There’s no denying it. Brian Crockett’s numbers have dropped drastically this year.

But to suggest Crockett’s role this season has decreased is taking the easy way out. The midfielder scored three goals in Syracuse’s 17-8 victory over Colgate last Saturday. But comparing the senior midfielder’s 35 goals last season to his 15-goal output this year could lead some to conclude Crockett isn’t the player he used to be.

That sure is the case, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Syracuse hosts Harvard on Sunday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson earned its first postseason appearance since 1996 and last faced the Orange in 1986, a 13-9 SU victory.

Crockett may not be the leading scorer on Sunday, but the senior will provide experience as the most seasoned midfielder in a relatively young unit.

‘It’s not like he really decided he was going to switch (roles) this year,’ freshman midfielder Dan Hardy said. ‘He just does whatever he needs to do to help, I guess. Our midfield has done all the other little things to help us out. His points aren’t as high as it used to be, but I think six in a row we won, five in a row, something like that. He’s been a huge part of it.’

This season, two events propelled Crockett to work more on developing the midfield than reemerging as a major scoring threat, although he has done so at times with a hat trick and two two-goal performances.

This year, SU (8-4) is seasoned at attack with Joe Yevoli, Brett Bucktooth and Mike Leveille, scoring 67 of 124 goals for the Orange this season. With season-ending injuries to seniors Greg Rommel, Stephen Brooks and sophomore Greg Niewieroski at midfield, Crockett stood as the lone senior in the first midfield line.

Initially, SU head coach John Desko thought Crockett tried to do too much, placing the burden on his shoulders to contribute offensively as well as train the likes of Hardy, Pat Perritt and Matt Abbott. But now Desko sees Crockett playing differently.

‘Early in the year he’d take a bunch of shots in the game and maybe only come out with a goal,’ Desko said. ‘Now he’s not trying to force it as much. He’s taken three, four, five, six shots and coming up with a couple goals each game.’

Crockett fired 11 shots against Georgetown and eight against Johns Hopkins and Hobart. Toward the end of the season, Crockett has been more selective, taking four shots against Colgate and Massachusetts and six against Albany. Since he has scored one goal in eight of SU’s 12 games, the numbers suggest Crockett has been smarter and more accurate when firing at the cage.

But again, it’s more important for SU not in the numbers Crockett is posting but in the way he’s bringing up the young players. Hardy and Perritt laud the senior midfielder for their overall development this year. It couldn’t have come a moment too soon considering the injury-depleted midfield Syracuse inherited.

Perritt has scored 14 goals, trailing the attack trio, including the game-winner against Cornell on April 11. Hardy, meanwhile, has been impressive with distributing the ball at midfield, not necessarily in assists but making timely passes to control the offensive tempo.

Crockett’s presence indirectly makes the other midfielders more susceptible to scoring. Syracuse has seen opponents circle Crockett on their scouting reports, using their long-pole defenseman to cover him. Many times that leaves players such as Perritt and Hardy going up against short-stick defensemen, giving them an easier chance to score.

Perritt admits when the midfielders fell to injury, he had to make adjustments. But Crockett was there to assist him. In particular, Perritt has learned from Crockett how to dodge more effectively by attacking the cage harder. Before, Perritt hesitated because he feared turning the ball over.

‘A lot of guys can get frustrated when their (teammates) are not understanding a couple things about the offense,’ Perritt said. ‘He never seems to get frustrated. He works through everything, and understands at first that we were a little confused.’

Crockett notices the cycle in which players develop as he reflects on his four years with the Orange. In his freshman year, Crockett depended on former SU midfielders Sean Lindsay and Steve Vallone to help him improve.

Now Crockett is fulfilling that role with Hardy and Perritt. Whenever Crockett assists the young players, he often reminisces on how he was once in that position, a factor that Crockett points to as an explanation for his strong patience.

‘I used to always ask them questions,’ Crockett said. ‘The way they were with me, I always thought if I could be like that with someone else, try to show anything and lead them the way. I like to do that just because how comfortable everyone made me feel then.’

Published on June 11, 2006 at 12:00 pm