Four weeks ago, Matt Danowski was Jake Tripucka’s assistant coach, watching Tripucka lead the Blue Devils to their second national championship in four years.
This weekend, the pair will take the field together as teammates when Tripucka makes his professional debut for the Charlotte Hounds of Major League Lacrosse as they take on the Chesapeake Bayhawks Saturday at 5:30 p.m at American Legion Memorial Stadium.
“To see him grow during his senior season, not only as a player but as a person, it was really fun to be around,” Danowski said. “He played like a senior throughout the tournament, and this is a player’s league. So all he has to do is go out there and play like he did that final weekend and he’ll have a lot of success.
Tripucka was originally a sixth-round selection in the 2013 MLL Draft by the Hamilton Nationals Jan. 11, but was traded to Charlotte less than three weeks later. Hearing that he and Danowski would be teammates—just before his final collegiate season was set to begin—Tripucka said he could barely contain his excitement.
A senior captain under Duke head coach John Danowski, Tripucka pointed to Danowski’s son as one of his inspirations to play for the Blue Devils. Matt Danowski was a four-time All-American at Duke and won the Tewaaraton Trophy in 2007.
“He was always one of those guys I looked up to growing up,” Tripucka said. “Before I came here, Matt Danowski was the face of Duke lacrosse. Watching him play just made me want to be a part of this system.”
Now as teammates, Danowski is helping Tripucka adjust to the world of professional lacrosse. In addition to playing with some new rules at the professional level, Tripucka must also adjust to the life of a semiprofessional athlete—players often work outside jobs and commute to join their teams for games on the weekends, rather than competing together every day like Tripucka did at Duke.
“In college it’s a much more rigid structure. You have practice every day, you get your shots in, you get to handle the ball, now in the pros you have to do that all on your own,” Danowski said. “It’s just a different method of preparation, but he’s adjusting well.”
Tripucka, a midfielder, scored 23 goals and notched 25 assists in his senior season at Duke. Playing attack, Danowski was the Hounds’ leading scorer with 43 points in the franchise’s inaugural season, ranking sixth in the league.
In addition to playing alongside Danowski, Tripucka will also play on the Hounds with defenseman Joe Cinosky, who served as a volunteer assistant on the Duke staff in the 2013 season.
Although Tripucka spent most of his life in Boonton Township, N.J., he was born in the Queen City. Tripucka’s father, Kelly, played 10 seasons in the NBA, finishing his career as a member of the Charlotte Hornets.
“It was cool to come back to Charlotte for my parents,” Tripucka said. “It’s great to start my professional career in the city where I was born.”
Tripucka said playing professionally gives him a sense of how small the lacrosse world is. He is now teammates with former Maryland midfielder John Haus and former Loyola attack Mike Sawyer—players who he was gameplanning to stop just months ago.
“The biggest difference is playing with guys that you were playing against for four years,” Tripucka said. “I just played against this guy at this school and this guy at that school and now we’re all teammates. It’s crazy.”
Just days away from his professional debut, Tripucka said he tries his best not to feel the pregame jitters. But he knows that when he steps onto the field for the first time Saturday, he’ll have his old coaches there to guide him.
“There’s always jitters, but I’m excited to help our team keep winning,” Tripucka said. “Matt and Joe are both huge to have because they let you know each step of the way how you’re doing and where you need to adjust.”
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