By Kenneth Fermin
Kevin Crowley, Ryland Rees and Justin Pugal are three of the best lacrosse players in the world today. The trio are also among the best athletes to emerge from Stony Brook Athletics, whose constant perseverance, dedication, and improvement are often on full display on the field. When the three do battle in the 2019 Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game on Saturday, July 27 at 7 p.m., each will showcase their talents and fight for victory. And though each share the prestigious title of being an All-Star, their paths to the sport’s biggest stage were anything but similar.
The Veteran
There is no pressure to overcome, no resume-padding required, when you are a four-time All-Star and the 2013 All-Star Game MVP. Just ask Kevin Crowley. Crowley is the most experienced of the three Seawolves, and one of the most veteran players representing Team Fire. Entering his eighth season, the midfielder will compete alongside 11 teammates with three years or fewer of professional lacrosse experience.
“It’s pretty cool,” Crowley said. “I’m getting older every year but it is nice to be recognized. It’s a huge honor since there are a lot of good players in the league so to be named an all-star is a pretty cool feeling. ”
While having Crowley on an All-Star team is a near-certainty — this is his second appearance in three years, after all — fans almost missed out on seeing him at all this season. Crowley signed a three-year contract with the Charlotte Hounds in late 2018, returning to the team for another stint. However, with the league set to embark on an expansion and reorganization , team president Jim McPhilliamy announced the Hounds would sit out the 2019 and 2020 seasons, leaving the pro without an organization.
Instead, he returned to Long Island, signing with the Lizards in a relocation draft. His home games are just an hour away from Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, where he led the Seawolves to an America East Championship, a national Top 10 ranking, and an NCAA Tournament First Round victory in 2010.
Crowley’s success is rooted in his ability to control the game’s tempo on both ends of the field, standing out as New York’s third offensive weapon with 13 points and utilizing all of his 6’4” frame to scoop up 14 ground balls through eight games.
The All-Star bid is just his latest achievement over the past year. He represented the silver medalist Team Canada at the 2018 FIL World Lacrosse Championship, and commanded the National Lacrosse League’s Philadelphia Wings offense by scoring 82 points this spring. While he will always be focused on dominating competition, Crowley is anticipating a relaxed environment surrounding the exhibition.
“All Star games are always fun, Crowley said. “You don’t have the pressure of winning on you so it’s a light atmosphere. Getting to watch guys like John Grant Jr play- who is one of my favorite players growing up- I’m really looking forward to getting to spend a whole weekend with him. You got friends across all the teams and now you get to spend the weekend playing with them so I am looking forward to it.”
The Prospect
For Ryland Rees, the prospect of becoming an All-Star was not a matter of “if,” but “when.” Success has followed Rees throughout his career — whether it was winning the Stony Brook Senior Athlete of the Year or earning the America East Defensive Player of the Year honorific this past spring — and he has shown no signs of slowing down since joining the MLL. The rookie has shut down opposing offenses by providing the Boston Cannons with a defense as compact as a wall.
“Getting drafted by the Boston Cannons is another childhood dream come true,” he said. “It’s going really well, just the way Boston has treated us and the team has come together in such a short time and compete at a high level and have the success that we’ve had.”
Rees was selected in the third round of this year’s MLL Draft and has showcased his on-field dominance in the Cannons backfield. The long-stick midfielder hasn’t lost a step adjusting to professional play, placing second on the team with seven caused turnovers and eighth in the league with 26 ground balls, and was named the Warrior Defensive Player of the Week in Week Four. Even with his impressive performances, the rookie remained humble when reflecting on his accomplishments so far.
“I had no expectations, I just wanted to play,” Rees said. “So, going in for training camp I just wanted to make the team so I played my heart out so thankfully they took a chance on me. Just being able to play in the All-Star Game as a rookie is incredible.”
Rees will represent Team Fire, teaming up with Crowley for the first time since last year’s World Championship on Team Canada. He will compete against fellow Cannons rookie Justin Pugal and Team Ice, and may even matchup defensively.
“I think it is going to be a competitive game,” Rees said. “I got Crowley on my team this time and I’m going against Pugal so it is going to be a little different this game but I am excited to go against Justin. Everyone is going to go out and compete since that is just the lacrosse mentality everyone has, whether it is the All-Star game or regular season.”
The Longshot
Justin Pugal always wanted to play professional lacrosse, yet he was told he would never make it. He’s heard it before, when people scoffed at his dream of playing lacrosse for a D1 college, but that didn’t prevent the long-stick midfielder from completing his Stony Brook career on the America East First Team All-Conference. However, following the devastating 15–8 first round upset loss to eventual conference champion №4-seeded UMBC in the America East tournament this year, Pugal’s slight chance at going pro disappeared.
Although he was a cornerstone of the Seawolves mid and backfields, appearing in 57 games, MLL teams did not seem impressed with his numbers. The midfielder garnered no attention from scouts and went undrafted, telling MLL.com he believed the playoff loss was his final game. It seemed like he was right — until a friend helped Pugal earn a second chance.
Ryland Rees and Pugal kept a tight relationship on and off the field since their freshman season, rooming, practicing and constantly improving together. They played in tandem and were standouts for Stony Brook defensively, but the duo was prepared to part ways following the draft results. Three weeks later, Boston Cannons head coach Sean Quirk called Pugal for a tryout and the chance to play alongside Rees once again.
Pugal seized the opportunity and earned a contract, landing him in a very familiar role: teammates with Rees.
“It is one of the greatest things,” Pugal said. “He was my roommate all four years of college so it was pretty cool that someone I knew wound up on the team. He is one of my best friends so we practiced together, ran together and did everything extra together. It’s pretty cool.”
Pugal has carried the momentum from the senior season into his impressive rookie campaign. His aggressive defensive style of play has helped Boston shut down opposing offenses, with six caused turnovers, ranking third on the team. The impressive start elevated Pugal into one of the league’s rising stars, and convinced fans to vote for him as an All-Star.
Regardless, the long-stick midfielder’s mindset has remained the same.
“I just keep my head down and work my butt off so if you notice me, you notice me; If you don’t, you don’t,” Pugal said. “I’m just a worker and go balls to the wall every time out there.”
For Pugal, becoming an All-Star is just the latest demonstration of his remarkable ability to succeed in the face of long odds. He has made those who overlooked him regret their choices by becoming one of the league’s best players. Now, the rookie will stop at nothing to continue to prove his doubters wrong by giving it his all at the All-Star Game.
“I’m going to go in there and show everyone what I got,” he said. “I don’t think I have got as much recognition as I have in the past and I really want to put my name out there and let people know who I am. So I am going all out for this.”
The MLL All-Star game will be played in Annapolis, MD and will be televised on ESPN2.
