To find finalists for most postseason awards, it's usually easy enough to pluck a player off each of the top four or so teams and then add in someone else, even if it's from one of the teams already represented.
This year's bunch of Tewaaraton Trophy finalists perfectly fits that description.
No. 1 Duke has Matt Danowski and Zack Greer.
No. 2 Virginia has Ben Rubeor.
No. 3 Syracuse has Mike Leveille.
No. 4 (according to the Inside Lacrosse poll) Johns Hopkins has Paul Rabil.
Funny thing is, if you replaced Leveille with Cornell's Max Seibald, you would have come up with the likely list a casual fan would have produced in the preseason.
So there's no qualms with the Tewaaraton committee at all, even if the results were reasonably predictable.
As for who wins the thing? I'd take a guy from whoever wins the national title. The last six winners came from the team that captured the championship, and since the vote occurs after the tournament, the results will loom quite large in the minds of panel members.
--- Patrick Stevens
Comments (3)
Patrick, I know this was posted more than a week ago, but Matt Danowski won it last year and they lost to Hopkins in the final. Also, this year's winner kinda of plays into the whole extra year of eligibility. Matt Danowski would not be at the top right now, and of course if they win he or Greer will get it. But that leaves one of the most under-appreciated players of the game, Ben Rubeor, without recognition. He did not receive it last year because of the program's first-round loss, but should be highly considered this year regardless of Saturday's and the rest of the tournament's outcome. He came back from and injury, out for 3 games, to lead his team as a captain, as a goal scorer, and even in the classroom at a great institution like UVA. I don't even know this guy, but I hope he is recognized by the nation as one of the tops.
Two more things: Rabil has had a good stretch like Hopkins has at the end of this season, but his performance all season has not lived up to last years and should not be on the list.
Matt Danowski is an amazing player, and his achievements should not be muted, but there are other players out there and again with the extra year you have to consider that record for what it is for this award.
Posted by Lee | May 15, 2008 2:17 PM
Good catch, Lee, on a very dumb mistake on my part.
I have not canvassed the voters for the Tewaaraton. But I do know of the resentment bubbling not far below the surface throughout the sport toward Duke for the whole fifth-year thing. And since this is lacrosse, you'd better believe the voters have their fingers on the pulse of that resentment as well.
If Virginia does win the title, I suspect there will be a push for Rubeor --- a good kid who has played great despite his knee injury and who will no doubt be critical to the Cavaliers the rest of the way. That way, a kid from the winning team can be rewarded while also making a quiet statement of frustration against the Duke decision.
But fair or not, the voters will have a hard time denying Danowski another Tewaaraton if Duke does collect its first title on Memorial Day.
Posted by Patrick Stevens | May 15, 2008 2:30 PM
I am so sick of hearing objections to the Duke players eligibility extension! Duke lost their 2006 season, a season that very well could have been a championship year. The NCAA just gave them back the year they lost, a year they deserved!! Even if you subtract the 26pts Danowski had in 2006, he would still be way beyond Rubeor's production this season and a favorite to win the tewaaraton.
Posted by Duke Fan | May 19, 2008 10:21 AM