January 5, 2010 E-MAIL PRINT

Rousing Rabil is the face of Major League Lacrosse

by Scott Souza/

With 53 points in 12 games, Rabil was named MLL Offensive Player of the Year in addition to MVP. (photo: Boston Cannons)

With 53 points in 12 games, Rabil was named MLL Offensive Player of the Year in addition to MVP. (photo: Boston Cannons)

The crowd forms around Paul Rabil instantly. It builds to the point where he can barely move an inch or two without a stick in his face or a body in his path. Major League Lacrosse’s most dynamic talent – and one of the sport’s most recognizable players – is trapped on the field.

It happens during each Boston Cannons game as the midfielder tries desperately to dodge past defenders. But it happens just as much after games as young players converge on the charismatic, long-haired player in the No. 99 jersey, seeking autographs.

“He has taken over as the face of the league and the face of lacrosse,” said Cannons general manager Mark Kastrud. “He’s the biggest star we have, without a doubt. If kids are going to know a player in this league, they are going to know Rabil.”

It’s a distinction Rabil is learning to accept, if not necessarily one he sought. Most important, it’s one he is beginning to understand and embrace. For decades, lacrosse has steadily built its cult following of passionate players and enthusiasts. But as the sport edges into the mainstream, Rabil realizes he is one of the forces thrust to the front of the boat to guide its path.

He has recently appeared in a series of TV advertisements from Under Armour and Dick’s Sporting Goods that have appeared on NFL and NASCAR broadcasts.

“Granted our league is full of talent, but there is something about Paul Rabil,” said Cannons coach Bill Daye. “You are watching a game in prime time on Thanksgiving and there he is on TV. That’s probably the first time you’ve seen anything like that in our sport.”

At an imposing 6 feet 3 inches and 225 pounds, he is the perfect statuesque icon. As the reigning MLL Most Valuable Player and member of the US world championships team, he also has the skill to back up the popularity.

“It’s a blessing to be in that situation,” he said following a recent lacrosse clinic in Marlboro, Mass. “To be an ambassador of the sport is something that weighs heavily on me, too. It’s something that contributes to my hard work and dedication to be a better player. I definitely don’t take it lightly. If anything, it raises the bar for me individually.”

The Cannons hold several clinics each year as part of their marketing and outreach programs, but there is something electric about the ones featuring Rabil. Sessions in Marlboro and Pembroke, Mass., sold out well in advance on the same day. During an autograph scrum after the Marlboro event, young players had him sign shirts, balls, sticks, and body parts. It left no question that Rabil is a big deal, and having him in tow is a big deal for the Cannons and MLL.

“He’s the franchise, if you will,” Kastrud said. “We sell 10 times as many Rabil shirts as we do for any other player.

“It’s great having the No. 1 player in the league on your squad,” the GM added. “He’s a marquee player, and anyone will tell you that you sell your stars in sports. The toughest thing for our league right now is developing our stars.”

After helping Johns Hopkins University to two national championships, Rabil was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2008 when the Cannons traded up in the draft to get him. He scored 34 points in nine games for the Cannons that summer. Last season, he connected for 33 goals and 53 points in 12 games and was named MLL Offensive Player of the Year in addition to MVP.

This fall, he was picked for the U.S. world championships team and is refining his skills in the indoor game with the Washington Stealth of the National Lacrosse League.

It’s a busy time for Rabil. But in a sport in which even the more established players often have to work outside of the game to support themselves, Rabil is happy to be able to immerse himself in it so completely.

“It always helps having your stick in your hands eight or nine months a year,” he said. “Guys who aren’t playing in the NLL, they can be practicing on their own, but it’s not the same. You are not in game-like situations. You are not keeping your edge with that intensity of the game.”

Edge and intensity are a key part of the Rabil package and manifest differently in the indoor game than the traditional outdoor setting with the Cannons.

“It’s more physical, more finesse, scoring in tight versus my game in the outdoor league, which is more dodging hard up top and shooting hard from the inside,” he said. “I have to change my style of play. But it makes me more of an all-around player.”

Becoming a better — or perhaps the best — all-around player remains Rabil’s primary goal. Blessed with the size to be dominant, he said he began to learn how to use all his physical tools at Johns Hopkins. It’s a process he continues to work on passionately.

“I demand a lot out of myself,” he said. “I don’t really look to achieve certain accolades. But as I continue to grow and work with my strength coach, and develop my athleticism, I would be disappointed if it didn’t show on the field.”

His biggest recent disappointment came with Boston’s early exit out of the MLL playoffs. After blowing a series of second-half leads late in the season, the trend bit the Cannons again in the MLL semifinals when the Denver Outlaws rallied from three goals down for an 11-10 victory.

It was the seventh one-goal loss in seven defeats for the Cannons (6-7).

“I was certainly happy with the individual results, but as a team I thought we could have done better,” he said. “That’s what weighs on your conscience the most. We have a lot to build back toward next season.”

As Rabil’s image grows in the sport, Kastrud said he can see his stature growing on the field, and in the locker room.

“I see how sensitive he is to that and how aware he has become of his role on this team,” Kastrud said. “Paul understands what good leadership means to a team and I am interested to see how he develops as a leader because of that.”

Over the next few months, he will look to do that on three different stages, in the NLL, MLL and during the US world championships team’s preparations for its trip to England this summer.

“It’s keeping one indoor stick and one field stick in hand at all times,” he said. “I am going to be taking a couple of weeks off from the indoor season to participate in international games and practices. But it’s something you have to do. You have to value this opportunity to represent your nation.”
Representing something greater is a role that has come to fit Rabil quite well.

“He is an elite player,” Daye said. “But he takes nothing for granted. He is a very grounded, hard-working player. He sees our sport is at a point where it is going in the right direction and Paul is at the forefront of that.”

. . .

The Cannons selected Pat Heim with their first-round pick (No. 3 overall) in MLL’s Supplemental Draft last month. They hope Heim will take some midfield pressure off Rabil.

The Penn State product didn’t play last season but played well for Chicago in 2007 and ’08, compiling 39 points in 23 games.

The Cannons also selected Chris Ajemian (Duxbury, Mass.), Matthew Smalley (Cumberland, R.I.), and Mike Stone (Wellesley, Mass.).

 

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