Player Spotlight


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.

In the Player Spotlight this week is Defensive specialist Regy Thorpe of the Rochester Knighthawks .

Regy Thorpe and his Rochester Knighthawks are sitting pretty following Saturday night's 17-11 victory over the Buffalo Bandits at Marine Midland Arena. The Knighthawks have won four straight and six of seven after an 0-2 start. At 6-3, Rochester is tied with Baltimore for first place in the National Lacrosse League. The Knighthawks play their last three games at home, starting with next Saturday's showdown against the Thunder.

PLPA correspondent Tom Borrelli interviewed Thorpe after the game.

Question WHow did it feel to finally score your first goal as a pro in your fifth year in the league?
Answer It was more of a relief. It felt good but I didn't play that well defensively that game (against Syracuse). Gaiter (Paul Gait) scored three or four on me that night. It felt good to get the goal but I'd almost rather see us play a good team defensive game and me not to score.


Question What does it take to be a good defensive player in the NLL?
Answer It takes a comittment to being unselfish. You're not in the headlines like the guys who get in the scoring column a lot. You have to have a good work ethic, a blue collar attitude. You have to work hard and get in the trenches like and offensive lineman. You don't get much credit for it but your teammates appreciate it.


Question How devastating was it to the team to lose goalie Steve Dietrich to a season-ending knee injury for the second straight year?
Answer It was very devastating but Derek General and Patty O'Toole have played great for us. They've really carried our team. Our offense gets a lot of credit but really the backbone of the team has been Derek General and Patty O'Toole. They've come up big for us. It hurts to lose Steve but it's great to have two guys like Derek and Patty behind him.


Question Do you think the Knighthawks are the league's most balanced team?
Answer I'm not sure. There's so much parity in the league this year up and down. Anyone can beat anyone else on any given night. It all comes down to coming in and playing hard every time out.


Question What about your pro career makes you proudest?
Answer Probably being up there in ground balls every year and playing in every game. We won a world championship and playing for the same organization and not missing a game has meant a lot to me.


Question You coached the Iroquois Nationals in the World Games last July in Baltimore. Is coaching part of your future?
Answer Yeah, I would like to coach in the future. I coach high schools and was a defensive coach at the World Games. I love the game, my family loves the game. I definitely want to coach in the future.


Question What do the Knighthawks need to do to take care of business in the last three games?
Answer I think we just have to focus, game in and game out. This was a big game for us. We just have to stay hungry.


Question Are you planning to play lacrosse this summer?
Answer Yes, but I'm not sure where yet. It will probably be either for the Akwesasne Thunder or the Six Nations Chiefs.


Question Why do you think Rochester's fans rank among the best in the league?
Answer There's nothing better than Rochester fans. They're a great group that supports us through good times and bad. My hat's off to them. That's one of the reasons I've kept playing there, for five years, because the fans are so great.


Question Who is the toughest player in the NLL for you to play good defense against?
Answer I think there's a number of players, I really couldn't pick out just one guy. Gary Gait, John Tavares, Darris Kilgour, you could go right up and down the list. There's so many good players in this league now. Each team has one or two good players so I think that in each game, you have a different best player.


PLPA Correspondent

Tom Borrelli, fell in love with lacrosse while writing for his school campus paper "The Record" as a student at Buffalo State College in 1977.

He has seen and covered over 1000 games at all levels which includes the Buffalo Bandits for the Buffalo News since their inception in 1991, NCAA Tournament games, Final Four Championships, upstate New York schools games, the Canadian Mann Cup Championship, the OLA Major Box Lacrosse Series, the Buffalo Gamblers of the OLA Major Series and high school events.

Tom presently writes for the Buffalo News and does extensive feature writing for Lacrosse Magazine and Inside Lacrosse. Between pro box, college and high school field and OLA box lacrosse Tom attends about 50 to 60 games a year (and Dick Vitale thinks he has it made with hoops!) The PLPA is happy to have Tom on board as a contributing writer for the Player Spotlight.



Next week will feature Mike Accursi of the Syracuse Smash as Ron MacSpadyen will have him in the "Spotlight".