Johns Hopkins junior attackman Dan Denihan has trudged through seasons of unrealistic hype and expectations. And he actually invites the tremendous pressure of drawing one of the opposition's top defensemen.

Yet oddly enough, the turning point of Denihan's career occurred when he gave all of this up.

The sport that he had played for 13 consecutive springs pushed aside.

The school where he had always dreamed of playing a distant and painful memory down the turnpike.

After two up-and-down seasons with the Blue Jays, Denihan decided to withdraw from Hopkins last spring, a resolution made after an off-campus altercation which he declined to talk about specifically. Denihan, who returned to Homewood in the fall, prefers to focus on the products of one of the most agonizing periods of his life.

"It's surprising what four months can do, and what things you miss out on, what things you had and want back," said Denihan, a native of Manhasset, N.Y., who has two goals and two assists this season. "You will grow up.

"I left for personal reasons. The rest period was good for me as much as it hurt me. I needed to grow up and I needed to mature, and I wasn't mature. Now after watching my friends play, I realize what I didn't have and it made me appreciate it that much more. I cherish every day that I'm out there."

Now it's time for Denihan to prove that to No. 4 Hopkins.

Its top playmaker, midfielder A.J. Haugen, is out with a hamstring pull. And the Blue Jays' offense, which has scored more than two goals in a quarter just twice this season, is in desperate need of an identity as Hopkins plays host to No. 3 Syracuse today (3 p.m.).

So welcome back Denihan. Make that the new-and-improved Denihan.

"On the attack, he's the go-to guy in terms of carrying the ball and creating the offense," crease attackman Dylan Schlott said. "Everything from our standpoint revolves around him. He's the guy who starts it and is the real leader on the attack right now."

But wait, that's not the Denihan who played for the Blue Jays in 1996 and 1997.

As the nation's top recruit, he showed flashes while solely relying on his one-on-one dodging ability. Then the season after being named All-World attackman and tournament MVP of that summer's under-19 World Championships, Denihan never seemed to find a niche in Hopkins' scheme.

Leadership and focused ball control weren't exactly synonymous with Denihan's talents either.

Maybe it took months of resisting the temptation to pick up a stick last season. Or maybe it was the hurt endured the few times he came down to watch Hopkins.

"He looks more excited to play now," said his younger brother and teammate, Conor Denihan. "He wants to get after it more than normal. He's intense."

"You can tell he's a lot more focused right now," Schlott said. "He comes out every day wanting to work. Not that he hasn't been in the past, but you can see the drive's there. You can see he's a guy who's been away for a while and happy to be back."

Denihan's game has expanded along with his responsibilities.

When a defender overplays him, Denihan still can change direction and power his way to the goal with the same moves he dazzled fans with as a freshman. But when the opposition sits back against him, he won't rush a pass inside or try to force a move to the goal like his previous two seasons.

This year, Denihan scopes the entire defense for his opportunities as Hopkins' primary ball-carrier and looks to become the glue in a new offensive philosophy by calmly adjusting to the given situation.

Against Princeton in the season opener, he produced a goal and an assist in a one-minute span to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. In the first minute of last Friday's game against Loyola, Denihan delivered the ball to Schlott with a sleek feed.

But when the Blue Jays' cutters stand and watch Denihan -- like they did for the rest of the contest against the Greyhounds -- the defense has an easier time containing Denihan. He becomes a quarterback without any receivers.

Nevertheless, Denihan has had to weather tougher challenges at Homewood. His return with a new-look image proves that.

"I look at myself as a person who needs to make the offense work, but not just from a scoring perspective or a ball-carrying perspective," Denihan said. "By me showing my composure and handling the ball, I don't feel a burden. I think I have a lot more to give."

Denihan's stats

The year-by-year goals, shots, assists and ground-ball statistics for Johns Hopkins attackman Dan Denihan:

Year G-GS G Sh A GB

1996 14-14 26 104 8 26

1997 14-14 20 80 20 25

1999 2-2 2 9 2 4

Tot. 30-30 48 193 30 55

Pub Date: 3/20/99