Name: Adam Paris
Year: Junior
Position: Attackman
From: Portland, Ore.
Junior attackman Adam Paris helped set the nets on fire for the Arizona men's lacrosse team last weekend, scoring six goals and one assist in the Laxcats' blowout victory over Chapman in the quarterfinals of the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League playoffs. In the process, Paris remained the fifth-leading scorer in the WCLL, with 69 points. Paris is averaging a team-high 3.19 goals per game.
A first-year starter, Paris and sophomore frontliner Greg Polheber (71 points) have picked up the slack on an age-starved team, playing key roles in Arizona's drive to its first national club lacrosse championship. The team finished the regular season on an eight-game winning streak and looks to deflate Sonoma State in the semifinals of the WCLL Championships this weekend in Los Angeles.
Paris spoke with the Wildcat to discuss Tucson's "neat" monsoon season, trash-talking on the field and getting beneath other players' skin.
Wildcat: The last time this team went to Los Angeles, it dominated, coming away with a three-game sweep. How do you expect this next trip to be different?
Paris: We're playing against harder teams this time, the first and third best in the country. I think we'll have confidence coming in since we're on a good streak and we have a lot of good flow, but it's an uphill game from now until St. Louis. We're going to have to be a lot more focused.
Wildcat: Has it been a treat this season knowing that everyone's hard work has culminated in making the playoffs?
Paris: Yeah, it's been pretty sweet. It's sucked every once in a while ÷ a lot of sprints, getting really pissed at (head coach) Kenny (Broschart). In the beginning, there wasn't really much flow. We were fighting against each other. Once we started to realize that we needed to work together, we ended up playing better.
Wildcat: Coming into the year, did you expect to be so productive?
Paris: No. I was 115th or 116th last year (in scoring). (Editor's note: he was 94th.) I planned to be in the top 50 this year and hopefully start. I guess there wasn't anyone else to fill in the spot, so I just stepped up the challenge.
Wildcat: Among your teammates, who have been most instrumental in your progress?
Paris: (Senior attackman) Jeems Lochridge, definitely (sophomore attackman) Greg Polheber, (senior defenseman Tom) Wiley. Wiley kicks the crap out of me all the time. Jeems taught me how to shoot. And Polheber makes me look good.
Wildcat: Here's a scenario. You guys beat Sonoma State this weekend and move on to face Santa Barbara for a chance at a national title game berth. There are 30 seconds left and the team needs a goal. Who gets the call?
Paris: I wouldn't want it, but I would want to put it in, for sure. Scenario-wise, I would have Jeems start it off, do some dodging and get the ball moving around ÷ totally break their ankles, the defenses'. Get them all mixed up and just shoot it low.
Wildcat: Team president Mickey Miles-Felton once told me that lacrosse is strategically like basketball. Is there a lot of trash talk exchanged between players?
Paris: Oh yeah, a lot of trash talk, especially in the Chapman game. The goalie ÷ seeing how I was doing exceptionally well against him, I got into his head real quick. I was doing some trash-talking, to get it escalating, and then he finally started to flip out at me and cuss and whatnot. Definitely a lot of trash talk.
Wildcat: What are the best and worst lines you've heard during a game?
Paris: "You're a f÷ing p÷." They've tripped me up before. "You f÷ing suck." "Go home." "You're worthless." Just attempting to demoralize.
Wildcat: Are those the best and the worst?
Paris: Pretty much.
Wildcat: I've already heard two of Jeems' nicknames. What are your favorite nicknames on the team?
Paris: I like Greg Polheber's: "The Prototype." "Burniss" for (junior midfielder Dave) Sherman. Jeems is "The Boy," but everyone knows that one already.
Wildcat: It looks it's going to rain. Is it raining in Portland right now?
Paris: Probably. It's either raining or it's pretty warm and humid.
Wildcat: How do you enjoy the monsoons we have in Tucson?
Paris: They're pretty cool. I wasn't here until late last August, and it was already monsoon season. This year, I got to see some flash floods, and that was pretty weird. I was walking around and, all of a sudden, I was knee-deep in water. It was pretty neat.
Wildcat: I've read that ticks like to come out after the rain, particularly in Oregon. How do you take to them?
Paris: I haven't really dealt with many ticks. I haven't seen any in Portland. But I don't take them lightly, I guess.
Wildcat: That being said, are you going to try and get beneath the Seawolves' skin on Saturday?
Paris: For sure.
Wildcat: How would you like it if people started calling you "The Tick"?
Paris: The Tick? That would be pretty cool. Or "The Annoying Drizzle." The drizzle's more in Portland. It's too warm to wear sweatshirts and pants, but it's too cold ÷ because it rains ÷ to just go around in T-shirts and shorts.