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Player Spotlight highlights the finer details and elements while supplying insight to the fans on what a player's thought process may be pertaining to a certain play, game or situation. It brings the intensity, passion, and inner most thoughts of the individual player that otherwise may not be felt or heard. |
02/24/03 Aaron Wilson - Toronto Rock Red-hot rookie Aaron Wilson cut down the middle to score the last-minute winner in the Rock's narrow 11-10 victory over the Rochester Knighthawks. With a team autograph session to rush off to, he didn't have much time to talk about it after the game. But the kid they're calling "7/11" because he's "always open" squeezed in a few words with PLPA correspondent Ben Knight anyway. | ||
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So you play your last junior game with the Kitchener-Waterloo Braves in 2000, and it takes a little while for you to get to the NLL. What happened during that time? | |
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I don't know. I really wanted to play, and Albany wouldn't give me a chance. But we had a good summer out west on Coquitlam, and I ended up here. It's a dream come true playing for the Rock.
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I talked to your old Jr. A teammate Colin Doyle just before he went west last summer, and he seemed to think you'd be a heck of an addition to the Rock, and it was his mission to help you out with that. What happened when he got out there? | |
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Basically, we played well together. I love playing with Colin. I've known him for a long time, and we're good friends, and I hope I can play with him a lot more. | |
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What was it like trying to fill his shoes in Kitchener after he graduated? | |
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I just tried to play my game. I'm not Colin Doyle. He's one of the best players in the game. As long as I play my own game, I'll be happy.
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Tell us about the winning goal today. You sure looked happy when you got that one. | |
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A minute left, and I'm glad it went in. It gave us a big win. Finally I was able to bury it.
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You're making a pretty good transition here, as that "7/11" nickname shows. Are you surprised how smoothly it's gone for you here? | |
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Well, I think I played well this summer out in Coquitlam, and I got used to the senior game. With Dan Stroup in Vancouver and Kim Squire out of the lineup, I want to contribute, and I think I've helped the team so far.
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Is there anything different about plying in the NLL from what you thought it would be watching it? | |
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It's a fast game. I just want to keep up, and play my game. It's a bit different and a bit quicker, but I think I've adjusted.
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Click here to read Al Truant's player spotlight. | ||
| PLPA Correspondent Ben Knight is a columnist for Sportsnet.ca, and a regular contributor to Total Lacrosse.com and the Outsider's Guide to the NLL. He lives in Toronto, and is a passionate Six Nations Arrows fan. |
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