to his coaches and the scout team, but he does feel like half of the battle is won just knowing the other team’s tendencies. The rest is in-game adjustments. After all, the other team is scouting him, too. “Once you get against the better players, they learn that you’re going to try to take away their dominant hand and they’ll score with their off hand,” he said. “You kind of have to feel them out in the first quarter, and then you can play them straight up.” Cerino believes next season will be even better for Wims, and that he’s opened a lot of people’s eyes already. “I really think he has a great opportunity to be Defenseman of the Year,” Cerino said. “I wouldn’t even put it by him to be Player of the Year in Division 2. He has that kind of talent.” Having fallen short in the postseason this year — Limestone fell to eventual champion C.W. Post in the national semifinal — Wims is setting his sights high for next season. “We all came down to Limestone to compete for a national championship,” he said, “and we have yet to get to that game. We just feel if we can get to that one game, we can take care of business.” l Contact Nick A. Zaino III at [email protected].
Breathe. Kick Butt. Repeat.
In today’s game of lacrosse, you need a mouth guard that not only protects, but one that also improves your play. The quality custom fit of a Gladiator Mouthguard allows you to breathe easier so you can play at your peak level, longer. s Easy one-step impression kit s Free Flow™ air system for enhanced performance s FREE personalization with your team logo and identification s Quantity discounts available s 1,000% more protective than any over-the-counter guard* s Made in the USA
1-877-8GUARDS www.customguards.com 12
July 2009
New England Lacrosse Journal
* As stated by the Academy for Sports Dentistry
®
www.laxjournal.com
