Long Island to Ivy League: Lax Attack Goes Way Back

Six feet tall. Left-handed. From Long Island, N.Y.

Men’s lacrosse co-captain Dean Gibbons and junior Jeff Cohen have a lot in common.

But most of all, the dynamic duo knows a thing or two about scoring. The attackmen have combined for 111 goals over the past two seasons—42 percent of Harvard’s scores during that time.

The pair has been putting the ball in the net with ease since playing for rival high schools in Nassau County.

“Lacrosse on Long Island is very competitive,” Gibbons explained. “There’s a lot of talented schools out there. You become a better player playing against talented competition. That’s helped my game and Jeff’s game.”

Gibbons, from Garden City, N.Y., starred in football and lacrosse before arriving in Cambridge. An All-American in lacrosse in 2006 and 2007, Gibbons finished his career as the owner of the Long Island single-season scoring record with 101 goals and tied with former Crimson attack Max Motschwiller ’09 as Long Island’s career scoring leader with 236 goals.

Along came Cohen, from Syosset, N.Y., also a football and lacrosse star. By the end of his high school career, he, like Gibbons, was a two-time All-American, and he had broken his future teammate’s all-time scoring mark with 260 goals.

But despite Cohen breaking his record, Gibbons always admired his fellow attackman’s talent in high school, a sentiment Cohen shared.

“We actually played together the summer going into my junior year, so we knew each other pretty well,” Cohen said. “I looked at him as a role model figure...I was always kind of competing with him and looking up to him.”

Gibbons came to Harvard in 2008 after being named a Top 15 Incoming Freshman by Inside Lacrosse Magazine and immediately made an impression, finishing second on the team with 28 points.

Cohen arrived a year later with the same distinction and did not disappoint. Following in the footsteps of his brothers—Crimson lacrosse alums Steve ’06 and Greg ’07—the freshman led the team with 34 goals and 41 points while being named the New England Rookie of the Year. Gibbons was second on the team in both categories.

Last season, it was Gibbons who led the squad with 41 points on 27 goals and was named to the All-Ivy Second Team. Cohen finished ahead of his teammate in scores with 29 but behind him in points with 37.

The duo stresses the importance of staying in shape, remaining disciplined, and playing hard at all times as the secret to its success.

In 2011, Gibbons and Cohen will get the chance to put their goal-scoring ability to the test in a new offensive system, and their rookie head coach is happy to have them both.

“Dean’s our quarterback; he’s the leader of our offense,” said Chris Wojick ’96, a former lacrosse All-American and captain. “He really gets everything going—the other players really feed off him...Jeff is an excellent shooter with range. He’s not just a finisher; he’s got a really powerful shot from the outside as well.”

The pundits recognize their talent too. Gibbons was named a preseason All-American honorable mention heading into his senior year.

“Dean is the total package because he is a great dodger, a great shooter, and he’s also a great passer,” Wojick said. “There are a lot of players who can do one or two of [those things]. There aren’t a lot of players who are exceptional in all three areas.”

Despite their mutual talent, both stars have taken different approaches to their attack that distinguishes them from each other.

“I’m more of an off-ball player,” Cohen said. “Dean’s more of a creative player, so a lot of times I’m trying to create space for him...I think we have a pretty good connection here.”

Once competitors, the two attackmen now see the added benefits each receives from having the other as a teammate.

“Every week, defenses have to game plan for Dean,” Cohen said. “He’s always getting the other team’s top defender. Having that takes a lot of the burden off me. He’s such a great player...I think he’ll have a huge season.”

“Jeff helps the offense in a lot of ways,” Gibbons added. “He’s an excellent shooter...Having one guy on the field who you know can score from a lot of different areas is very helpful to the offense overall and definitely takes a lot of stress off others.”

Heading into this season, the individual competition for the team’s scoring title is up for grabs in what should be a fast-paced offense under Wojick.

“We’re going to play more of an up-tempo style this year, which is really exciting,” Cohen said. “That’s the most fun type of lacrosse to play. I think we’re going to be a team that scores a lot of goals [and] runs up and down the field.”

Two great scorers plus a run-and-gun offense? Safe to say Harvard Stadium won’t be a fun place for opposing goalies to play this season.

—Staff writer Scott A. Sherman can be reached at ssherman13@college.harvard.edu.