March 28, 2007

By Josh Herwitt

CSTV.com

JOSH HERWITT
Josh is CSTV.com's men's basketball editor and writes a weekly national column.
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        ---   Column Archive   --- M. BASKETBALL 4/8: Chalk One Up For These Jayhawks 4/6: Calipari, Self Ready To Take Final Step 4/4: What More Could You Want? 3/28: Tar Heels Feeling Right At Home 3/22: Gillispie Better Off In College Station? 3/16: Title Hopes Looming Large For Bruins 3/13: Arizona Keeping Tourney Streak Alive For Now 3/6: Holding A Full Deck Of Cards 2/28: A Step Back To Take A Step Forward 2/21: Nothing Comes Easy For Ryan 2/17: Blue Devils Anything But Blue 2/07: Bruins Could Be Hanging No. 12 2/07: January In Review 1/31: Hoyas Keeping Task At Hand 1/24: Finding Themselves 1/20: The Day We Were Waiting For 1/17: Hoosiers Holding Pieces To The Puzzle 1/10: Clemson's Scare Good For Heels 1/06: December In Review 1/03: Flyers Under The Radar 12/27: Win And You Shall Receive 12/20: Beasley's Just Being Beasley 12/13: Decadent and Depraved In Kentucky 12/06: Trojans Hurting Now To Smile Later 12/06: November In Review 11/29: Spotlight Shining Bright On Westwood 11/23: Turgeon's Taking His Time 11/15: Out With The Old, In With The New? 11/12: Don't Sleep On These Guys 11/08: Ducks Are Still Flying High 11/08: UCLA's Showing A Lot Of Love 11/05: Matta's Starting Over With More Youth 11/02: Hibbert's Standing Front and Center 11/01: Weber State Hopes To Dance Again 11/01: Hoyas, Cardinals Are Neck and Neck In Big East 10/30: Chomping At The Bit 10/27: Young Blood Giving Blue Devils New Life 10/26: Sweet Carolina 10/25: Better Than Nothing 10/18: Freshmen Fever 10/16: Hampton, High Point Ahead Of The Game 10/15: Vermont, Yale Climbing The Ladder 10/14: Austin Peay, Kent State Want Another Shot 10/12: On That Next Level 10/11: To The Highest Point 10/10: Roy's Boys Start At No. 1 10/04: Lexington's Buzzing Off The Hardwood 9/27: Leading The Pac 9/20: Everhart's Keeping His Dukes Up 9/13: Williams Just Getting Started 9/6: VMI's Williams Eager To Take Next Step 8/30: Beating Senioritis 8/23: Gearing Up For 2007-08 8/15: Walberg's Changing It Up 8/1: Gonzaga's Pargo Playing Coach 2/24: Bruins Enjoy Sweet Revenge 2/14: Lasme Takes Charge For Minutemen 2/1: St. John's Loses Steam After Halftime 12/2: Gause Provides Punch for Seton Hall Against SMC 11/22: Dynamic Duo Leads UCSB Over Pepperdine 11/18: LMU Shocks New Mexico St. With 0.9 Left 11/17: Gamecocks Spoil USC's Arena Opening 11/16: Mbah a Moute's Night 11/11: LMU Pulls Away Against Oral Roberts, 68-65 11/8: It's Been A Long Time M. LACROSSE 7/25: Yeatman Plays It Laid Back 7/18: For Better Or Worse? 7/6: Marr's Latest First 6/27: Making The Push 6/20: Big Questions Remain For Potential Big East 6/13: Sciubba Savors His Opportunity 6/6: No Excuses 6/4: One More Chance For Glory 5/30: Looking Back at 2007 5/28: Hopkins King For Another Day 5/27: Le Moyne Stuns Mercyhurst For DII Crown 5/27: Salisbury Earns Revenge On Cortland 5/26: Drama Doesn't Get To Duke 5/26: Hopkins Plays Another Day 5/26: Pietramala Feeling Right At Home 5/26: One Last Time 5/24: For Almost All The Marbles 5/18: Queener Likes It His Way 5/17: Still Wearing Their Slippers 5/13: Great Danes Win This Dog Fight 5/12: Plenty To Prove 5/11: Staying Alive 5/9: A Lot Left To Prove 5/8: Hoyas Ready For Next Step 5/7: Left in the Dark 5/5: Resetarits Powers Albany's Title Revenge 5/5: There's Nothing Sweeter Than Perfection 5/3: Seawolves Have No Answer For Thomson 5/3: These Irish Don't Need Any Luck 4/29: D Stands For Danowski...And Duke 4/28: Familiar Foes 4/28: Feeling Devlish 4/25: Turning Orange 4/21: Confidence Builds With Each Win For Hopkins 4/18: Cottle's World Full of Decisions 4/14: Nearing Perfection 4/7: Pouring It On 4/4: Off Their Heels 3/28: Seeing The Other Side 3/21: Albany Breaking New Ground 3/14: Big Things Brewing For Big Red 3/7: Climbing The List of Coaching Greats 3/3: Virginia Starts To Settle In With Face-Off Victory 3/2: Danowski Shows No Mercy For No. 6 Maryland 2/28: Losing Their Grip On The Stick 2/27: These Ten Bears Haven't Been Forgotten 2/16: Like Father, Like Son 2/14: Hofstra Still Full Of Its Own Pride W. LACROSSE 7/11: Lacrosse Migrates South 7/5: It's Home, Sweet Home For Miller 5/7: 'Cats Eyeing Three-Peat 4/11: Barking Softly Is Koch's Way 2/21: Building Programs Is Murphy's Game 2/15: Finding Her Own Key To Success 2/13: Third Time Is Still A Charm For `Cats FOOTBALL 10/8: USC Hangs On Again BASEBALL 1/23: Roemer Hungry To Get Back To Omaha M. WATER POLO 9/4: Cal Clawing For More 11/27: Family Doesn't Always Come First 11/13: March Is Back In Spite of Back 10/16: Top-Ranked USC Tops Cal in SoCal Tournament Final M. SOCCER 8/21: Nyarko Knocking at the Door 8/21: Title Hopes Brewing in Westwood 8/20: Bruins On The Rebound 8/20: Gauchos Go For Two

Frank Fedorjaka may know better than anybody else in Lewisburg, Pa., what heartbreak feels like.

That's because the Bucknell coach could just have easily been singing a different tune at the end of last season had the Bison not dropped six games by two goals or less to finish 6-8.

But while the close losses remained the storyline for Bucknell all throughout 2006, Fedorjaka is now getting to see what it's like to be on the other side of the eight ball in his second season at the helm.

After beginning the 2007 season unranked and untested, the Bison have become one of the biggest surprises in college lacrosse with a 7-2 record and No. 16 ranking in this week's USILA poll.

And since its season-opening victory over St. John's, Bucknell has only continued to show that last season's mishaps in late-game situations are nothing but a distant memory.

"It's been night and day," Fedorjaka remarked.

The Bison proved that in the second week of this season, stealing an 11-10 win over Hobart in overtime to propel them into the national rankings for the first time in 2007.

The win signified a turning point for Fedorjaka and a program that hasn't buckled under the pressure despite a starting lineup largely composed of freshmen and sophomores.

Fedorjaka, on the other hand, isn't surprised one bit by the results his ever-improving team has unveiled midway through the regular season. And after last season, he's realizing that sometimes the ball just bounces the right way.

"We're not surprised by it," Fedorjaka asserted. "I don't know if we're better than any of those teams we beat, but we were on those days...It just went according to plan."

That plan starts and ends with Joe Mele, who might just be college lacrosse's biggest secret so far.

The 2006 Patriot League Rookie of the Year has been as good as anyone this season, tallying a team-high 24 goals in nine games, which currently ranks second in Division I behind the 29 tallies from Virginia's Ben Rubeor.

With a versatile selection of shots, Mele has a knack for finding the back of the cage every time he steps out on the field.

But more importantly, he's done it against quality competition, netting five goals back on March 6 to lead the Herd to their fourth straight win with a 9-6 decision over then-No. 19 Penn.

The victory marked another step forward for Bucknell and, in particular, Mele, who now stands just two goals shy of reaching his 26-goal mark from a year ago.

"Joe has been so clutch," Fedorjaka commented. "He's the guy that gets us the big goal. He finds lots of ways to score...That's what he does best."

Three weeks later, Mele was doing what he does best once more, registering his second five-goal game of the season in a 12-5 rout over conference foe Lafayette.

Mele, however, isn't one for talking much about himself. Even as Bucknell's offensive leader, he's a player who puts his teammates before himself and let's his stick otherwise do much of the talking.

"We have pretty lofty expectations," the sophomore attack said, "but as a crease guy I have to give credit to the guys getting the ball into me...I think so far I've been able to really put the goalie in difficult situations every time I touch the ball."

And with freshmen attackmen Austin Winter and Tim Brandau playing older than their age and making an immediate impact, Mele hasn't felt any extra pressure weighing on his burly shoulders.

"It's been real easy," Mele said about the transition from his freshman to sophomore year. "We have a lot of younger guys stepping up to the plate right away. I wouldn't be doing nearly as well if it wasn't for those two [Winter and Brandau]."

Whatever the reasons may be for Bucknell's early-season success, Fedorjaka is showing that a program that stood under Sid Jamieson for 38 years is in safe hands.

That sense of security starts with the confidence that Fedorjaka instills in each of his players.

"They feel like, when push comes to shove and their backs are against the wall, that they're going to be able to make a play," he said. "I think their confidence is very high."

Yet even after serving as Jamieson's assistant for seven years, Fedorjaka understands that he has a long way to go before he can even touch the legendary coach's seven conference championships and 242 career wins.

"They are big shoes to fill," he admitted. "Coach Jamieson has just about every award in the game of lacrosse...Those shoes I don't even think about filling.

"I've tried to pick up where he left off and make it even better."

Jamieson isn't making his presence felt on the sidelines anymore at Bucknell, but he hasn't lost contact with the program. The 1996 National Coach of the Year continues to fundraise for the team and makes sure to attend all the home games.

And even now and then, he offers Fedorjaka a couple words of wisdom.

"I see him around all the time," Fedorjaka added. "I try to incorporate him as much as I can. I think it's hard for any coach that's been at one institution for that long to just drop everything."

So with a year under his belt and Jamieson in his back corner, Fedorjaka can finally take a deep breathe. That is, until the ball drops and whistles blow again this Saturday.