Photo by: Larry French
Falling in Love with Chaos
5/24/2019 12:27:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse, Student Athlete, Features
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
One of the primary jobs of a defenseman is to get the ball to his offense in any way possible. One of the most direct ways to do that is by causing a turnover.
Craig Chick did that better than anyone in NCAA Division I men's lacrosse history, causing 160 turnovers in his decorated career.
The final recruit in Lehigh's class, it's fair to say Chick has gone under the radar for most of his career. Heck, earlier this month, he broke an all-time NCAA record and it still feels like he's under the radar. (Chick was never named a first team All-American, garnering second team honors this season, from both Inside Lacrosse/Media and the USILA).
But that's the way he likes it.
"I always thought if your opponent doesn't think you're any good, they're not going to prepare for you," he said. "That's where I like to be and that's where I'm comfortable. If no one knew my name, teams wouldn't prepare for me and I could play my game freely. I definitely like being in the shadows and I don't like a whole lot of attention on myself."
Whether he liked it or not, Chick's play demanded attention. All he's done is lead the nation in caused turnovers as a freshman (37) before setting school records in three consecutive seasons – 40 as a sophomore, 41 as a junior and 42 as a senior.
For a while, it didn't look like Chick would break the NCAA career record of 158 held by Detroit's Jordan Houtby. With just two regular season games remaining, Chick had 26 caused turnovers on the season (and 144 in his career). He would go on to post six vs. Bucknell, four at Holy Cross, and three in each Patriot League Tournament game, to set the mark.
He even had a caused turnover to spare.
Chick tied the record in the second quarter of the league championship game vs. Army West Point and broke it in the third. He was never focused on the record for himself.
"I wanted to get that record for my family and friends who really believed in me and invested time and money in me," said Chick. "I really appreciate all they've done for me. It solidifies that they didn't make a mistake investing in me."
What did Lehigh invest in?
As Chick said, a "Very non-traditional defenseman. Not your traditional big, strong, solid defenseman. More irregular. I use my stick a ton to make up for some of the physical attributes I lack."
Despite always being a bit undersized, Chick has always produced.
At least he believes so.
"In high school, we never kept stats, so I couldn't tell you if I had a lot of caused turnovers," he said. "Whether my college career was better than my high school career, I have no idea. In high school, I found it easy picking off passes, which is something I got pretty good at in college. I threw a lot of checks just because I was a little bit slower than some of the guys I was covering. That knack seemed to develop in high school."
"I will never forget the call I got from assistant coach Brendan Callahan as he was driving back from watching one of Craig's Maryland Public School playoff games in the spring of 2014," said Lehigh head coach Kevin Cassese. "We were looking for one more player to round out the recruiting class and were specifically looking for a long-stick midfielder. I remember Brendan saying 'I think I may have found our LSM. But, he's not your prototypical DI LSM.'
"He described Craig as an average athlete, skinny and a step slow, but with an incredible gift for vacuuming up loose balls and an undeniable knack for being highly disruptive with his stick (checks, deflections and picking off passes). Craig just seemed to bring a level of chaos to a game that made the offense very uncomfortable, and we simply fell in love with that."
Chick wound up being much more than just a chaos creator. He was a leader who led the Mountain Hawks to the Patriot League title game in back-to-back seasons.
"It's bittersweet. We set out to get to championship weekend in our tournament because it's a big deal and a big league," said Chick. "It's definitely an accomplishment you can hang your hat on, but the bitter part is that we never won the game. It was tough to swallow that pill after the game (vs. Army) was over because you don't have another shot at it. All the years before, you say we'll get them next year and then you come to senior year and you can't say it anymore."
One thing Chick won't do is make excuses, even though the Mountain Hawks had every opportunity to do so in 2019. With preseason first team All-League honorees Andrew Pettit and Eddie Bouhall out for extended periods (the entire season and the second half of the year), there was a next-man-up mentality amongst the group due in large part to the leadership of the team's captains (Chick included).
"What may go unnoticed is how good of a leader Craig is," said rising senior Parker Kent. "Playing with him on defense for the past three years, I can honestly say he's one of the best leaders I have ever played with. Every single set on defense, Craig knows everyone's job and he's consistently talking to every other guy out there making sure they are ready to go. He makes everyone around him better and demands the best out of all of us."
Due in large part to Chick demanding the best from his teammates, the Mountain Hawks fought through plenty of adversity in 2019 and came out stronger on the other side.
"What we experienced this year was crazy," said Chick. "I've never experienced anything like it and I doubt any of the other guys on the team have either. But I think we were comfortable in it because of how we train and how we work in the offseason, how the coaches coach us and how we're led. Adversity is going to come and the way the guys responded was unbelievable."
More than just Pettit and Bouhall, the Mountain Hawks saw a number of other players miss action, including two eventual All-Patriot League honorees – Lucas Spence and Christian McHugh – who missed multiple February games. In their games missed, Lehigh took a lead into the third quarter at Virginia and fourth quarter at Cornell. Their presence could have made a difference.
A few games later in mid-March, Bouhall went down in Lehigh's win at Rutgers, which changed Chick's role and mindset a bit.
"It really changed my style of play, at least for a little stretch, because I had to start covering better attackmen," he said. "I think I was a little hesitant to play aggressively and play the way I like to play. Down the home stretch, I knew I only had a couple more guaranteed games, so might as well go out on my terms and play how I like to play."
How he likes to play was enough to break an impressive all-time record.
Chick wanted more this season – he would trade any individual honor for a team accomplishment any day – but is rightfully proud of what the Mountain Hawks accomplished.
Chick didn't win a championship in his career, but he helped raise the bar. After losing in the Patriot League Quarterfinals as a freshman and sophomore, the Mountain Hawks played for an NCAA Tournament berth his final two years in a league with plenty of quantity (nine teams) and quality (five teams that were nationally-ranked at some during the year).
Chick also left the program in strong position moving forward. Chick helped mentor plenty of young defensemen (Michael Hagenberger, Patrick McIlroy, Anthony Tangredi, Judah Hicks and more) who look poised to thrive in 2019.
"Especially one year out of college, if the team goes on to win a championship, the senior class can definitely hang their hats in saying that we played a major part because of the leadership we gave the year before," said Chick. "We'd be incredibly proud of the team and I truly believe that they're going to get back there, with another great shot at winning it."
Chick's Lehigh career is over, but his playing career is far from over as he was selected in the second round of the Major League Lacrosse Draft by the Dallas Rattlers, signing with the Rattlers earlier this week.
"Along with playing, I also hope to give private lessons and try running some camps," he said. "Lacrosse is just one thing that I'm comfortable with and I know a lot about. I'll try to use that to succeed in any way I can."
There is no doubt Chick has succeeded in the collegiate part of his lacrosse career. He will be remembered as the NCAA's all-time greatest in causing turnovers, but Craig hopes his legacy encompasses much more.
"I just hope people say I was a good teammate and was a guy they loved to be around every day," he said. "Hopefully, it's that simple."
No surprise, that's exactly what his teammates are saying.
"Craig really embodies what this Lehigh program is all about," said rising senior Crew Cintron. "He played with a chip on his shoulder and an intensity that motivated every guy next to him. His attitude and consistent approach to lacrosse every day has definitely resonated with the upcoming seniors and will continue to carry on in this program for years to come."
"Craig was one of very few Lehigh Lacrosse men who served as a two-time team captain," said Cassese. "His lacrosse skills and leadership ability were undeniable, but what I will remember most about Craig Chick is his blue-collar work ethic and the chip-on-his-shoulder mentality that he carried with him every single day. He loved to be doubted and he thrived when people told him what he was incapable of doing. The critics fueled his fire and the doubters motivated him to be the best he could be.
"It just so happens that he turned out to be the best we've ever seen at Lehigh, and one of the best the NCAA has ever seen."
One of the primary jobs of a defenseman is to get the ball to his offense in any way possible. One of the most direct ways to do that is by causing a turnover.
Craig Chick did that better than anyone in NCAA Division I men's lacrosse history, causing 160 turnovers in his decorated career.
The final recruit in Lehigh's class, it's fair to say Chick has gone under the radar for most of his career. Heck, earlier this month, he broke an all-time NCAA record and it still feels like he's under the radar. (Chick was never named a first team All-American, garnering second team honors this season, from both Inside Lacrosse/Media and the USILA).
The creator of chaos, Craig Chick, the all-time @NCAALAX caused turnover record holder.
— Lehigh Lacrosse (@LehighLacrosse) May 5, 2019
Congratulations to Craig, who today, jumped to #1 in NCAA history for caused turnovers in a career. This one ⤵️ tied the record, and he added two more to finish his career with 1️⃣6️⃣0️⃣. pic.twitter.com/jaPbGc4Wa9
But that's the way he likes it.
"I always thought if your opponent doesn't think you're any good, they're not going to prepare for you," he said. "That's where I like to be and that's where I'm comfortable. If no one knew my name, teams wouldn't prepare for me and I could play my game freely. I definitely like being in the shadows and I don't like a whole lot of attention on myself."
Whether he liked it or not, Chick's play demanded attention. All he's done is lead the nation in caused turnovers as a freshman (37) before setting school records in three consecutive seasons – 40 as a sophomore, 41 as a junior and 42 as a senior.
For a while, it didn't look like Chick would break the NCAA career record of 158 held by Detroit's Jordan Houtby. With just two regular season games remaining, Chick had 26 caused turnovers on the season (and 144 in his career). He would go on to post six vs. Bucknell, four at Holy Cross, and three in each Patriot League Tournament game, to set the mark.
While we await to start play again (at 8 p.m.), check out the first of THREE caused turnovers by Craig Chick in the game's first four minutes. He is now just FIVE from tying the @NCAALAX all-time record for caused turnover.
— Lehigh Lacrosse (@LehighLacrosse) April 26, 2019
Watch: https://t.co/lniVr18ACD pic.twitter.com/FOx7TOvFTB
He even had a caused turnover to spare.
Chick tied the record in the second quarter of the league championship game vs. Army West Point and broke it in the third. He was never focused on the record for himself.
"I wanted to get that record for my family and friends who really believed in me and invested time and money in me," said Chick. "I really appreciate all they've done for me. It solidifies that they didn't make a mistake investing in me."
What did Lehigh invest in?
As Chick said, a "Very non-traditional defenseman. Not your traditional big, strong, solid defenseman. More irregular. I use my stick a ton to make up for some of the physical attributes I lack."
Despite always being a bit undersized, Chick has always produced.
At least he believes so.
"In high school, we never kept stats, so I couldn't tell you if I had a lot of caused turnovers," he said. "Whether my college career was better than my high school career, I have no idea. In high school, I found it easy picking off passes, which is something I got pretty good at in college. I threw a lot of checks just because I was a little bit slower than some of the guys I was covering. That knack seemed to develop in high school."
"I will never forget the call I got from assistant coach Brendan Callahan as he was driving back from watching one of Craig's Maryland Public School playoff games in the spring of 2014," said Lehigh head coach Kevin Cassese. "We were looking for one more player to round out the recruiting class and were specifically looking for a long-stick midfielder. I remember Brendan saying 'I think I may have found our LSM. But, he's not your prototypical DI LSM.'
"He described Craig as an average athlete, skinny and a step slow, but with an incredible gift for vacuuming up loose balls and an undeniable knack for being highly disruptive with his stick (checks, deflections and picking off passes). Craig just seemed to bring a level of chaos to a game that made the offense very uncomfortable, and we simply fell in love with that."
Chick wound up being much more than just a chaos creator. He was a leader who led the Mountain Hawks to the Patriot League title game in back-to-back seasons.
"It's bittersweet. We set out to get to championship weekend in our tournament because it's a big deal and a big league," said Chick. "It's definitely an accomplishment you can hang your hat on, but the bitter part is that we never won the game. It was tough to swallow that pill after the game (vs. Army) was over because you don't have another shot at it. All the years before, you say we'll get them next year and then you come to senior year and you can't say it anymore."
One thing Chick won't do is make excuses, even though the Mountain Hawks had every opportunity to do so in 2019. With preseason first team All-League honorees Andrew Pettit and Eddie Bouhall out for extended periods (the entire season and the second half of the year), there was a next-man-up mentality amongst the group due in large part to the leadership of the team's captains (Chick included).
"What may go unnoticed is how good of a leader Craig is," said rising senior Parker Kent. "Playing with him on defense for the past three years, I can honestly say he's one of the best leaders I have ever played with. Every single set on defense, Craig knows everyone's job and he's consistently talking to every other guy out there making sure they are ready to go. He makes everyone around him better and demands the best out of all of us."
Due in large part to Chick demanding the best from his teammates, the Mountain Hawks fought through plenty of adversity in 2019 and came out stronger on the other side.
"What we experienced this year was crazy," said Chick. "I've never experienced anything like it and I doubt any of the other guys on the team have either. But I think we were comfortable in it because of how we train and how we work in the offseason, how the coaches coach us and how we're led. Adversity is going to come and the way the guys responded was unbelievable."
More than just Pettit and Bouhall, the Mountain Hawks saw a number of other players miss action, including two eventual All-Patriot League honorees – Lucas Spence and Christian McHugh – who missed multiple February games. In their games missed, Lehigh took a lead into the third quarter at Virginia and fourth quarter at Cornell. Their presence could have made a difference.
A few games later in mid-March, Bouhall went down in Lehigh's win at Rutgers, which changed Chick's role and mindset a bit.
"It really changed my style of play, at least for a little stretch, because I had to start covering better attackmen," he said. "I think I was a little hesitant to play aggressively and play the way I like to play. Down the home stretch, I knew I only had a couple more guaranteed games, so might as well go out on my terms and play how I like to play."
How he likes to play was enough to break an impressive all-time record.
Chick wanted more this season – he would trade any individual honor for a team accomplishment any day – but is rightfully proud of what the Mountain Hawks accomplished.
Chick didn't win a championship in his career, but he helped raise the bar. After losing in the Patriot League Quarterfinals as a freshman and sophomore, the Mountain Hawks played for an NCAA Tournament berth his final two years in a league with plenty of quantity (nine teams) and quality (five teams that were nationally-ranked at some during the year).
Chick also left the program in strong position moving forward. Chick helped mentor plenty of young defensemen (Michael Hagenberger, Patrick McIlroy, Anthony Tangredi, Judah Hicks and more) who look poised to thrive in 2019.
"Especially one year out of college, if the team goes on to win a championship, the senior class can definitely hang their hats in saying that we played a major part because of the leadership we gave the year before," said Chick. "We'd be incredibly proud of the team and I truly believe that they're going to get back there, with another great shot at winning it."
Chick's Lehigh career is over, but his playing career is far from over as he was selected in the second round of the Major League Lacrosse Draft by the Dallas Rattlers, signing with the Rattlers earlier this week.
"Along with playing, I also hope to give private lessons and try running some camps," he said. "Lacrosse is just one thing that I'm comfortable with and I know a lot about. I'll try to use that to succeed in any way I can."
There is no doubt Chick has succeeded in the collegiate part of his lacrosse career. He will be remembered as the NCAA's all-time greatest in causing turnovers, but Craig hopes his legacy encompasses much more.
"I just hope people say I was a good teammate and was a guy they loved to be around every day," he said. "Hopefully, it's that simple."
No surprise, that's exactly what his teammates are saying.
"Craig really embodies what this Lehigh program is all about," said rising senior Crew Cintron. "He played with a chip on his shoulder and an intensity that motivated every guy next to him. His attitude and consistent approach to lacrosse every day has definitely resonated with the upcoming seniors and will continue to carry on in this program for years to come."
"Craig was one of very few Lehigh Lacrosse men who served as a two-time team captain," said Cassese. "His lacrosse skills and leadership ability were undeniable, but what I will remember most about Craig Chick is his blue-collar work ethic and the chip-on-his-shoulder mentality that he carried with him every single day. He loved to be doubted and he thrived when people told him what he was incapable of doing. The critics fueled his fire and the doubters motivated him to be the best he could be.
"It just so happens that he turned out to be the best we've ever seen at Lehigh, and one of the best the NCAA has ever seen."
Here's a look at Craig Chick's @PatriotLeague record-breaking 1️⃣0️⃣7️⃣th career caused turnover in yesterday's 7-6 win at Boston University! @PL_MLAX @NCAALAX @Inside_Lacrosse @USLacrosseMag pic.twitter.com/9rVfYmalEy
— Lehigh Lacrosse (@LehighLacrosse) April 2, 2018
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