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ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — When Paul Rabil speaks, the lacrosse world listens. Widely regarded as one of the greatest lacrosse players of all-time, if not the greatest, Rabil took to X (formerly knows as Twitter) last weekend with high praise of UAlbany’s Jake Piseno after a remarkable play Piseno made on Saturday. But the praise goes far beyond that one play.
Piseno has made a habit of producing jaw-dropping plays this season. His latest came last Saturday in a game against UMBC. In the waning seconds of the first half, Piseno fired a laser from near-midfield that pierced the back of the Retrievers’ net – the seventh goal and 11th point of the season for a long-stick midfielder, who specializes on playing defense.
It didn’t take long for that goal to go viral on social media, and get picked up by lacrosse Rabil, the co-founder of the Premier Lacrosse Lacrosse and former first overall pick of the 2008 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft.
Rabil re-posted the video, and his caption wrote, “Shooting from another planet…Jake Piseno might be the best player in the country right now.” For context, that’s like a college basketball player hearing Michael Jordan or LeBron James say they might be the best player in the nation.
Piseno, the reigning America East Defensive Player of the Year, appreciates the praise from Rabil and other lacrosse figures on social media who have called his stellar play to attention this season. And it only makes him want to continue improving.
“I never really thought that they’d be putting that stuff on social media about me…so, it’s definitely something that I take to heart,” said Piseno. “But Coach [Scott] Marr’s told me many times, and my dad tells me all the time, “You gotta stay humble.” The work doesn’t stop. You know, in my mind, I haven’t really done anything; I haven’t really proved anything, so I just gotta continue working, and…that’s what I’m doing.”
Well Marr certainly believes Piseno has proved something.
“He does more for our team, and he does more in a lacrosse game than any other player in the country,” said Marr, UAlbany’s head coach. “[Duke’s] Brennan O’Neill and [Virginia’s Connor] Shellenberger…those guys…they’re great offensive players. But they don’t play man-down. They don’t play transition. They don’t play wings on the faceoff. Jake does everything for us. There’s nobody in the country who does as much in a game as he does, and he does all of it very well. So, it’s hard to say he’s not the best player in the game.”
Coach Marr has seen a lot of elite talent come through his program, and some parallels can be drawn between their games and Piseno’s.
“Just like Lyle [Thompson] did for us and [Connor] Fields, he (Piseno) makes players on our team better around him. The confidence he gives them to do things; the confidence that we have around him…that’s what makes a great player a great player.”
Piseno would never say he’s the top player in the nation – he’s just too modest. But he certainly has the mindset of one.
“I come out on the field, and I want to be the best player on the field; every time I come out. Whether that’s playing defense, playing offense, whether that’s being the greatest teammate…I want to be the best at whatever I do, especially when I have this helmet on.”
And the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time), Rabil, has taken notice of Piseno’s efforts.
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