Pat Perritt doesn’t know what the prototypical lacrosse player is supposed to look like. All he knows is, he most likely isn’t it.

‘As far as size, I’d say I’m probably not,’ Perritt said.

A stocky build on a 5-foot-9 frame leaves Perritt sticking out as one of the shortest players on Syracuse’s roster. However, his contributions of late have been anything but small. Aside from knocking down a pair of clutch goals against then-No. 6 Johns Hopkins, Perritt tallied two game-changing assists on Saturday in a tight early matchup against Binghamton, propelling the Orange to a victory.

‘You know all things being equal, I think big would be better than small,’ head coach John Desko said. ‘But Pat certainly gets a first step on his guy, he’s a very good all-around player.’

Perritt looks to continue to surprise opponents Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome when the No. 2 Orange (5-1) take on No. 17 Hobart (5-1) in the battle for the Kraus-Simmons Trophy.

Playing undersized is something Perritt has had to deal with as far back as his days at Sachem High School in Holtsville, N.Y. But it was watching his brother – a two-time national champion at SU – play with another undersized lacrosse icon that helped bring his game together.

Coming to the Carrier Dome and studying the game of the 5-foot-10,165-pound Mikey Powell, a two-time Tewaaraton Trophy winner, taught Perritt that his build may be a gift in a game dominated by taller athletes.

‘Mike Powell, he wasn’t a big guy – he was a small guy and he got it done,’ Perritt said. ‘I grew up watching Mike play every game and I learned a lot, just watching the way he played and how he used his size to his advantage.’

It was a lesson learned that led him to two All-America seasons to round out his high school career and propel him to the top of the recruit rankings.

Now, four years later and zero inches taller, Perritt patrols the midfield alongside two players who combined are almost a foot taller, but he continues to make his presence known.

While most players use their size to muscle defenders and edge their way toward the goal, Perritt is known for his signature first-step burst of speed and accurate finishing ability. In the Orange’s first game of the season, a 22-3 rout of Providence, Perritt put his skills on full display, reveling in his role against a larger defender.

With the game deadlocked early on, Perritt sized up his defender before faking a pass over his left shoulder and bolting to the right. After clearing some room, Perritt buried the shot in the back of the net. It was just like Powell taught him.

‘He’s shorter, but he’s got good quickness and he’s hard to cover,’ midfielder Matt Abbott said. ‘His speed and his change of direction is very quick and it just creates problems for defenses.’

In Abbott’s mind, the average collegiate midfielder should be around 6 feet tall, but says few players have the ability to work defenders like Perritt, which can help keep the flow of the game up and lead to more opportunities offensively.

‘He’s not afraid to get in there and get his hands dirty,’ Abbott said. ‘If somebody else is bigger than him he’s definitely going to outwork you and I don’t think anyone is going to outwork him on the field.’

Perritt said after four seasons players ‘know better’ than to tease him about his stature. Abbott added that any remarks about Perritt’s size have silenced after three years of solid play.

Desko, on the other hand, has another idea. Although he admits Perritt is a hard worker, he thinks it’s his association with one of the most intimidating figures on the team that keeps other players off his back.

‘Of course, when one of his buddies is Dan Hardy, who is 6-foot-4, it helps his cause,’ Desko said. ‘He looks better standing next to the beanstalk there.’

ctorr@syr.edu

Published on March 23, 2009 at 12:00 pm