Gibbons Steps Up In Rookie Role

Even for the most heralded recruits, adjusting to college lacrosse can be daunting.

Freshman Dean Gibbons of the Harvard men’s lacrosse team has certainly faced new challenges, but, to the delight of everyone in the program, he has risen admirably to meet them.

Considered one of the top 15 recruits in the country, the attackman from Garden City, N.Y. considered Duke, Virginia, Cornell—three of the top four teams in the nation—and Penn before deciding to join a young Crimson squad. Committing to a lesser-known team provided Gibbons with an opportunity countless players hope for—the chance to start immediately. But, such a quick introduction to the new level of play can often prove to be a trial by fire.

“We’re asking a lot from him as a freshman,” tri-captain Brooks Scholl says. “We’re putting him against the best defensemen on each team.”

While the highly-touted Gibbons clearly possesses the talent to perform at the college level, such an intimidating introduction undoubtedly has taken its toll.

“[Gibbons] was nervous his first few games,” tri-captain Nick La Fiura explains. “He started right away and that puts lots of pressure on a young guy, but he’s developed into a great contributor.”

Although it did not take Gibbons long to get his name on the stat sheet, logging a goal and an assist in his second game, his numbers this season certainly speak to vast improvement.

After 10 games, the rookie boasts the team’s second-highest point total with 17, including eight in the last three contests. Perhaps more impressively, though, Gibbons has shown tremendous maturity, accumulating most of these points through his team-leading 11 assists.

This unselfish behavior has endeared the rookie to head coach John Tillman, who has the utmost praise for the budding star.

“He could have let [being so highly recruited] go to his head,” Tillman says. “But he doesn’t draw attention to himself. In an era when a lot of people are looking for individual attention, he has stayed well-grounded.”

This desire for personal accolades can easily arise when players grow accustomed to standing out in high school. However, the freshman has quickly recognized that the college game has no room for big egos.

“The college game is a lot faster,” Gibbons observes. “The team has to work more as a group to be successful, so if one person isn’t playing well then it’s not going to work. In high school maybe you just needed a couple of people to win a game, but that’s not the case at all in college.”

While Gibbons seems to have adapted impressively to this new dynamic, the freshman insists that he has room to improve.

“My personal goal is just to keep getting better through the year and continue getting acclimated to the game,” Gibbons explains.

The rookie’s abundance of talent and insight endow him with tremendous potential to be an asset on the field. Yet, any exchange with Tillman suggests that the rookie’s admirable qualities extend far beyond the sidelines.

Although Tillman is also a new face at Harvard, meaning that he did not recruit Gibbons himself, the coach recognizes that the freshman embodies all of the characteristics he searches for in new players.

“We look for good character guys,” Tillman explains. “We want athletes who are passionate, well-rounded, and want to be challenged on and off the field, who embrace all that Harvard has to offer and become part of the school community.”

Considering that Gibbons had the option to play for numerous teams, Cambridge indeed must hold a certain appeal.

“I chose Harvard because I thought it was a good fit for me academically and with lacrosse,” the freshman says. “There’s so much potential here in both areas.”

While Gibbons has four years to explore and improve in both fields, the Crimson is grateful he can already contribute. As the team has watched a blistering 4-1 start to the season spiral into a five-game losing streak, the rookie’s play has continued to improve. Even if his contribution does not always translate to victories, the Harvard lacrosse program can only benefit as Gibbons grows more comfortable and begins inspiring fear in opponents rather than feeling it himself.

It may be too early to predict the course of Gibbons’ four years of college lacrosse, but La Fiura has tremendous faith in the rookie’s potential.

“For someone with as much skill as Dean has, if he stays calm and plays with confidence, he will be a contributor for the rest of his career here at Harvard,” he says.

For such a well-rounded student-athlete, this career may very well reach beyond the grass of Jordan Field, but if Gibbons continues his masterful play, he will undoubtedly become a legend on it.