FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Sean Keenan knew the way to get Cornell head coach Jeff Tambroni’s attention.

Kennan, the head coach at Smithtown High School West, had an ace prospect in his back pocket – one of the best players he’d ever coached – and just needed the right way to introduce him to Tambroni.

So Keenan sent Tambroni an e-mail telling him that if he wanted another Tim Goldstein, a lacrosse hall-of-famer and high-power attack with the ability to take over the game, then he’d need to take on Rob Pannell.

‘When I e-mailed coach Tambroni, I thought of Timmy because we played together,’ Keenan said. ‘Timmy and Rob, they both have eyes behind their head, they know when someone’s open and Timmy was a 2-time All-American at Cornell and an NCAA player of the year and that’s who Rob reminded me of.’

In only his first season at Cornell, Pannell is on his way to fulfilling Keenan’s premonition. Ranking in the top five in both assists and points per game in the nation, while putting up six points (three goals and three assists) in the Big Red’s 15-6 upset of Virginia Saturday, Pannell is looking to take Cornell to a place where even Goldstein couldn’t – a national championship victory.

Pannell will get that chance Monday at 1 p.m. (ESPN) when the Big Red take on Syracuse here at Gillette Stadium for the 2009 NCAA men’s lacrosse championship.

‘Timmy had a great career at Cornell and it was such a compliment to be compared to him,’ Pannell said. ‘I talked to Timmy and he told me to just play how I play and don’t be afraid to hold back because he never did.’

Just like Goldstein, Pannell understands the weak points in a defense. Something he exhibited Saturday against Virginia. After his Big Red jumped out to a quick two-goal lead on the top-seeded Cavaliers, Pannell lofted a pass into a charging Ryan Hurley for the goal, a 3-0 lead, and a surge of momentum that wouldn’t be lost all game.

Although he’s just a freshman, Pannell continued to manage the Virginia game like his high school coach had promised. Whether it was the pinpoint pass he fired into the lane to connect with attack Chris Finn for a score, or the instinct to take it to the cage for one of his three goals – each from a different angle on the field – it was Pannell’s instinct that kept Virginia stunned and on its toes.

‘For a guy who’s a freshman,’ Tambroni said, ‘playing at the level he’s playing at now, it’s been pretty impressive to lay witness to what he’s been responsible for.’

But that’s where the Goldstein comparisons end for Pannell. Although he was a hall-of-famer, Goldstein couldn’t lead the Big Red past Johns Hopkins in the 1987 finals, or Syracuse in the 1988 championship. Pannell still has the chance.

He’ll be facing another team just like Virginia, packed with upperclassmen and stellar athletes. His vision, instincts and management skills will be tested more than they were Saturday, but after writing the e-mail promising Tambroni that Pannell was ready for just this moment, his high school coach isn’t worried.

‘We always knew great things were going to happen to him,’ Keenan said. ‘Rob’s a field general, a born leader and knows the game very well. He’s just a great student of the game. I’m sure he’s studying Syracuse right now to see who’s going to be covering him.’

After the Virginia game ended, Pannell and Keenan sent text-messages back and forth about the win. Pannell wanted his high school coach to come to Foxborough Monday to see how far he’d came since his days at Smithtown West, to show he plays like Keenan knew he could.

But unfortunately, Keenan will be busy crafting the next Pannell, Rob’s younger brother – a ninth grader at Smithtown – during the National Championship game Monday. He told the sibling he could skip practice, but like Rob, he’s a field general in the making. So a post-game text will just have to suffice.

‘I told him I wanted him and my brother here,’ Pannell said. ‘I wanted them here for personal reasons to be here at the final four so I just keep busting his chops to see if he can cancel practice. I’m still trying to get my brother here at least.’

ctorr@syr.edu

Published on May 24, 2009 at 12:00 pm