NLL Insider

This week we chatted with former Syracuse All-American defender Steve Panarelli, from the San Jose Stealth, about his rookie season thus far in the National Lacrosse League (NLL).

You were a three-time All-American at Syracuse, a school a lot of kids grew up wanting to play at. Can you talk a little more about that experience?
“It was kind of weird, it had its up and downs for sure. My freshman year we won it. I got All-American as a freshman which was cool. My sophomore year was the first time we missed the Final Four in 22 years. My junior year, we got back to the Final Four and then my senior year, we missed the playoffs. So it was kind of an up and down, roller coaster of a ride. But I had a great experience there. Getting a ring, getting a couple All-Americans and being a captain there was definitely a dream come true. Like you said, a lot of kids grow up wanting to go there. I wanted to go there since I was a little kid too. Everyday I was there basically living the dream, so it was a good experience.”

At what point did you consider giving the NLL a serious look?
“You know, I grew up watching it believe it or not. My good friend who plays at Towson, his dad, Norm Engelke, coached for the Saints when we were little kids. So I grew up watching the game. That was definitely been another dream of mine was getting into box and playing. Unfortunately they don’t have any box leagues back in Long Island, so my first experience in box was this season. And it’s been a great experience so far.”

Have you experienced one of those ‘Welcome to the NLL’ moments?
“Yeah, my first game was in Calgary. I was on the face-off team and picked up the ground ball, right against Calgary’s bench. As soon as I picked it up I tried to turn around and kind of run out of trouble, but I ran basically into a triple team- just got killed into the boards, ended up on my face without the ball right in-front of the Calgary bench. They had some nice words to say for me, for sure. Like you say, it was like welcome to the NLL, this is what it’s about. I remember being on the floor and almost cracking a smile and being like ‘oh man, this is what it is’. It was pretty funny.”

Right on. Are you starting to feel more comfortable out there now?
“Yeah, every game you’re just continuing to learn and get better. As far as getting adjusted, the coaching stuff has done an unbelievable job of working with me and teaching me the game. Same thing with some of the older guys on the team who’ve have really taken a lot of time out to work with me.”

What are some specific things you’ve picked up?
“For Americans playing one-on-one defense you pick it up quick. Playing in the field game there’s a lot of one-on-one stuff. In box, the adjustment’s in the two-men game and three-man game, and playing the picks. You learn and try to improve on that aspect. Like I said, it’s a learning process. Every game you learn something new and try to eliminate mistakes that you’ve made already.”

You’re a relatively young team. What’s the feeling like in your dressing room right now as we enter these last few weeks of the regular season?
“I think we’ve got a great mind set right now. We’re kind of young but we’ve got a lot of veteran guys who have been here before. You talk about Colin Doyle and Shaydon Santos, and all those guys. We’re young, but at the same time we’ve got some veterans with some experience. Our young guys are getting better every game. We’ve got a great attitude going into it. We’ve set some big goals for this season and hopefully we can achieve ‘em.”

Thoughts on this weekend?
“It’s a huge weekend for us. We’ve got a home-and-home with Portland. Obviously a Western rivalry. And for us, to take two this weekend would be huge to get back into that first place hunt and also to get two this week would lock us up a playoff spot. So it’s a big weekend for us. We know that they’re a tough team and they’re playing well, and they’re still fighting for a playoff spot too. So it’s going to be a battle both nights. We need to be ready to play and hopefully we come out with two wins.”

Finally, what would you tell a young American field player who’s also considering the NLL?
“Go play, it’s a lot of fun… It’s a great game. I wished more Americans tried to play and tried to get involved with it. If you’ve got a box league around you try to pick it up. Definitely give it a shot, it’s worth it. It’s a lot of fun.”

As noted, San Jose (6-5) and Portland (4-7) play a home and home this weekend, starting in Portland on Saturday and then moving to San Jose on Sunday afternoon.

Tickets for the ‘Jax home game start at just $5!

Also check out taking a group to the Stealth home game at the HP Pavilion. Tickets are still available through ticketmaster.com or by calling the Stealth ticket office at (925) 460-8290.

An All-America at Simon Fraser and a decorated Jr. A player for Coquitlam, Kojima began covering lacrosse in 2003 and started working for Inside Lacrosse in 2007. Email him at steve.kojima@nllinsider.com or go to www.laxfuj.com .

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