FROM GODUKE.COM
The title of captain holds significant weight on any sports team. Those that are awarded the honor are often held to a higher standard, and serve as an example of how the game is meant to be played. With these characteristics and traits in mind, it would be difficult to question the leadership of the captains Duke’s lacrosse team has had in recent years.
The likes of Jordan Wolf, Luke Duprey, Brendan Fowler and Christian Walsh helped guide the 2014 Blue Devils to a second consecutive national championship, while the previous year, the trio of David Lawson, Josh Offit and Bill Conners laid the foundation and tradition of winning for the team’s future leaders. As is the nature of college athletics, the end of each season brings a changing of the guard. Seniors graduate, making way for the younger players that were developed and nurtured through the guidance of the upperclassmen. This season, it’s senior Will Haus’ turn to step into the captain’s role and pass down what he’s learned from those in the same position he is in now.
Haus, in many ways, is the perfect embodiment of the Duke lacrosse program. The awards and honors that he received while in high school, including three all-conference first team selections and two All-America recognitions, showcase the skill with which Haus played as an attackman for Palmyra Area High School in Palmyra, Pa. But once he arrived in Durham, there was a void in the defensive midfield that needed to be filled, and Haus jumped at the opportunity to transition into this new role. For some, such a transition would be difficult, trading the glory and attention that comes along with goal scoring for the thankless, less attention-garnering task of playing defensive midfield. For Haus however, the decision was a no-brainer.
MORE AFTER THE JUMP
“It comes down to not only how you, but also your coaches and teammates, feel you can help your team out the most,” Haus explains. “[Defensive midfield] was the position that they felt I could help the team out the most. Just realizing that the people you’re playing with know that [the position] is important, and it’s just as important as the other positions, is cool.”
Haus embraced his new role on the field and found himself with plenty of opportunity to develop his craft. Head coach John Danowski utilized the freshman in his new position throughout the season, providing Haus with invaluable in-game experience. In his first year donning a Duke jersey, Haus would play in all 20 of the team’s games, including the final game of the season, a 16-10 loss to Maryland in the 2012 NCAA Semifinal game. The growth of Haus’ game at the defensive midfield position would be unquestionable over his sophomore and junior years, as he helped Duke register its best and second-best clearance percentages in school history during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
A student of the game, Haus progressed as more than just a player during his first three seasons on campus, however, taking in the intangibles that the upperclassmen on the team emphasized to the younger team members. What struck Haus the most throughout his development was the behavior and demeanor of the team’s leaders that permeated beyond the playing field.
“Since I’ve been here, the leadership has been great,” Haus says. “What you take away from them is it’s not only on the field stuff. Obviously a lot of [the previous leaders] were good players, but we had captains my freshman year, like Scott Meyer, who didn’t play, but were respected. It’s about doing things right, not only on the field but off the field. You see those guys who are the leaders just really excel in the classroom, on the field, socially. They’re just people you want to follow. Not even necessarily saying much, but just knowing they’re doing the right thing.”
It’s that type of leadership that would help develop the team’s younger players like Haus and guide the Blue Devils to back-to-back national championships. Haus consumed the attitude and determination that the team’s upperclassmen showcased during those two years. In reflecting on how the Blue Devils won consecutive national championships, Haus doesn’t credit the team’s talent in helping achieve such a difficult feat, but rather the preparation. And preparation, Haus explains, requires a full team effort.
“[The team] always realizes and recognizes those who, during practice, work hard and don’t get the time on the field [in games],” Haus states. “The starters wouldn’t be doing what they’re doing without them, without the help and the hard work that they put in, too.”
This attitude has helped develop a team that is truly that, a cohesive group that came together and achieved what few other teams ever have in winning two national championships in as many years. Haus appreciates the success the program experienced in the past, but his maturity allows him to understand that the team can’t rest on its laurels and expect similar results this season. As a captain, Haus feels it’s his responsibility to help mentor the younger players new to the college game, and the message, as it’s always been with Haus, is about the team.
“I think with experience comes that hunger,” Haus believes. “We have young guys who haven’t played a lot. I mean, first time on the field, [freshmen are] like, ‘Oh, what am I doing? Am I doing well? Am I playing well?’ As time progresses, the team aspect comes into play. I think that’s key for this team, with the younger guys playing. They’re all talented. They’re all here for a reason, but it’s just figuring out, ‘Hey, it’s more than just me. It’s a team.’”
As he’s done throughout his college career, Haus utilizes a team-first attitude, even with regards to his captaincy. Although there are three captains on this year’s squad, Haus looks at it as a team effort in developing the younger players.
“I think [upperclassmen’s] actions, who aren’t captains or don’t play on the field, but [younger players] see them in practice every day, still working hard, still giving it everything they have shows a lot, too, to the younger kids,” Haus explains. “Younger players think, ‘If I just enjoy it and work hard, it’s going to be fun.’ You can’t sit there and pout the whole time, and think ‘I’m not playing.’ It’s not going to be fun. And I think it comes with time, too. I know it’s hard, coming in as a freshman, being all-star at high school and say you’re not playing now. Again, with time, you realize it’s bigger than yourself, it’s the team.”
Now as a team captain, Haus tries to employ all of these experiences to help pay it forward and not only help guide Duke as captains before had, but also continue to foster the same values and approaches to the game that helped develop underclassmen much like himself. And even though Haus now finds himself in a leadership role, he isn’t shying away from the realization that there is still room for his own growth.
“I’m not the most vocal person in the world,” Haus admits. “I’d say I’m more of a lead-by-example kind of guy. With that being said, being vocal is something that has its time and place, and I feel like that’s one aspect of leadership that I can work on. It’s maybe not so much going out of my comfort zone, but trying to make it more of a priority, almost. It’s something I’m capable of doing. I just don’t usually do it.”
As the season moves forward, Haus is motivated to develop as a captain, and transition into this new role in order help the team achieve continued success.
“I think it’s just cool at this point, each game coming in asking ourselves, ‘Can they do it again? Was that a one-time thing?’” he wonders. “I think that’s exciting as a team, just knowing on the practice field everyone’s working real hard. It’s always fun to see in games how that [hard work] translates.”
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