Stephen Banick made an impressive debut a week ago, recording a game-high seven points in No. 7 Stevenson’s 11-5 victory over No. 17 Haverford.
But for a while, the freshman attackman wasn’t sure he would play lacrosse again after suffering injuries and dealing with frustration.
Two years ago, Banick broke his right arm twice in his senior year at Charlotte Catholic in North Carolina. Having already committed to Bellarmine, Banick wasn’t too worried about missing a year of lacrosse, but he then tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during fall workouts and missed his first season with the Knights.
Banick dropped out of school after the first semester, but the spate of injuries took a toll on his psyche.
“There was a time last year when I wasn’t even sure if I was ever going to play again,” he recalled. “I was kind of hating lacrosse at the time, but I knew that I had to stick with it. I just couldn’t give it up because my whole life was dedicated to lacrosse. I had put so much time and effort into it that I knew I couldn’t give it up.”
Banick was later contacted by Mustangs coach Paul Cantabene, who initially recruited Banick before he chose Bellarmine. Banick said the team’s projected losses to graduation did not dissuade him from joining Stevenson.
“I knew that the team was full of talent, and I just wanted to be a part of that,” he said.
Banick compiled two goals and five assists in the Mustangs’ season-opening win, registering one goal and three assists in the second half.
Cantabene said Banick plays bigger than his listed height and weight of 5 feet, 10 inches and 145 pounds.
“I think that Stephen has really improved over his time here, and I thought he could have a good game because of how he was progressing,” Cantabene wrote in an email. “What Stephen really did well was get his teammates involved. Once they knew he was looking for them, things really opened up. We hope this is just the beginning for him.”
Banick has now stepped to the forefront of an attack that returned just one starter in sophomore Tyler Reid. But Banick will no longer be an unknown to the team’s opponents.
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“Yeah, I kind of thought about that, but it’s whatever,” he said. “That’s not really going to affect anything. I’m just going to play the same.”