Brian Voelker doesn't expect a lot of his senior captain, David Cornbrooks.
Even though the team lost its top three scorers from last year (Cornbrooks was fourth), Voelker, in his fifth year coaching Penn lacrosse, doesn't want him to step up and shoulder the burden.
Despite Cornbrooks' 18 goals last season, the coach isn't going to even try to run the offense through the midfielder.
In fact, it took some selling on the part of Cornbrooks' high school coaches at St. Paul's to just get Voelker to recruit him.
"We had enough St. Paul's guys that I didn't think we needed another," Voelker said.
Big things weren't thought to be in his future. The All-Ivy bid that he garnered last year would have just been a dream.
But that's where the intangibles come into the picture. What couldn't be quantified or predicted from his on-field performance, one could have seen looking at his personal qualities and his leadership abilities.
Described as "quiet and laid-back," Cornbrooks was chosen as a scholar-athlete at St. Paul's - no mean feat given the school's academic and athletic rigor.
So there is one thing that Voelker does expect of Cornbrooks: Leadership.
It may not be as glamorous as scoring goals, but on a team with 26 freshmen and sophomores and only seven seniors, good leadership will be a key to success.
And even though the captain is not the "rah-rah" type, he does exert a great influence on his teammates. Knowing that actions speak louder than words, Cornbrooks leads by example.
"People look up to him," the coach said. "He works hard in the weight room, puts in lots of time on the field and does well in the classroom."
However, with such a young team, there will be times when Cornbrooks needs to be more pro-active and take charge.
He seems to relish the opportunity.
"I try to make sure that guys work their hardest," he said. "And with so many new players, I have to help teach them the ropes because there's not a lot of time to learn."
Among the players that he's helped guide has been sophomore attacker Craig Andrzejewski, whose brother D.J. led Penn to the NCAA Tournament last year. Cornbrooks and the younger Andrzejewski were also teammates at St. Paul's.
He described Cornbrooks as "a good leader, a good captain, and an all-around good guy."
Of course, Cornbrooks probably wouldn't garner that respect off the field if it wasn't for his work on the field. He's universally regarded by his coach and teammates as "a great shooter."
That shooting has helped him score goals on the field, but he still has one that he hasn't scored: winning the Ivy League.
Cornbrooks feels the right path to success will lie in his leadership, and not his shooting.
"My number one goal for this season is to lead the team," he said. "If I do that, we'll be successful and everything will fall into place."
