Ned Crotty has been asked to make this switch before.

Crotty played exceptionally on the lacrosse field at the mifield position at Delbarton School in New Jersey. Then in his senior year, Crotty showed up two weeks late to lacrosse practice because it overlapped with hockey season, and his high school coach asked him to switch to attack to replace the starters the team lost to graduation.

Crotty had no objections, but no real preparation either. He also had little problem adjusting. He ended his senior season as the State Player of the Year honoree. As an attack.

After his senior year of high school, it was off to Duke. Crotty played midfield and forgot about hockey. He earned All-American honors his junior year at midfield. Then, before this season, his college coach, John Danowski, asked him to replace Matt Danowski and Zack Greer at attack.

Crotty stepped up once again, and experienced plenty of success. He calls it ‘ironic’ that the same switch happened twice.

His 76 points this season is good for a team-best and good enough to have him as one of the 2009 Tewaaraton Trophy finalists. His personal accolades have boosted his team into the final four. Duke (15-3) will take on defending national champions Syracuse (14-2) Saturday (noon, ESPN2) at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

‘It was a bit of a leap of faith to move him from midfield to attack,’ John Danowski said. ‘He was a proven commodity at midfield. He was an All-American midfielder. It was not guaranteed he would make the transition.’

Crotty currently sits second in points-per game in the country behind only Syracuse’s Kenny Nims. Crotty averages 4.22 points per game to Nims’ 4.25.

But Crotty thinks he still is struggling at attack. There’s a new hurdle every day at his new position.

‘Everything having to do with playing attack is an obstacle,’ Crotty said. ‘I still haven’t gotten used to it. Everyday I’m still learning. It’s the way you look at the field, and where you dodge. Everything is different.’

As a midfielder, he viewed the field from coming from behind. He only dodged on top. Now, Crotty dodgers from behind the cage. He said he enjoys controlling the tempo of the game and being more involved in the offense, even though he always saw himself as a perfect midfielder because of his speed and endurance to run up and down the field.

The 53 assists Crotty has on the season have provided many shining moments, despite Crotty’s hesitation to say he’s settled into attack.

The most recent glowing achievement came in the Blue Devils’ most recent outing against North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Duke scored five goals in the second half, and Crotty assisted on four of them. He scored two goals and dished six assists to propel Duke to victory over North Carolina, 12-11, and into the final four.

‘Ned’s shining moment at attack hasn’t been one moment,’ Danowski said. ‘It’s been his consistency from the beginning to the end of the game.’

This year, Crotty said things are different than previous championship weekends. The past two years, Duke has fell to Johns Hopkins. In 2007, it was in the final game. Last year, it was in the semifinals. The Blue Jays were eliminated in the quarterfinals by top-seeded Virginia earlier in this year’s tournament.

Crotty said he’s excited to play against the defending national champions in Syracuse. He’s always anxious to play new teams. That’s the competitiveness in him, Danowski said.

Crotty realizes that being the best requires playing the best, so he and the rest of his Duke teammates are excited to take on the Orange. Crotty said SU’s status as defending champs doesn’t phase him because it is not the same team that won last year’s title. Just like Duke isn’t the same team that was bounced by the Blue Jays last season.

This year’s squad has more experience on the field and in close game situations, like Duke’s come-from-behind win against the Tar Heels to win in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. And this year, Crotty is on attack.

For Crotty’s high school coach, Chuck Ruebling, it’s Crotty’s athleticism and ‘incredible vision’ that makes him the perfect fit on attack for Duke. Of course, Crotty switching positions weakened the midfield, but strengthened the attack. It was a risk Danowski didn’t mind taking.

Danowski said he never tries to run an offense through one player, but Crotty makes the plays available to him. Danowski called Crotty ‘a good, old-fashioned attackman.’

‘A good player will thrive in any system,’ Danowski said.

The ironic twist that led Crotty back to attack for the second time now has given him the chance to aid his team in attempting to win the program’s first-ever national title.

Through the adjustments and the hurdles, Crotty didn’t complain. It’s just like Crotty told his high school coach when the switch happened the first time:

‘It’s whatever the team needs, coach.’

mkgalant@syr.edu

Published on May 22, 2009 at 12:00 pm