GUHoyas.com will be interviewing Senior Defenseman Brodie Merrill at practice each day this week leading up to the Hoyas' NCAA Quarterfinal game against the Maryland Terrapins this Sunday, May 22, 2005 in Princeton, NJ. Get a behind-the-scenes look at Brodie's preparation on and off the field in the days leading up to the game.
My name is Patty Hunter and I am a senior at the Academy of the Holy Cross, Kensington, Maryland. My internship with Georgetown's Sports Information Office has given me the opportunity to interview one of men's lacrosse's best long stick middies in the nation. I will meet daily with Brodie after practice and discuss his insight on how the week is going, how the team is preparing for the game, and his outlook for the matchup against the Terrapins in the NCAA tournament.
Merrill is a 2005 Face-Off Yearbook and Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American First Team Selection at LSM. Merrill, a senior captain, leads his team in ground balls (95) and is also a finalist for the 2005 Tewaaraton Trophy, the most prestigious award in the sport of lacrosse. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Merrill proved his defensive talent against Army attackman John Walker, holding him scoreless for the first time in 44 games.
Friday, May 20, 2005
PH: First, congratulations on becoming a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy for the second consecutive year. Are you excited?
BM: Thank-you. Yeah, any time you're recognized for such a prestigious award, it's a huge honor.
PH: What were you doing when you found out?
BM: It was actually when I got to the locker room today, one of the coaches congratulated me or I can't remember one of the players did.
PH: Do you know what you are going to do for practice today with the rain?
BM: Yeah, with the weather you can never tell what is going to happen. Typically when it's raining out we usually go run and lift at Yates, but today since it's so close to the game we're going to really try and get up there and get as much done as we can. But, I am sure we won't be up there to0 long.
PH: What will practice be like tomorrow up at Princeton?
BM: Tomorrow, we will do a lot of our walk-throughs, it will be very light, I'm not sure we may even go just helmets and gloves. We're going through our scouts; our scout team will run through some of the plays that we think Maryland might run on Sunday. Other then that, we'll do some situational stuff, it'll be pretty light and a bit of a fun day; kind of get use to the field and get our bearings straight there.
PH: Due to the Quarterfinal game this weekend, you are missing Graduation. How do you feel about that?
BM: Well, actually it was nice, we got to have a smaller ceremony yesterday morning with the president of the school and to tell you the truth I think I prefer what we did yesterday then what we would have done on Saturday because it was with my close friends, my teammates and roommates. It was a little bit more personal and obviously it wasn't as long as what it's going to be on Saturday. To me it wasn't that big of a deal, it was fun and it served its purpose I guess.
PH: What are your plans after graduation?
BM: (Laughs) That's a big question, I'm not sure. I would like to try to continue to play lacrosse this summer and then into the winter as well. Other then that, just trying to find a job like most graduates. I'd like to try and stay down in the United States, because I am a Canadian citizen I got a year extension on my student visa, so I would like to stay and take advantage of that one year.
PH: Looking back on your four years, what were the most memorable academic and athletic experiences that you have had at GU?
BM: Well, I can't really. I don't know if I can pinpoint one memory but for me it's just the collection of memories, anywhere from hanging out at my house or my dorm with my roommates or in the locker room with my teammates or on road trips with my team. That's really the stuff that I will take away from this experience; more just the people and the relationships that I have formed over the four years.
PH: Any regrets?
BM: No regrets at all. I feel very privileged to be able to have gone to school here and had the opportunity to play lacrosse at this institution. I can't say that I would have done anything differently. I've had a really great experience here at Georgetown.
I want to thank Brodie for taking the time each day to answer my questions. I have enjoyed getting to know this "soft-spoken teddy bear." Although I did not see the "fire-breathing animal" side of him, I will agree with his teammates that he is the nicest guy I have ever met. A special thanks to Andy Corno for yesterday's interview is also in order. I wish Brodie, Andy and the rest of the Hoyas the best of luck this weekend. I will be watching and I expect a win so I can do another cover story next week. -- Patty
Thursday, May 19, 2005
While waiting for Brodie to finish up in the weight room, I caught up with Andy Corno, another captain of the men's lacrosse team. Corno is GU's all-time career leader in face-off win percentage and ranks first on the career groundballs list.
PH: In preparing for the quarterfinal game this weekend, what has been the main focus during practice?
AC: I think it is going great. We had a good week of practice. We're just excited to get out to Princeton and each day just gets a little closer to the big game. So practice has been going really well, the guys have been into it, there has been good weather. I can't complain.
BM: Coach Rienzo had a bit of a speech at the end of practice today, just to get everyone to believe in this team and to believe that we can make the Final Four. I feel like it's our time to get over that hump and we try to stress that every day in practice.
AC: We're really focusing on some of the little things. We've been very close to making it to the final four the past two years and I think we haven't been able to be there because of the little things. Making a small mistake toward the end of a game has kept us out of that so now we are focusing on the little things. Our match ups defensively, what they're going to try to do defensively to us and how we can take advantage of that. Just the little aspects of the game; clearing, facing off, anytime we're off sides, late time plays, things like that.
PH: Does the team have any pre-game traditions?
AC: Traditions, yeah... We're trying to do something before to create a bigger camaraderie around the team. But, there are no real traditions that we have; every guy on the team has their own thing that they like to do. The night before a game, we always go out to dinner. We're definitely going to be doing that up at Princeton. We will always have a team meal, dress in our shirt and ties and treat it as a business trip. But, pre-game comes around we just let everyone do their own thing; let everyone get up the way they need to on their own.
BM: Not really, I mean everyone has their own routine of things. It's kind of nice to be on the road, get off campus and there's a little less distraction on the road and everything's a little bit more regimented.
PH: What do each of you do personally before a game?
AC: (Laughs) I just like to wander around. I like to get down to the locker room as early as I can and get out to the field and visualize doing the things I need to do to play well and to have a better game. I visualize the crowd if it's not there and I also visualize facing off and playing defense. But, otherwise I am pretty relaxed before a game, I'm not crazy, I'm not quiet, anyone can come talk to me, I'm ready to go when the whistle blows.
BM: Well, Nick Miaritis and I room together on the road so we usually just relax in the hotel room before we head to the field and watch the animal channel.. (laughs)... just to keep our mind off the game a little bit.
PH: Have you done anything personally to prepare for the Terrapin offensive players like Bill McGlone and Joe Walters?
BM: They are two of the best, I think, offensive players in the country, you just have to watch as much film as you can on them and prepare accordingly. You can't really change your game too much to try to defend these players, but you can definitely watch film and try to identify some penalties in their game.
PH: What is running through your head when you step onto the field?
AC: Last game I told myself, "I am not going to lose these faceoffs," and I just kept saying that over and over again in my head, it kind of helped I think. I really concentrated on the whistle and that's the biggest thing for me, to be able to hear it. It is very tough, especially when you play at a bigger venue and there are a ton of fans and a ton of things going on, to be able to sit down and concentrate on that whistle because whoever reacts to that whistle faster is going to win the face-off.
BM: Just excitement and obviously a little bit of nervousness, hopefully it ends up being a reflection of what you have worked on during practice all week.
PH: In Inside Lacrosse the article mentions that Brodie goes from a "chivalrous, soft-spoken teddy bear to a fire-breathing, garbage-talking animal." Do you mind commenting on that statement?
AC: (Laughs) Brodie is the most modest, soft-spoken kid that you'll ever meet and genuinely the nicest kid that I've ever met. He's my best friend here at Georgetown. But...when it comes down to being on the field, and this kind of emerged his sophomore year to tell you the truth against Maryland, when he stepped in for Kyle Sweeney, we saw a side of Brodie that we never saw before. He is all over the field, and he doesn't mind, not that it's bad, but he doesn't mind jawing at the other players if they are jawing at him. It's just his style (laughs); I guess it's the Canadian hockey player that comes out.
BM: It's just my competitive nature, I guess, just like everyone else on the team. When you step onto the field you have to be intense and be able to raise the level of your game because you're not going to be successful if you don't. I try to do that every game; it's just natural for me. I love being out there so much and I just get caught up in all the excitement.
PH: Will Maryland see this side of you?
BM: (Laughs) Definitely, it's playoff time. This is what we play for and if you can't get excited for this then you shouldn't be playing lacrosse.
PH: Yesterday we talked about the "work days" that the team has in practice and then as the week goes on the team begins to focus more on the upcoming game. How was practice different today compared to yesterday?
AC: Today was a little bit lighter. Toward the end of the season we have our two work days and then more of our mental days as we get closer to the game. As the season has progressed with injuries and people just being battered and beat up, we start do to mental stuff earlier in the week and practice is kept as short as they can, because one of the biggest thing, late in the year, every team has this problem its just keeping everyone involved and keeping everyone into it and if you drag practice on then it doesn't keep everyone into it. But, today practice was great, we worked a lot on one on one work and some situations that we think that Maryland will throw us offensively and we did that live because it is earlier in the week practice.
BM:Today was one of those work days, we call it "live/" It was a shorter practice than a typical third day, because I think some of the guys are a little bit banged up. We want to make sure we get enough rest for the weekend.
PH: Does "live" just mean you guys are out there scrimmaging?
BM: Yeah, when were not live were just doing walk-throughs, there are no checks. But when we are live we are playing as if it were playing a game.
PH: Georgetown has never beat Maryland in men's lacrosse. What is the team doing to ensure that history does not repeat itself?
AC: Well, our class of guys has never beaten Syracuse and we did that this year, so hopefully we can overcome one more hump, which will be beating Maryland. They are a heck of a team, very well-coached and they've got great players. Our coach mentioned today, maybe on paper they might come across that they have the better team and I bet you that no one believes that we are going to win. But we like being in that situation, we like being the underdog and I think we're blessed have the opportunity to play a team that we have lost to...because every time you walk off the field after a loss during the year you say to yourself, man I wish I could play that team again. We have that opportunity and hopefully we'll take advantage of it.
BM: Well, we have been in this situation not only against Maryland but in the quarter-finals the past two years. I'd like to think we've learned from those experiences and improved on them. The history to me doesn't mean that much. You just have to worry about games on a weekly basis, if you start paying attention to the past I think you're going to get in trouble. But, with that being said, we definitely want to learn from our past experience.
PH: One last thing, I was talking to some of your teammates (Nick and Brice) and they mentioned the paintball games your team has. They also mentioned something about you being "the enforcer." Would you mind explaining that, I am a little interested.
BM: (laughs) Yeah, I don't know what they are talking about. We go out and play paintball every year, I don't know, I think I'm a pretty easy target out there so that's what they were probably referring to. I am not the best paintballer in the world.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
PH: Today in the Washington Post, the article about you mentioned that Coach Jack Emmer from Army asked you to try out for the U.S. team that will compete for the world championship in 2006. Coach Urick reminded everyone that you will be on the "other side." Are you going to play for Canada's team?
BM: Yeah, definitely. I mean, if I can make the team. The try-outs are this summer. The games are going to be played in Ontario, not too far away from my hometown. I am definitely really excited of the prospect of playing in that.
PH: Do you have to be asked to tryout?
BM: Yeah, I have been invited to the try-outs. It's not as stringent as the US. The US tryouts are more of an open try-out.
PH: The article also mentioned something about you doing 50 push-ups when watching T.V. shows with your family and giving up your mom's homemade cookies? Do you mind explaining a little about that?
BM: (laughs) Yeah, I have a bit of a sweet tooth; I don't know why my mom said that. I don't very often turn down a cookie. I don't know; just when I'm at home I feel like sometimes I'm bit of a couch potato. So, during commercials, it's usually my brother and I, and we have little push-up contests. It's kind of weird but..
PH: No, I thought that was interesting.
BM: (laughs)
PH: In the March issue of Inside Lacrosse, your teammate Nick Miaritis said that, "You don't want to be anywhere near him when the ball's on the ground." What is your mentality when going for a groundball?
BM: I just think a lot of players, try to go after the body a little too much. I just try to concentrate on the ball a little bit more and I guess just being a little hungrier. That's all it is, there's really no secret to picking up groundballs. It's just hard work and to read it when it's on the ground, I guess and being the first guy there.
PH: I understand that Andy Corno is right behind you in groundballs for the season, do you guys have a competitive nature towards each other, besides your one on one basketball rivalry?
BM: (laughs) Yeah, definitely. I live with five other guys from the team and we're all really competitive - we're all athletes so it's just in our nature. It seems like we compete over everything, whether its basketball or foosball, cards or darts. We're really competitive guys.
PH: Going back to the 2003 season, Kyle Sweeney ended his season with an injury against Rutgers, which forced you into the spotlight, filling Sweeney's position. Do you think you were ready?
BM: I think I was ready for it. It was kind of an awkward situation. Kyle, as I have said before, he has done so much for me, he has had a big influence on my lacrosse career. It was tough for me to see him sit out in his final year. I mean, I had enough game experience and I was ready to fill his role at that time. It was sad to see him go down but I was excited at the opportunity to play on a regular basis.
PH: Last year you were the first longstick middie to be nominated for the Tewaaraton Trophy, how do you feel about becoming a possible finalist again this year?
BM: Well it's definitely exciting to think about, but I don't really dwell on it too much. There are bigger things on my mind right now. My primary goal is to win a National Championship and that's really my focus right now and I think everything else that comes on top of that, is just icing on the cake. It's not something I really think about a lot. The only thing I am really thinking about right now is Maryland and figuring out a way to try and beat them this week.
PH: That is a great honor to be nominated, Congratulations.
BM: (Smiles) Thanks.
PH: In preparation for the Maryland game, is practice getting more intense as the weekend approaches?
BM: In the earlier days of the week, we call them our "work days." This is the time where we can really get after each other; we're not so much focused on the opposition we're more just focused on getting our conditioning in and going out there and playing against each other and banging around a little bit. So today, I thought we did a great job of really working hard today and getting our conditioning in. Later on in the week, is when we fill out a little bit and concentrate on specific things that Maryland does.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
PH: How long have you been playing lacrosse?
BM: Well, I grew up in Canada where we play box lacrosse as oppose to field lacrosse and I started playing that when I was about 9 years old. I grew up in Montreal and then I moved to a small town in Ontario where it was really big and everyone played it. I picked it up there.
PH: Just for clarification...What is the difference between box lacrosse and field lacrosse?
BM: It is indoor lacrosse; it's played in an arena. In my old town everybody plays hockey in the winter and then they take up the ice and you play on the concrete surface. There are five players and everybody has a short stick. It's similar to hockey in its setup and the same type of equipment. The main difference is that there are no long sticks in box lacrosse.
PH: Have you always been on the defensive side of the game?
BM: Yeah pretty much, playing box lacrosse everybody plays with a short stick as oppose to what I play with, a long stick. That has enabled me to handle the ball a little more and be a little more offensive minded then most defensemen. But, I guess I have gravitated towards the defensive side of the game in box lacrosse and that has what's caused me to pick up a long pole in field lacrosse.
PH: How have you developed as a player since your freshman year?
BM: Well, a lot. Just physically, the weight program that we have here is pretty intense and I follow it pretty strictly. It was big for me, strength is everything. And also the coaching-you practice 6 days a week and you're playing so much, you can't help but to improve.
PH: Was it a hard transition from playing high school lacrosse to college lacrosse?
BM: Yeah, it's a big jump for sure in the level of play. But, I was fortunate enough to have a great group of older guys that kind of made it easier for me. A lot of the guys led by example and that had a really positive influence on my game, on and off the field.
PH: Earlier this season you met Maryland and the game ended in a 13-6 loss, how do you feel about facing them again?
BM: Well I'm excited, we kind of got embarrassed in the first game and it's happened to us for the past two years against Maryland. The first game of the year and they came out and beat us pretty badly. But, I think we are a much different team then we were in the beginning of the year and I think we have improved a lot. There's definitely kind of that revenge factor in there I guess. We definitely have a real bitter taste after our first game and we'd like to get a little bit of redemption on them.
PH: How is the team chemistry entering into the NCAA Tournament?
BM: Great. We've been on the road a lot this year and when you travel in buses and planes you tend to bond a little bit more with your teammates and I think that's translated onto the field, I mean we're all really good friends off the field and we are pretty close. In teams that I have played on in the past there's been some separation between the freshmen and the seniors and the juniors and the sophomores. We don't really have that on our team, we treat everyone the same and like I said I think that has translated onto the field. There is an element of trust that we have developed.
PH: As one of the four captains on the team, how do you view your leadership role on the team?
BM: Well, I'm not really a big "ra ra" vocal guy: I think Andy and Nick and Rich do a good job of that, I just go out and try to work hard and lead by example and hopefully some of the younger guys follow that lead and I have a positive influence on them.
