Check out this article on the Hopkins squad for 2009:
It focuses less on individual players' abilities and more on the team as a whole. I think that it is interesting to note that players do not wear hats inside, have to hold doors open for others, must sit in the front row of their classes, have dinners together and none of them are in fraternities. It seems like Petro is really grooming these kids to be upstanding men but the following one section gave me pause,
"Pietramala also does not hesitate to throw a player out of practice if he feels he's not playing up to standard, and he has no qualms whatsoever about using whatever language necessary to convey his point."
I don't have any problem with kicking kids out of practice for not performing, especially at a school like Hopkins where lacrosse is clearly a top priority for everyone involved. However, the use of "whatever language necessary" does not match up with Petro's expectation that these young men hold themselves to the highest standard in all aspects of life. When I hear a coach [at any level] constantly spewing cuss words, I instantly lose respect for them because they are relying on the lowest common denominator to get their point across instead of doing so eloquently and intelligently and thereby setting a good example. There may be a time and place for F bombs but if you use them constantly you are doing yourself a disservice by taking the easy way out, you are doing your kids a disservice by acting in a hypocritical manner and you are doing our great sport a disservice because you resemble a baseball manager kicking around the dirt instead of a lacrosse coach molding our next generation of great men.
This is not a Hopkins diss or a slant aimed at Petro in any way shape or form. No one is perfect and everyone gets angry from time to time but Hopkins is the top example of academic, high-character players and winning traditions and because of this we expect more from them. I would like to applaud coach Pietramala and the Hopkins program for putting academics first, instilling good character in all of its players and for doing so all while being a top flight program... now if they could only clean up their language!
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