Following Duke’s second straight first-round NCAA tournament loss last spring, the reality that one of the most decorated senior classes in the program’s history had failed to live up to expectations in its final two years started to set in.
Even with two-time national champion midfielders Deemer Class, Myles Jones and Chad Cohan putting up record-breaking offensive numbers, the Blue Devils could not deliver the timely plays needed to advance deep into the postseason.
As a result, head coach John Danowski had to confront a new challenge much earlier than expected—replacing his best offensive playmakers in the midfield in addition to bolstering the team’s defense
Luckily for the three-time national champion, an experienced college player decided to transfer to Durham and join a group of heralded recruits in the midfield before the Blue Devils opened summer workouts.
Enter Sean Cerrone, one of the few transfers in the program’s recent history, by way of Villanova.
“I wanted to go somewhere where I would have a chance to play for a national championship,” Cerrone said. “I just didn’t feel like I was at a school where I could get that done. I definitely wanted to achieve more as a team, more than just personal success.”
Through two years with the Wildcats, Cerrone had accumulated 57 points, but his team went a combined 15-13 and failed to make the NCAA tournament in either year.
It was at that point that the offensive-minded junior began exploring his options elsewhere. Despite a solid level of individual contribution, highlighted by leading the team in total points as a freshman, Cerrone did not appear to reach his potential following a stellar career at Chaminade (N.Y.) High School. The Huntington, N.Y., native was named an Under Armour All-American as well as a U.S. Lacrosse All-American coming out of high school.
So naturally, when it came time to choose a new destination to spend the next two years, Cerrone chose his home away from home. Duke boasts four additional players from Chaminade, including senior goalkeeper Danny Fowler and defender Brian Dunne.
“They actually were a big help in where I was deciding to look for when transferring schools,” Cerrone said. “[Thomas Zenker], Brian, Danny, I texted them all in a group chat and said ‘Hey, how’s the team down at Duke?’.... They gave me Coach Danowski’s number and that was pretty much that.”
Through four games this season, Cerrone has already elevated himself to the first midfield line and displayed his passing acumen with four assists in early action. Although the Blue Devils have struggled out of the gate to a 2-2 record, the schedule has not been kind, as Duke has faced then-No. 17 Air Force and No. 1 Denver in the first three weeks of the season.
The junior has ingratiated himself to a new challenge—being the experienced veteran on a midfield filled with new faces despite never having worn the Blue Devil jersey before. Cerrone is playing alongside sophomore John Prendergast, who saw little action last season, and freshman Kevin Quigley, who is still developing a feel for the college game despite an excellent start to the season. It is the junior’s responsibility to simultaneously learn his new surroundings as well as to lead on the field.
“Sean’s a winner,” Danowski said. “Everybody told me when he decided to transfer from Villanova, everyone said to me, ‘You’re going to love this kid, he’s a winner,’ and they’re right. He’s willing to do anything for the team, he’ll play offense, he’ll play defense, he’ll play the wing on faceoffs.... He gets it.”
For Cerrone, the aspirations and team culture are, by his admission, much greater at Duke than they were at Villanova.
But the schedule is infinitely more challenging, as every team in the ACC is a contender to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament and capture the conference crown.
“Out here [in ACC lacrosse] we just try to get better every day,” Cerrone said. “Every time we have a rough drill or something isn’t looking too good, we just have that mindset that we have to get better today, so we think we’re just going to keep getting better and better week by week, so by the time ACC play does come, we’re going to be a dominant force.”
At no point following his arrival did Cerrone feel lost in his new team’s system. And through early action, it appears as though he has stepped up to provide Duke some of the certainty it lacked coming into this season.
“Coming in, I’m a junior, but I’m also a new guy, so I had to find a balance,” Cerrone said. “Coach Danowski was awesome and just told me that they’re going to treat me as a third-year guy—not a freshman. They wanted me to step up and become a leader.”
Ben Leonard contributed reporting.
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