The sudden death of Johns Hopkins defenseman Jeremy Huber has cast a pall over the preseason. The team has been mourning the loss of the popular freshman since he was found dead in his dorm a week ago.
But Huber's death has banded the team together, and the cohesion between 37 returning players and 15 freshmen has become even stronger, according to coach Dave Pietramala.
"Obviously, this situation has brought us closer together and hopefully will continue to do that," he said. "I think one of the strengths of the team is their chemistry and their care for each other. We have talked at great lengths through the preseason about commitment to each other and doing everything we can to make sure that we're doing all we can for one another to be successful. I think we have very good leadership. I've learned that through this process as well. Unfortunately, we've had two weeks of preseason and then this, and this has revealed as much as the first two weeks of the preseason – if not more. [Senior long-stick midfielder] Mike Pellegrino and [senior attackman] Wells Stanwick and [fifth-year senior goalkeeper] Eric Schneider have been tremendous leaders so far, and some of the other guys are really stepping up. I think our chemistry, our leadership are strengths of ours."
The team paid tribute to Huber with a candlelight vigil last Thursday. Pietramala has announced that, until the conclusion of the 2018 season, no one will be permitted to wear Huber's No. 19, which has been painted on Homewood Field and will remain there for the entire spring.
Huber's death is the second befalling a local college lacrosse athlete in as many years. Last April, Goucher sophomore midfielder Matthew Gabriel was killed in a hit-and-run incident.
The Gophers pledged their 2014 season in honor of their fallen teammate and advanced to the Landmark Conference tournament final. Will the Blue Jays do the same for Huber? Pietramala couldn't give a definitive answer.
"We haven't sat down and said, 'Hey, we're going to dedicate the season to him,'" he said. "We're trying to make sure we handle this in the most sensitive and appropriate way, and I think for us to talk about what we're doing in the season might at this point in time belittle what has happened at this point. So what we've talked about is how we're going to deal with this together and how we're going to help the Huber family.
"We've just said that we're going to mourn him and then we're going to celebrate him. Our hope is that at some point in time, the way we conduct ourselves on the field will be the way Jeremy would have wanted us to celebrate his life."